Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - July 17, 2000 - Continued Political Clashes Over the Court Verdicts for Chain Murders, University Dormitory Incident, and Political and Press Activists

Meeting with Sheikh Hussein Ashrafi Esfahani, Who, While Reporting on the Situation, Complained About His Father Being Considered the Fifth Martyr of the Prayer Niche Instead of the Fourth

Interview with IRIB

Meeting with Hassan Moradi, Elected Representative from Arak, Requesting Assistance for the Approval of His Credentials in Parliament

Meeting with the Kerman Province Representatives

Continued Political Clashes Over the Court Verdicts for the Chain Murders, University Dormitory Incident, and Political and Press Activists

Complete Entry:

Mr. [Hussein Ashrafi Esfahani], the son of Martyr Ashrafi, a martyr of the prayer niche [and the Imam of the Seyyed al-Shuhada Mosque in Tehranpars], came to visit. He gave a report about his trip to Karbala and said the economic situation for the people is dire. The shops are empty, power outages are long, the roads are in poor condition, and so on. The Iraqi dinar, which used to be 22 tomans, is now worth only 4 rials. Merchants prefer to receive Iranian money. Iranian pilgrims are under strict control. He complained that his father, previously recognized as the fourth martyr of the prayer niche, is now being considered the fifth, due to including Martyr [Seyyed Mohammad Ali] Qazi [Tabatabaei, former Imam of Tabriz] in the list of martyrs of the prayer niche. He said this could invalidate years of historical documentation. He requested help for a seminary he established and said that he saw the late Mr. Abutorabi in a dream, where he handed him a letter saying, "This is Imam Reza's (AS) letter to Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani to solve the seminary’s issue." He mentioned that Iranian pilgrims, after seeing Iraq's miserable state, constantly pray for you, admiring how you rebuilt Iran after the war.

I gave an interview with IRIB about the causes and effects of accepting the resolution in 1988. Mr. [Hassan] Moradi, the newly elected representative of Arak, visited. His credentials were rejected by the parliamentary committee. He spoke of his strong track record and the flaws of his competitors—Messrs. [Ali] Nazari and [Rahman] Kargosha—and sought my help to prevent the rejection of his credentials. In the afternoon, the representatives of Kerman province came and expressed concern about the province’s economic stagnation, unemployment, and drought. We discussed potential resources that could help revive the province's economy.

The political dispute between the left and right wings over court rulings [in the chain murders case] and other issues continues, especially with Kayhan newspaper’s revelations about Messrs. [Akbar] Ganji, [Mohsen] Kadivar, [Mashallah] Shamsolvaezin, [Hamidreza] Jalaeipour, and [Emadeddin] Baghi allegedly receiving money from an American organization. Mr. Baghi was sentenced to five and a half years in prison, while Commander [Farhad] Nazari [former commander of Tehran’s law enforcement] was acquitted. Leaks from behind the closed doors of Camp David 2 indicate no significant progress on the seventh day of peace negotiations.