Three Plans by the Ministry of Interior for Elections

The newspaper Etemad reported on its front page on Monday: "Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's son introduced himself to Evin prison to serve a ten-year prison sentence." The newspaper Arman dedicated its headline and front-page photo to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and his son Mehdi, stating in a report titled "Prayer and Kiss from Ayatollah Hashemi to Send Off His Son" that "Mehdi Hashemi went to prison to put an end to the opponents' talks who use anything as an excuse to attack Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani." The newspaper Shargh also published a photo of Mehdi Hashemi saying goodbye to his family members on its front page, noting that previously "the spokesperson of the judiciary announced a 20-year sentence for economic reasons and a five-year sentence for security charges, while between 2009 and October 2012, when Mehdi Hashemi returned to Iran, conservatives referred to him from various platforms as the main accused in the events following the 2009 election." The newspaper Vatan-e Emruz, close to the Stability Front, published a photo of Mehdi Hashemi at the threshold of entering Evin prison, stating about the ten-year prison sentence for Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's fourth son: "He deserved it." The newspaper Javan, associated with the Revolutionary Guards, also wrote that Mehdi Hashemi "went to prison while portraying himself as a victim." The newspaper Aftab Yazd reported on the Ministry of Interior's efforts to change the electoral process and the obstacles ahead, including the possible opposition of the Guardian Council to these changes. According to this newspaper, "the Ministry of Interior is determined to implement three discussions in the upcoming parliamentary elections: first, the electronic voting at least in some constituencies; second, changing the ballot boxes to transparent ones to clarify the electoral environment; and third, clarifying the sources of income and money that representatives receive during elections." The newspaper Shargh quoted Hassan Qashqavi, Deputy Foreign Minister, about the possibility of introducing "Iran's first female ambassador" in the near future, mentioning "Marzieh Afkham" and "Mansoureh Sharifi-Sadr" as potential candidates to fulfill Mohammad Javad Zarif's promise. The newspaper Shahrvand published a report about the third yellow card issued by the parliament to the Minister of Economy of Hassan Rouhani's government, referring to Ali Tayebnia as the "anti-inflation man" and stating: "The parliament has issued a third yellow card to the anti-inflation man." The newspaper Qanoon described the third yellow card to the Minister of Economy as "nuclear revenge on the economy." The newspaper Iran reported the announcement of "criteria for eliminating subsidies for the wealthy," stating: "Expensive cars, properties, jobs, and documents indicating individuals have substantial wealth are the criteria for eliminating subsidies." The newspaper Javan dedicated its front page to Sadegh Kharrazi and quoted the Secretary-General of the newly established Iranian Voice Party as saying: "I have a list of reformists who provided information to the enemy." The newspaper Abrar, while dedicating its front page photo to a view of Mount Damavand, warned about mountain encroachment in Damavand, stating: "The Director General of Environmental Protection of Tehran Province warned about mountain encroachment in the village of 'Rineh' in Damavand." This newspaper, referring to the formation of a working group to address the damages caused by mining and road construction around Mount Damavand, quoted Mohammad Hadi Heydarzadeh as saying: "Damavand is a national, natural heritage, and any exploitation of it is prohibited, but unfortunately, during a period, mining permits were mistakenly granted around the peak of Damavand, creating vested rights there." The newspapers' perspectives on "Mehdi Hashemi's imprisonment"; "the key to the sedition" or "the great briber" The newspaper Etemad emphasized that "Mehdi Hashemi went to Evin," stating: "Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's son introduced himself to Evin prison to serve a ten-year prison sentence." Mahshid Sotoudeh in Etemad's report wrote that Sunday was "a different day for the Hashemi family. At 4 PM on Sunday, Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, having heard his father's travel prayer and words, got out of his car and stood with his family members in front of the prison. Among the journalists, he read a statement and requested that his court sessions be broadcasted, and then he entered Evin detention center to begin his ten-year sentence." Etemad emphasized that no summons had come for Mehdi Hashemi, and it was said that he had three days to introduce himself, noting that he "went to Evin himself to make a request during a time when attacks on his father were at their peak; a place where his older sister had also spent six months and he two months after returning to Iran." According to this newspaper, however, Mehdi Hashemi's lawyers still protest this sentence, and among them, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai stated after leaving Evin prosecutor's office in front of reporters: "We went to the office of the head of the security prosecutor's office and handed Mehdi Hashemi over to undergo the acceptance process and enter prison," but "we will submit a request for the application of Article 477 of the Criminal Procedure Code. We will soon prove this, and the head of the judiciary will accept it." Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai also stated: "Mehdi Hashemi explicitly declared upon entering prison that the court sessions should be broadcasted. Following this, Seyyed Vahid Abou-Maali, another lawyer for Mehdi Hashemi, told reporters: "We will wait. We will convey our message, and we hope that our defenses will be publicly broadcasted." Etemad particularly emphasized Mehdi Hashemi's request before entering Evin prison for "broadcasting his court sessions" and quoted his lawyers as saying: "If the head of the judiciary himself watches the text of these sessions, he will apply Article 477 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and the case will go to the Supreme Court for reconsideration." The newspaper Shargh also published a photo of Mehdi Hashemi saying goodbye to his family members, stating: "Mehdi Hashemi, yesterday, along with his older sister and brother, Fatemeh and Mohsen, and of course their mother, Iffat Marashi, appeared in front of Evin prison, read a short text to the journalists present, and entered Evin prison to begin serving his ten-year sentence." Mehdi Ghadimi in Shargh's report noted that previously "the spokesperson of the judiciary announced a 20-year sentence for economic reasons and a five-year sentence for security charges, while between 2009 and October 2012, when Mehdi