Khatami's 'Quasi-House Arrest'; 'Prosecutor Denied'

The newspaper Shargh reported on its front page on Saturday, October 7, with the headline 'Prosecutor Denied', about 'the rejection of new restrictions on the reformist president by the special prosecutor of the clergy in Tehran.' The newspaper wrote: 'After Mohammad Reza Tabesh, deputy of the Hope faction, announced new restrictions for the reformist president, the principlist news agency 'Fars' quoted an 'informed source' stating that the restrictions on Khatami's movements and activities are not new and are related to the National Security Council's directives.' According to Shargh, 'Fars news agency did not stop there and in a brief interview with Hojjatoleslam Abdollahi, the special prosecutor of the clergy in Tehran, quoted him as saying: No new restrictions have been imposed on the mentioned individual. The preventive measures taken so far have been based on the National Security Council's secretariat resolution.' The newspaper also reported that Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the first deputy of the judiciary, who attended the memorial service for Ahmadinejad's brother, postponed commenting on the validity of the new restrictions for the reformist president to a press conference on Sunday, stating: 'We will be at your service on Sunday at the press conference.' Shargh simultaneously wrote that Mohammad Reza Tabesh denied the statements of the 'informed source' from Fars news agency, saying: 'We are pleased that in response to the sensitivity and pressure of public opinion, the 'informed source' was forced to deny the imposition of new restrictions or attribute it to the National Security Council, which is also a false statement.' The newspaper reminded that 'the news of new restrictions for the reformist president was announced after multiple images of Ali Asgari, the head of the IRIB, and Ali Larijani, the speaker of the parliament, sitting next to him were published. The reason for this gathering was the attendance of these figures at the memorial service for Ayatollah Rasti Kashani at the Jamaran Hosseiniyeh. The publication of these images in cyberspace and print media of the principlist current was accompanied by various analyses and sometimes sharp criticisms.' The newspaper Bahar described the new restrictions for Mohammad Khatami, president from 1997 to 2005, as 'quasi-house arrest' and wrote: 'Last Friday, news outlets reported heavy new restrictions for the reformist president. In this regard, Javad Imam, the CEO of the Baran Foundation and a close associate of Mohammad Khatami, along with Mohammad Reza Tabesh, a reformist representative from Ardakan in the parliament and Khatami's nephew, confirmed this news and described it as regrettable. Meanwhile, the former president of Iran has been banned from appearing in media and expressing his views since 2013.' According to this newspaper, 'the special court for clergy, headed by Ebrahim Raisi, has informed Mohammad Khatami that he should not participate in any political or promotional events for three months. Accordingly, he has been informed that during this period, he should not attend meetings, halls, conferences, artistic events, such as theater, concerts, and also presence in various non-family gatherings, even in private sessions is prohibited. Additionally, meetings with real and legal persons, government officials, clerics, political groups, guilds, students, etc., have been banned with Mohammad Khatami.' Bahar emphasized that if these restrictions occur, it can be said that it will create a situation similar to house arrest for Khatami. The newspaper also noted that in recent weeks, hopes had been raised for lifting the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, but with the implementation of new restrictions on Mohammad Khatami, 'now all those hopes have vanished, and apparently the fourth person has joined the three under house arrest and is in a situation similar to house arrest,' suggesting that 'the reason for this new development may be sought in those images of Khatami with several principlist figures, images that could have been interpreted as a symbol of unity but apparently have become a pretext for punishment.' The newspaper Etemad published news about the arrest of Mehdi Jahangiri, the brother of Eshaq Jahangiri, the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani, stating: 'A new era has begun, or is everything coincidentally interconnected? Sentences of imprisonment and bans on political activities for seven prominent reformist figures, new restrictions for the reformist president, and now the arrest of the brother of the vice president, if even coincidentally gathered together, still raises questions; especially since Eshaq Jahangiri reacted to his brother's arrest by considering it a predictable issue and expressing hope that this arrest was not for political reasons.' The newspaper reminded that 'in the midst of the 2017 presidential election campaigns, when presidential candidates were busy gathering evidence against each other in the created bipolar atmosphere to reveal a trump card at an appropriate time, the Jahan News website, affiliated with Alireza Zakani, one of the former members of parliament, published a detailed report about the brothers of two candidates supported by reformists, and Hussein Fereydoun, the brother of President Hassan Rouhani, on one hand, and Mehdi Jahangiri, the brother of Eshaq Jahangiri, who entered the election as a cover candidate, on the other hand, were subjected to accusations that had not been raised for Mehdi Jahangiri until that day.' Etemad wrote that Hussein Fereydoun was arrested in July this year following these accusations, although his arrest lasted only one night, but it has now become clear that Mehdi Jahangiri, despite denying the accusations against him, 'could not escape the election debates and the hands of his brother's rivals.' Meanwhile, the newspaper Aftab Yazd in its front page wrote: 'Mehdi was not supported by Eshaq.' Mohammad Sadegh Javadi Hesari, a figure close to the reformist faction, told this newspaper: 'Mehdi Jahangiri and his activities have no connection to Eshaq Jahangiri. Eshaq Jahangiri is a separate and different character. The blood relationship does not lead to a work relationship. Each goes their own way. The truth