Conflicting Reports on the Arrest of Secretary General of the Union of Iranian Nation Party

Reports from some news sources in Iran indicate that Ali Shakouri Rad, the Secretary General of the Union of Iranian Nation Islamic Party, was arrested hours after the party's first press conference. Concurrently, ISNA has denied this news, citing a member of the party's central council. Fars and Tasnim news agencies, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported on Tuesday, September 9, citing a 'judicial authority', that the reason for his arrest was 'insistence on previous violations and seditious actions'. IRNA also published news of Mr. Shakouri Rad's arrest based on an unnamed informed source, who mentioned that the reason for his arrest was 'a previous case and insistence on committing past violations'. However, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), quoting Gholamreza Ansari, a member of the central council of the Union of Iranian Nation Party, has denied the news of Mr. Shakouri Rad's arrest, calling the reports 'utterly false' and 'media hype'. He stated that Mr. Shakouri Rad received his 'clean record' last week for forming a cooperative and has no previous cases. Mr. Ansari confirmed that the Secretary General of the Union of Iranian Nation Party went to Evin Prison after the party's press conference on Tuesday, along with another member, to 'complete the legal steps for lifting his travel ban', but 'was not arrested at all' to require bail for his release. Despite these statements, the Twitter account of the Union of Iranian Nation Party reported hours before Mr. Shakouri Rad's summons to the Evin Prosecutor's Office 'to provide some explanations' and confirmed that he did not return after visiting the prosecutor's office. Ali Shakouri Rad is a member of the Islamic Participation Front and was a representative in the sixth parliament. He was also arrested on October 20, 2010, on security charges but was released from prison after a month. Before the party's press conference, Hossein Ali Amiri, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, told Mehr News Agency that 'the activity permit for the Union of Iranian Nation has not yet been issued, and if the responses to the inquiries about some members of the party's central council are negative, the current composition of the central council must be reformed'. In the first press conference of this party, Ali Shakouri Rad criticized the performance of the Guardian Council, stating: 'As the president also mentioned, we are facing a problem called supervisory oversight that contradicts the spirit of the law because the people did not vote for the constitution to deprive themselves of authority, and the power of choice should not be taken away from the people'. According to IRNA, he pointed out: 'The same rights that have been considered for the Guardian Council should be implemented, and not interpreted in a way that undermines the rights of the people'. The Guardian Council, based on its interpretation of its oversight in elections, has stated that this oversight is 'supervisory' and is present at all stages of the ongoing elections. This interpretation has faced criticism from reformists and opponents who believe that the Guardian Council primarily approves those who are aligned with conservatives and the faction close to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Secretary General of the Union of Iranian Nation stated in his remarks on Tuesday: 'Some think that the constitution is the right of the rulers and the limit of the people, meaning that the people should vote for someone chosen and approved by the Guardian Council, whereas this is not the case. The constitution is the right of the people and defines the limits of others to prevent encroachment on the rights of the people'. Mr. Shakouri Rad added: 'The qualification of individuals is the responsibility of the executive bodies, and if someone has a complaint regarding the violation of their rights, they can seek to restore their rights through the Guardian Council'. He emphasized: 'The interference of the Guardian Council leads to a two-stage selection of individuals, and the qualification of individuals can be subject to bias'. In recent days, following Hassan Rouhani's statements about the limits of the Guardian Council's oversight, media attacks and criticism from conservative figures against the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran have intensified. Mr. Rouhani stated on August 19 that the Guardian Council is 'an observer, not an executor', adding: 'The one who should say whether a person is qualified to participate in the elections or not is the executive body'. The Guardian Council has set March 7 of this year as the date for holding the elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts. Meanwhile, reformist groups have reported planning to introduce candidates for these elections and have called for guarantees for the necessary conditions for holding free, lawful, and competitive elections. The Secretary General of the Union of Iranian Nation Islamic Party, in another part of his remarks, stated that this party 'considers itself reformist and recognizes Khatami as the leader of the reform movement'. Shakouri Rad continued: 'The Union of Iranian Nation Party recognizes and strengthens Khatami's centrality; members have a good relationship with him, as we even witnessed his message being read at the congress'. He added: 'Certainly, the Union of Iranian Nation Party will establish a more cohesive relationship with Khatami in the future'. This political activist, in another part of his remarks, rejected the use of the term 'sedition' for the protests following the 2009 presidential election, addressing a reporter who asked about this, saying: 'In the legal texts, the term sedition is not defined for the events of 2009, and we do not have a perception of this term'. Shakouri Rad added: 'Our approach is not to dwell on past issues and the bitter and sweet experiences that have existed, most of which have been bitter, but rather our focus is on the future'.