Hashemi returned to Iran, conservatives referred to him from various platforms as the main accused in the events following the 2009 election." The newspaper Vatan-e Emruz, whose owner Mehrdad Bazrpash is a representative close to the Stability Front, published a photo of Mehdi Hashemi at the threshold of entering Evin prison, stating about the ten-year prison sentence for Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's fourth son: "He deserved it." This newspaper also referred to Mehdi Hashemi as a "great briber" and wrote: "The wait is over, and the great briber, Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, has entered Evin to serve at least ten years in prison." Vatan-e Emruz noted that Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani entered Evin prison on Sunday afternoon, stating: "Although the appellate court announced Mehdi Hashemi's punishment on June 9, he finally entered Evin after two months, and his ten-year punishment began on Sunday, August 9, 2015." This newspaper close to the Stability Front also accused Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani of insulting villagers, stating: "Mehdi Hashemi's punishment, in addition to imprisonment, included a monetary fine, restitution, and lashes, but the main accusations against Mr. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's son, which have recently sparked widespread protests in the country, were economic corruption." The newspaper Javan, associated with the Revolutionary Guards, also wrote that Mehdi Hashemi "went to prison while portraying himself as a victim." This newspaper noted that the news of Mehdi Hashemi's introduction to Evin prison was published on Sunday while "his sentence's execution had been postponed several times, and this issue had raised doubts about the execution of his sentence more than ever. These doubts increased when rumors circulated among the media that some individuals were negotiating for the pardon and reduction of Mehdi Hashemi's sentence; a rumor that was automatically denied with this convict's entrance into prison on Sunday." The newspaper Javan detailed Mehdi Hashemi's economic charges in the ruling issued by the Revolutionary Court but only briefly mentioned his political charges, stating: "According to Article 610 of the Islamic Penal Code, he was sentenced to five years in prison." This newspaper, however, reminded that Mehdi Hashemi "does not accept his sentence," but simultaneously wrote: "The opening of Evin's doors for the son of the influential family marks the end of the case of an individual about whom numerous rumors have been heard in the country for years." Three Plans by the Ministry of Interior for Elections The newspaper Aftab Yazd reported on the Ministry of Interior's efforts to change the electoral process and the obstacles ahead, including the possible opposition of the Guardian Council to these changes. According to this newspaper, "the Ministry of Interior is determined to implement three discussions in the upcoming parliamentary elections: first, the electronic voting at least in some constituencies; second, changing the ballot boxes to transparent ones to clarify the electoral environment; and third, clarifying the sources of income and money that representatives receive during elections." Omid Kajiyan in Aftab Yazd's report reminded that the proposed changes by the Ministry of Interior for the elections "are not without challenges, and one of these challenges is convincing the Guardian Council to ensure that this institution is confident in the feasibility of electronic voting," as "recently, Ayatollah Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, stated in a special news interview that the Minister of Interior, along with his deputies and experts, came to the Guardian Council and discussed electronic voting for the upcoming elections, and many discussions were raised about it, but the prerequisites for its implementation are still not in place." This newspaper also referred to the statements of Nejatollah Ebrahimian, the spokesperson of the Guardian Council, who said: "For electronic voting, it is necessary to ensure that the groundwork for holding it is in place, and if the Guardian Council determines that the infrastructure for this work exists, then electronic voting will be implemented; otherwise, it will be postponed to future terms." Aftab Yazd emphasized that "Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli himself is determined to strive for electoral transparency and to implement electronic voting and the transparency of ballot boxes," but the Minister of Interior must also respond to the demands of the Guardian Council, and "first and foremost, he must prove that the existing infrastructure for these electoral changes is in place." Nasser Imani, a principled political activist, pointed out that "the lack of infrastructure falls back on the Ministry of Interior and the government as a whole," telling this newspaper: "In the previous government, electronic voting was never realized, and at no time did that government announce that we are fully prepared for electronic voting both in terms of software and hardware and can implement this plan for at least one electoral term in one city." He stated that "the Ministry of Interior and the Minister himself must explicitly declare that, for example, we have seen the necessary hardware and software in this electoral constituency and will present the list to the Guardian Council; now if the Guardian Council, after a reasonable period, announces that we have not reviewed this plan or are opposed to it, then various judgments can be made." The use of transparent ballot boxes is also another issue that, despite being proposed by Hassan Rouhani and the Minister of Interior, faced a reaction from Ahmad Jannati, who stated in a television interview that "one of the problems in this regard is that people's votes may be visible from behind these boxes and read, which contradicts the confidentiality of people's votes." Gholamali Jafarzadeh, a member of parliament, regarding the transparency of election ballot boxes, told Aftab Yazd: "What is proposed as the transparency of election ballot boxes does not mean that anyone can read the votes inside; rather, it is to determine the volume and amount of votes to clarify the electoral atmosphere a bit," and the objection raised by the Secretary of the Guardian Council "for example, if votes are to be placed in an envelope in the box, this problem can be easily solved." Nasser Imani, a principled political activist, also commented on the transparency of election ballot boxes, stating: "Holding elections in places where no one can see the voter's written choice or where the votes are transparent is very good; however, we have broader issues in elections that are more important than these matters, such as regulating the money given to candidates in elections, and if the Ministry of Interior can pursue that issue, it would be a very positive behavior."