is that one cannot hold the behavior of one accountable to another.' Abdullah Naseri, another reformist figure, also told Aftab Yazd: 'Mr. Eshaq Jahangiri has never created any space for his brother to engage in economic activities, nor has he even confirmed his actions. In the reformist government, Mehdi was an economic activist and dealt with economic issues, and Mr. Jahangiri never created any space for his brother.' This newspaper emphasized that 'the reason for the arrest of the vice president's brother has not been fully clarified, but this event has become a weapon for the opponents of the government to undermine Eshaq Jahangiri, who has been rumored to be a candidate for the 2021 elections since May.' Kayhan also published the news of Mehdi Jahangiri's arrest on its front page, stating: 'Mehdi Jahangiri, head of the tourism financial group, vice president of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, and brother of Eshaq Jahangiri, has been arrested.' This newspaper noted that 'the brother of the vice president, the founder and creator of the Tourism Bank,' has established several large subsidiary companies in a short time. He is also the chairman of the board of the Benab Industrial Steel Complex, a member of the board of the Handball Federation, the chairman of the board of the Tourism Holding Company, and has a long history of cooperation with the Mashai faction in previous and current governments.' Kayhan also wrote that 'at the World Tourism Day celebration, Mehdi Jahangiri, head of the tourism financial group, was recognized as the top entrepreneur in this industry and received a statue of excellence from Hassan Rouhani.' The newspaper Hamdeli published a report about a nationwide teachers' gathering on Friday, stating: 'This gathering was held at the request of the Coordination Council of Teachers' Trade Unions of the country. Teachers and retired educators were primarily seeking the implementation of the national service law approved in 2007, which will include a coordinated payment system. Beyond that, equitable budget allocation for employees and retirees of this ministry was the most important demand of the demonstrators.' According to this newspaper, in various parts of the formed space, placards reading 'Our demands are professional, not political' were visible, and other placards with similar themes were held by attendees: 'The awake teacher is disgusted with discrimination,' 'Enhancing the dignity and status of retirees and active educators,' 'Equitable budget for all,' 'Stop privatizing education,' 'Government, Parliament; why the silence?' 'Justice in the budget; motivation in schools,' 'The right to organize is a legal right of teachers.' Hamdeli noted that 'alongside these themes, the insistence of the attendees on the professional nature of the demands and distancing from politics was very noticeable,' writing: 'Iranian society, including activists in professions, media and culture, civil activists, etc., is somehow seeking to depoliticize various aspects of their lives.' This newspaper stated that 'this performance will lead to two regrettable outcomes: If we separate professional demands from politics, we effectively eliminate the possibility of realizing those demands,' and secondly, 'with the political sphere emptied of the everyday and vital issues of people's lives, it has resulted in only a limited number of activists, both governmental and non-governmental, claiming political legitimacy for themselves,' and 'this created vacuum has caused political engagement in Iran to be practically forgotten. Activists who consider themselves the only authorized individuals in political matters, without concern for addressing social demands, are pursuing internal deals among themselves and their rivals.' The newspaper Shahrvand reported on 'details of operations against snow and blizzard in four provinces,' writing: 'Last weekend, due to the cold weather and relatively heavy rainfall, the northern provinces of the country faced flooding.' According to this newspaper, in addition to some villages in East Azerbaijan and Golestan, in Gilan province 'eight cities Astara, Anzali, Talesh, Amol, Lahijan, Langroud, Rudsar, and Soume'ra faced flooding, and in Mazandaran province 'due to the cold weather and relatively heavy rainfall, some areas in the cities of Ramsar, Tonekabon, Savadkuh, Chalus, Amol, and Noor were flooded.' The newspaper Shahrvand also reported under the title 'Toxic Caspian' that 'the waters of the Caspian have long been plagued by pollution from agricultural wastewater and industrial factories and oil pollution, and this issue threatens the livelihood of fishing reserves and its economy,' and now pollution and the annual decline of fish reserves 'have forced fishermen to change jobs.' Arsalan Ghasemi, the CEO of the Union for the Breeding, Cultivation, and Export of Aquatic Animals in Iran, told this newspaper: 'Fishing from the Caspian Sea is decreasing year by year due to increasing pollution, to the extent that fishermen are resorting to selling fishing boats and changing jobs.' Pourkazemi, the head of the Fisheries Research Institute, rejected the claim that the decline in catch is due to water pollution, stating: 'Studies indicate that the cause of the disappearance of sturgeon fish stocks in the Caspian Sea is illegal fishing, and before these fish reach maturity and spawning age, they are caught, which leads to their extinction and is uncontrollable.' The newspaper Shahrvand simultaneously warned about the increasing pollution in the Caspian Sea, quoting Parviz Kordavani, a water analyst, stating: 'The waters of Nowshahr are the most polluted part of the Caspian; the health of farmed fish in this area is better than that of wild fish.' This newspaper reminded that 'the Caspian Sea Environment Convention was established on November 5, 2003, in Tehran, introducing the Caspian as the largest lake in the world with rich biodiversity, oil, and fishery resources. In this meeting, it was emphasized that the Caspian has strategically become one of the most important points in the world, especially in recent years, but the sensitivity and fragility of the Caspian environment due to its enclosed nature, excessive exploitation of its resources, and the accumulation of various pollutants have put this sea in an ecological crisis.'