In an open letter addressed to the current head of the Assembly of Experts* Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani, a group of political and civil activists demanded amongst other things, that all political prisoners be released from prison and changes be made to the members of the Guardian Council** allowing for the appointment of individuals with a variety of viewpoints and political backgrounds and in doing so laying the foundation for public participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The signatories of this letter who also demanded the elimination of Approbative Supervision [Translator’s note: an interpretation of Iran’s Constitution that allows institutions like the Guardians Council to veto laws that have popular support and to disqualify candidates running for public office] included: Fazollah Salavati, Seyed Ali Nekoui, Seyed Mahmoud Hosseini, Norouzi, Houshang Elham, Teymouri, Madaniyan, Hashem Javaheri, Ghadirzadeh, Behzad Hagh Panah, Mostafa Meskin, Mostafai, Fatollah Moein, Vatankhah, Dadkhah and tens of other political activists.
The content of the open letter to the head of the Assembly of Experts is as follows:
To the honorable head of the Assembly of Experts Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani,
In the name of God the most Merciful,
As a result of our concerns regarding the upcoming [parliamentary] elections and in accordance with our religious and social responsibilities, we have taken it upon ourselves to inform you in your capacity as the honorable head of the Assembly of Experts that we believe that the following reforms must be immediately implemented in order to ensure that our citizens can participate in the upcoming elections without any concerns or constraints. It goes without saying that your excellency’s assistance in resolving such matters and the reverberations of such a demand will only further support our citizens in their decision making processes with regards to the upcoming elections. We therefore ask that the following reforms take place immediately:
1. Definition and implementation of an election process (based on the experiences of other countries and by taking advantage of proven processes and tools) designed to ensure the integrity and protection of every individual vote.
2. The removal of all members of the Guardian Council who advocated for a particular candidate in the 2009 elections and in doing so proved their inability to remain fair and independent minded, and the appointment of new members to the Guardian Council with a variety of view points and political backgrounds, without any affiliations to the current ruling government.
3. The release of all political prisoners and the overturning of convictions handed down as a result of trials that are in contradiction to the Constitution and current laws, prohibiting the arbitrary conviction of reformists.
4. The elimination of Approbative Supervision , a clear deviation from the fundamental election process as defined during Ayatollah Khomeini’s reign and return to the original responsibility of the Guardian Council as described in the Constitution, i.e., return to the role and oversight of the Guardian Council as was customary during that era.
5. Enactment of legislation designed to provide legal and judicial recourse in cases where candidates are unjustly disqualified from running for public office, including the establishment of heavy sentences for individuals and/or entities seeking to misinform, ensuring that only non political convictions lead to the disqualification of a potential candidate.
May God protect all who seek to serve their country.
Fazollah Salavati, Seyed Ali Nekoui, Seyed Mahmoud Hosseini, Norouzi, Houshang Elham, Teymouri, Madaniyan, Hashem Javaheri, Ghadirzadeh, Behzad Hagh Panah, Mostafa Meskin, Mostafai, Fatollah Moein, Vatankhah, Dadkhah, etc.
CC: Dr. Larijani, The Head of the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, Head of the Expediency Council
Ayatollah Mohammad Khatami
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Translator’s Notes:
* Assembly of Experts: a deliberative body of 86 Islamic scholars that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.
*Guardian Council: an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council charged with interpreting the Constitution and composed of six Islamic faqihs (expert in Islamic Law), “conscious of the present needs and the issues of the day” to be selected by the Supreme Leader of Iran, and six jurists, “specializing in different areas of law, to be elected by the Majlis (the Iranian Parliament) from among the Muslim jurists nominated by the Head of the Judicial Power,”(who, in turn, is also appointed by the supreme leader).
By banooyesabz
Source: Jaras: http://www.rahesabz.net/story/42186/