BRIEF ON IRAN No. 276 Thursday, October 19, 1995 Representative Office of The National Council of Resistance of Iran 3421 M Street NW #1032 Washington, DC 20007 Khomeini Regime Steps Up Repression to Counter Escalation of Popular Uprisings, From Statement by NCR, October 18 Simultaneous with the spread of social unrest, popular demonstrations and labor strikes in the cities across Iran, the mullahs' Majlis ratifies new suppressive laws. According to a new law, adopted yesterday by the mullahs' Majlis, the formation of any opposition group of more than two people, even outside Iran, will be punished by sentences of two to 10 years of imprisonment. This is while the group is not found to be supportive of the Iranian Resistance, in which case it is "mohareb", one who wages war on God, and punishable by execution. The new law also reacts to the extensive defections of guards and conscript soldiers and considers two to 10 years of jail for anyone encouraging them to escape. Mr. Massoud Rajavi, President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, described the adoption of this suppressive law-- unprecedented in the world -- as a clear manifestation of the expansion of discontent and acts of protest to all members of the Iranian society and indicates the regime's inability in countering the increasing support for the Iranian people's just Resistance.... Khamenei Unable to Hide His Fear of People, Radio Israel, October 17 Khamenei who is in Mazandaran Province [northern Iran], today was visiting the city of Babol. Speaking among a group of people and city authorities, he expressed his pleasure from what he called extensive popular support for the government. Nevertheless, he stressed on the necessity of reinforcing the revolutionary guard and besiji [the mullahs' paramilitary mobilization] forces. Israel Denounces Iran and Syria Over Attack in Lebanon, The New York Times, October 18 JERUSALEM - The Israeli Government blasted Syria and Iran today for their support of the Party of God guerrillas in southern Lebanon who killed nine Israeli soldiers in the last week.... "The Cabinet condemns the Government of Iran which directly aids the Hizbollah terrorists and denounces the Government of Syria which, although it is capable of doing so, does not prevent but rather gives backing to the terrorist activity of this organization," the Government of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said in a statement issued after a special session. Hizbollah is the Arabic name for the Party of God. The statement reflected the belief that Iran is the main backer of the Party of God, a militant Shiite movement, in Lebanon.... IMF Concern on Iran Economic Stability, Reuters, October 18 PARIS - The International Monetary Fund expressed concern about macroeconomic stability in Iran when it conducted its last review of the country about a month ago, a senior World Bank official said on Wednesday. "Iran is economically in a very difficult situation. The reforms of the early 1990s have been taken away," Caio Koch-Weser, World Bank vice-president for the Middle East and North Africa told a news conference. The IMF had noted its concern during a so-called Article 4 review which it carries out regularly for each of its members. Its reports on these reviews are not normally published. "An Article 4 IMF review expressed concern as to macro- economic stability," Koch-Weser said. Koch-Weser said that among earlier economic reforms which had been reversed was exchange rate reform, but gave no further details.... Dissident Ayatollah Denied Care in Iran, Reuters, October 18 Relatives of a senior Iranian Moslem cleric on Wednesday accused Tehran of refusing to allow doctors to visit the ailing ayatollah who has criticized the government's religious policies. A family member in Europe said officials in Iran were refusing to allow physicians to see Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeq Rowhani who lives under house arrest in the holy city of Qom. He said Rowhani, 65, was in urgent need of medical attention for an old stomach ulcer, operated on about 20 years ago.