Human Rights Defenders Call on Rouhani to Oversee Intelligence Agencies

The Center for Defenders of Human Rights has called on Hassan Rouhani to increase oversight of the Ministry of Intelligence during his second term as president, while simultaneously “resisting” parallel intelligence agencies’ “violations” and introducing these institutions to the public.

The organization, headed by Shirin Ebadi, issued this call in its report on human rights violations in Iran in Ordibehesht month, urging Rouhani to prioritize increased oversight of the Ministry of Intelligence.

In the report, referring to the presentation of the Intelligence Minister to parliament by the president, it was emphasized that “any illegal action by Ministry of Intelligence officials will be recorded in the record of the president’s actions.”

The Center for Defenders of Human Rights also called on Rouhani, in light of the existence of “parallel and illegal” security institutions in Iran, to “resist their violations and introduce these institutions” to the public, based on his legal duties.

According to the organization, the highest responsible official in the judiciary naturally is aware of “illegal actions” by parallel security agencies “such as the arrest and case-building against civil and political activists.”

Shirin Ebadi, Iranian winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, also assessed Hassan Rouhani’s government’s record on respecting legal freedoms as “very poor” in Azar month of 1395, criticizing the fact that Mr. Rouhani, contrary to his election promises, had brought “no change” to the Ministry of Intelligence.

She specifically referred to the role of Intelligence Ministry officials in the cases of Narges Mohammadi and Abdolfattah Soltani, two members of the Center for Defenders of Human Rights.

Meanwhile, Taghi Rahmani, husband of Narges Mohammadi, announced that the Ministry of Intelligence is the plaintiff against Ms. Mohammadi, and if this ministry withdraws its complaint, Narges Mohammadi will be released.

The Green Path Coordination Council, a coalition close to Mir-Hossein Mousavi, in a statement in Shahrivar 1394, referring to “extremist authoritarian attempts to impose political obstruction on society,” accused the Ministry of Intelligence of “complicity” with the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Organization and the judiciary in part of “suppression projects.”

Before that, in Shahrivar 1393, the Kalam website reported on the “role” of Hassan Rouhani’s Intelligence Ministry in “summoning and threatening civil activists.”

In recent years, the Ministry of Intelligence under Hassan Rouhani has also prevented the holding of meetings by some political and cultural groups critical of the Iranian government, including the National Front and the Iranian Writers Association.

Ali Younesi, Intelligence Minister under Mohammad Khatami, previously said that the Ministry of Intelligence has not yet “been taken over” by Hassan Rouhani’s government.

He did clarify on the 14th of Mehr 1393 that by the word “takeover” he meant that the government had not yet “fully seized control of the Ministry of Intelligence.”

This is while the Intelligence Minister of Hassan Rouhani’s government has also had conflicts with the judiciary and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Intelligence Organization in some cases.

For instance, following the arrest of several Telegram channel administrators in Esfand 1395, Mahmoud Alavi, the Intelligence Minister, announced that the government opposes the arrest of Telegram channel administrators.

In contrast, Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje’i, spokesperson for the judiciary, on Wednesday, 23 Farvardin, in response to these statements, said that in this case “there are matters regarding the Intelligence Minister himself” and he cannot prepare a report on this case.

On the same day, Mahmoud Alavi, the Intelligence Minister, responded to this statement: “I don’t recognize any crime for the administrators that I would be complicit in; it seems they are complicit with me in a crime. Defending the government is no small crime.”

The office of Hassan Rouhani’s government spokesman also announced at the time that Mr. Mohseni Eje’i made these remarks due to “fatigue and pressure from obligations.”

Nevertheless, Mr. Eje’i subsequently reaffirmed his previous statements in response to these reactions.

Source: Radio Farda