BRIEF ON IRAN
No. 537
Tuesday, November 12, 1996

Representative Office of
The National Council of Resistance of Iran
Washington, DC


Deteriorated Human Rights in Iran - U.N., Reuters, November 11

	UNITED NATIONS - A U.N. representative has concluded that the human rights
situation in Iran "may well have deteriorated" this year....
	"As will be seen from this report, the information reaching the special
representative suggests that the condition of human rights in the Islamic
Republic of Iran may well have deteriorated since his report earlier this
year to the Commission on Human Rights."...
	[The UN Special Representative] Copithorne said, according to the best
information he had received, "the punishments...  in Iran would seem to have
been significantly toughened." The Iranian and international press reported
that at least 66 people were executed in Iran from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, he
said, calling this a "significant increase over the figure of 50 persons
executed that was noted by the special representative for 1995."
	Copithorne also noted "a number of indications that the social climate in
the Islamic Republic is becoming less tolerant." Among these were the
closure of several newspapers by the authorities, the launching of a new
television program apparently aimed at "categorizing targeted intellectuals
as social misfits or foreign spies," several physical attacks on cinemas to
protest against films judged to be "contrary to Islamic and religious
values," "forcible interventions to break up private social functions which
on occasion resulted in death" and the disruption of meetings to be
addressed by prominent dissidents....
	A number of reports had been received of the harassment or intimidation of
relatives in Iran of political dissidents or sympathizers living abroad,
Copithorne said. He said he had also received "statistics suggesting that
politically motivated violence against Iranians outside the country was
continuing unabated."
	Reports continue to come in of "grave breaches of human rights of the
Baha'is in Iran"...


UN Report Shows Mullahs Cannot Reform - NCR, Iran Zamin News Agency, November 11

	Mr. Massoud Rajavi, President of the NCR, in an statement described the
latest report by the Special Representative of the UN Human Rights
Commission as an international acknowledgment of the incapability of the
mullahs' religious, terrorist dictatorship of reform.  He urged the adoption
of a decisive policy and imposition of international punishments against
this regime.
	"The time has come for the international community to give full-fledged
support to the Special Representative's mandate, and pressure the mullahs to
open out their political prisoners and divulge the mass graves...," the
statement said.


Clerics' Paper: Do Not Permit Capithorne to Enter Iran, Radio Israel,
November 10

	Daily Kayhan called on the Iranian government not to permit U.N.'s Special
Representative to visit Iran.
	Kayhan wrote: "It is appropriate that our country's authorities apply more
scrutiny in reviewing Capithorne's request [to visit Iran] in the interest
of public welfare, honor and principles of the state.  They should not allow
foreigners to further trample on the sanctities of the Muslim people of our
Islamic land."


Iran Reject Dialogue with United States, Reuters, November 11

DUBAI - Iran denied on Monday that a statement by Iranian Foreign Minister
Ali Akbar Velayati meant Tehran was willing to engage in dialogue with
Washington.
	Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mahmoud Mohammadi, quoted by Tehran
radio, said Velayati's statement "had nothing to do with an exchange of
letters with the aim of (setting up) a dialogue between Iran and America."...
	"Iran's position is the same stance that has been expressed by the
honorable leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei)... which is also what Mr. Velayati
has said," he added.
	Khamenei two weeks ago rejected suggestions that talks could be held with
Washington....
	In a related report, Reuters said:  [Majlis (parliament) speaker]
Nateq-Nouri, tipped as a possible successor next year to President Akbar
Hashemi Rafsanjani, told crowds outside the former U.S. embassy: "...America
is a blood-sucking wolf who was slapped in the face by us on this historic
day.  There can never be a friendly relationship between a lamb and a wolf."...


Missing Without a Trace, German Daily Tages Zeitung, November 9

	Iranian journalist and critic, Faraj Sar-Kouhi is still missing.  He was
last seen on Sunday in Tehran Airport where he was flying to Germany.  Since
then there is no trace of him...
	Sar-Kouhi... was last arrested and interrogated by the secret service in
Tehran on August 28...