Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - June 25, 2000 - Tehran's Special Court for the Clergy Suspends the *Bayan* Newspaper, Managed by Seyyed Ali Akbar Mohtashami

 Tehran's Special Court for the Clergy Suspends the *Bayan* Newspaper, Managed by Seyyed Ali Akbar Mohtashami

Farewell meeting with the ambassador of Kazakhstan.

Meeting with Sheikh Ali Zadsar and his criticism of the country’s cultural situation, as well as Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and the governor of Kerman, Seyyed Hossein Marashi.

Zadsar, a former representative of Jiroft, was appointed as the Friday prayer leader of Asadabad with some recommendations after his time in Parliament. He also held a judicial position and passed away in recent years.

Meeting with Brigadier General Aghighi Ravan, the commander of the Army Aviation (Havanirooz), who complained about the budget issues facing the unit.

Meeting with Commander Qassem Soleimani, who provided a report on his professional activities, including his efforts to appoint Commander Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf as the replacement for Commander Hedayat Lotfian as the head of the Law Enforcement Force (NAJA).

Complaints from Seyyed Reza Zavarei, the former head of the Organization for Registration of Deeds and Properties, about the head of the judiciary. He expressed his dissatisfaction that the head of the judiciary had not approved his transfer to the Expediency Council, instead requiring him to resign from the judiciary. Zavarei, however, gradually faced disregard, and his qualifications for the upcoming presidential election were apparently not confirmed, leading to a form of isolation before his death.

Despite Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi's statement to Hashemi Rafsanjani yesterday about not suspending the *Bayan* newspaper, the Special Court for the Clergy in Tehran suspended *Bayan*, which was managed by Seyyed Ali Akbar Mohtashami.

[Vyacheslav Gizatov], the ambassador of Kazakhstan, came for a farewell meeting. The conversation was formal. 

Mr. [Ali] Zadsar, the former representative of Jiroft, came and harshly criticized the country’s cultural situation, the thoughts and actions of Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami [the president], Mr. [Massoud Mahmoudi] the governor of Kerman, and Mr. Hussein Marashi [the representative of Kerman]. He expressed friendship and support for me.

[Brigadier General Majid Aghighi Ravan], the commander of Havanirooz, came. He reported on the condition of the helicopters and operational problems, mentioning the budget shortages, difficult living conditions for the personnel, the grounding of 200 helicopters, the low status and rank of the command, and the lack of attention from the Ministry of Defense. He asked for assistance.

In the afternoon, Commander [Qassem] Soleimani [commander of the Quds Force] came. He gave a report on the situation in Lebanon after the withdrawal of Israeli forces. He had visited the southern border and mentioned that the settlements and villages in northern Israel, close to the border, were vulnerable. He shared assessments and hypotheses regarding Hezbollah’s future actions based on various possibilities and sought advice. He also informed me that it had been decided that Commander [Mohammad Baqer] Qalibaf would become the head of the Law Enforcement Force (NAJA).

Mr. [Reza] Zavarei [a jurist member of the Guardian Council] came and expressed his grievances against Mr. [Seyyed Mahmoud] Hashemi Shahroudi [the head of the judiciary], who had not agreed to his assignment to the Expediency Council and instead suggested he apply for a transfer. Zavarei sought my advice regarding his candidacy for the [2001] presidential election. I told him it was still too early for me to give an opinion and that we should wait for the situation to become clearer.

Today, the Special Court for the Clergy suspended the *Bayan* newspaper, which has angered the leftists.