TEHRAN - According to daily Salam, a judge investigating the murders of dissidents and writers in late 1998 said five people were being investigated and expressed hope the case would be resolved by the end of the Iranian year which runs to March 2000.

[More than five months after the recent wave of political murders and repeated promises by Khatami and the investigative mission he appointed to introduce the masterminds and the perpetrators of these crimes, the mullahs' judicial officials have, in recent days, cited such pretexts as "confidentiality of the case," "national security" and "public chastity," dashing any prospects to clarify the facts about this case.

[It is therefore clear that the mullahs intend to conceal the role of the regime's most senior officials in these murders by prolonging the process.]
 
 

Upgrading of Ties with Mullahs Condemned, Iran Zamin News Agency, May 4

The Foreign Ministry of the mullahs' regime announced that "by upgrading the charge d'affaires to the level of ambassador, Iran and Great Britain have taken a major step in normalizing ties."

In a statement released today, the NCR said: "The Iranian Resistance strongly condemns upgrading ties with the clerical regime."

"As far as the Iranian people are concerned, the clerical regime and all its factions are devoid of any legitimacy. The policy of appeasement and support for the clerical regime in only reminiscent of Western government's support for the shah's regime in the last phase of his rule," it added.
 
 

Police Official On Trial for Torturing Regime's Own Officials, Reuters, May 3

TEHRAN - A senior police officer and three associates went on trial in a Tehran military court on Monday.

The official IRNA news agency said the trial of Brigadier-General Gholamreza Naqdi, head of intelligence and security for the national police, began in closed session to hear charges he ordered the torture of Tehran city managers during a graft investigation.

Also on trial are Naqdi's deputy for operations and two officials of the detention center where the alleged abuse took place.
 
 

Official: Drugs Top Social Problem, United Press International, May 4

TEHRAN - An Iranian government official says his country has a drug problem, with more than 100,000 prisoners now in custody convicted on drug charges.

Rida Sarami, director-general of the Anti-Drug Statistical Department, told reporters today that 60 per cent of the prisoners in Iran were convicted in drug-related cases.

However, Mohammed Falah, secretary of the anti-drug committee, noted in published remarks today that "despite imposing the death sentence, drug traffickers continue their activities and confronting them create big problems to us."

He said "poverty, unemployment, social conditions and divorce are the main factors leading to drug addiction in Iran."
 
 

Resistance Condemns Billion-Dollar Contract between Italy And clerical Regime, Iran Zamin News Agency, May 4

The Iranian Resistance strongly condemns the one-billion-dollar contract signed between the Italian firm, Ensaldo, and the anti-human regime ruling Iran. It considers the deal as counter to the highest interests of the Iranian people and calls for its cancellation.

The signing of this contract is a blatant snub to recognized principles of human rights. Just two weeks ago, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution, expressing concern over the continuing and severe violations of human rights, including the increase in executions, torture, the lack of due process of law, discrimination against women and religious minorities.
 
 

Saudi Arabia Too Close to US for Defense Pact: Paper, Agence France Presse, May 3

TEHRAN - Iranian newspapers on Monday derided a defense ministry offer to form a united Moslem defense force with Saudi Arabia, saying the kingdom was too close to Britain and the United States.

"We must attach importance to Saudi Arabia in proportion to its weight and not more," the Jomhuri-Eslami paper said.

"We should not ignore the possibility that Riyadh may disregard the interests of others for its own goals ... any exaggeration in calculating Saudi Arabia's weight could be a major obstacle on the way to boosting bilateral ties," it said.

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