Definition of 'Political Crime' and Its Instances Approved by Parliament

On Sunday, the Islamic Consultative Assembly continued its review of the details of the 'Political Crime' bill, approving the definition of such a 'crime' and the related instances and articles. The general principles of this bill were approved on Tuesday, January 29, despite government opposition. According to Article 1 of this bill, crimes committed 'with the motivation of reforming the affairs of the country against the management and political institutions or domestic or foreign policies of the country, without the perpetrator intending to harm the essence of the regime, are considered political crimes.' On the other hand, according to this bill, 'inciting people to separatism, war, murder, and conflict' is not considered a political crime. This bill also includes some 'privileges' for political detainees, which include 'separate detention from ordinary criminals during detention and imprisonment' and 'prohibition of solitary confinement' for more than 15 days. According to the parliamentary news agency, 'House of the Nation,' on Sunday, February 4, Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of this bill were approved. Articles 1 and 2 specify crimes that are considered 'political crimes,' while Article 3 identifies crimes that are not considered political. Article 4 assigns criminal courts the responsibility for handling political crimes, and according to Article 5, the determination of a political crime is up to the prosecutor or the court. Article 6 also specifies the privileges that political offenders will enjoy. The general principles of the political crime bill were not presented by the government as a draft but were prepared in the Judicial and Legal Commission of the Parliament and approved in the Parliament session on January 29. Majid Ansari, the parliamentary deputy of President Hassan Rouhani, opposed the bill in that session, stating that from the government's perspective, 'the principle of addressing political crime and defining it is a positive action,' but the government does not consider the Parliament's bill 'comprehensive and prohibitive.' In contrast, supporters of the bill argue that its approval will grant 'political offenders' privileges that ordinary and security offenders do not have. The political crime bill was reviewed and approved in Parliament while many critics argue that no political activity should be considered a crime and that no law can be passed for it. Others, like Kamaleddin Pirmoazzen, a representative from Ardabil, stated during the approval of the general principles last week that 'it seems some representatives want to limit civil rights with this bill; it is better to raise our tolerance threshold instead of being sensitive to criticism and wait for the government to present this issue in the form of a bill at an appropriate time.'