Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - November 27, 1999 - A Discussion with Sheikh Abbas Vaez Tabasi, Sheikh Ahmad Jannati, and Sheikh Ghorbanali Dorri Najafabadi on the Guardian Council's Rejection of Parliamentary Candidates for the Sixth Majlis Election

The involvement of the Expediency Council in resolving the disputes between the Parliament and the Guardian Council over non-Islamic courts' rulings and the application of the Local Councils Law to nomadic tribes.

A gathering took place between Sheikh Abbas Vaez Tabasi, Sheikh Ahmad Jannati, and Sheikh Ghorbanali Dorri Najafabadi with Hashemi Rafsanjani regarding how the Guardian Council handled the disqualification of candidates for the Sixth Majlis (Parliament) election. They also sought solutions to the claims raised by Mostafa Tajzadeh and Sheikh Mehdi Karroubi.

In today's memoir, Hashemi Rafsanjani notes the court's ruling that sentenced Abdullah Nouri to imprisonment and a fine in the Special Clerical Court, presided over by Sheikh Mohammad Salimi. Additionally, Masoud Shamsolvaezin was also sentenced in the Press Court. A meeting with the Islamic Engineers' Association and a visit to Fatemeh Hashemi and her daughter, Sara Lahooti, in the hospital are also detailed.

I called to check on Fatemeh. She said she was in severe pain. The Expediency Council held a meeting today. The judicial agreements between Iran and Russia and Azerbaijan were discussed. The Guardian Council raised objections, stating that in some cases, these agreements would lead to accepting non-Islamic court rulings. The discussion remained unresolved. This is a new issue, and a solution needs to be found.

The application of the Local Councils Law to nomadic tribes was also brought up. The Guardian Council deemed it incompatible with the Constitution since the tribes were not explicitly mentioned in the relevant clause. This matter also remained unresolved.

At noon, I hosted [Abbas] Vaez Tabasi, [Ahmad] Jannati, and [Ghorbanali] Dorri Najafabadi for a discussion. We talked about the upcoming Majlis elections and the Guardian Council's actions regarding candidate disqualifications. Mr. Jannati [Secretary of the Guardian Council] mentioned a statement made by [Mostafa] Tajzadeh [Deputy Interior Minister and Head of the Election Headquarters] in Khorasan, where he allegedly said that the Interior Ministry plans to favor the leftist faction in the elections, and they sought a solution.

Mr. Tabasi [Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi] talked about the left-wing faction’s situation and how the right-wing has suffered from the discussions on unity. He noted that with the demands and comments made by [Mehdi] Karroubi [Secretary General of the Association of Combatant Clerics], the ball is now in the court of the [Combatant Clergy Association], and no one has responded or made counter-demands. They requested that I participate in the elections [for the Sixth Majlis].

News arrived that the Special Clerical Court has sentenced Abdullah Nouri [Editor-in-Chief of the daily Khordad] to a fine of 15 million rials and five years of imprisonment without appeal, along with a five-year ban from media activities. He has been transferred to prison. [Hossein] Marashi and [Mohsen] Nourbakhsh sought help.

In another court, [Masoud] Shamsolvaezin [Editor-in-Chief of the daily Neshat] was sentenced to a fine of 12 million rials and three years in prison. These imprisonments will have widespread reactions in domestic and international media, with heavy propaganda to follow.

In the afternoon, members of the Islamic Engineers' Association visited. Dr. [Hassan] Ghafourifard praised my services and called for my presence to defend Islam and the revolution. I gave an extensive speech on the efficiency of Islam in managing society and the obstruction of enemies. [Mohammad Baqer] Karimian came to present a report on the performance and plans of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization and sought advice on how to operate abroad.

Later, I went to visit Fatemeh at Mehrad Hospital. Dr. [Seyed Mahmoud] Tabatabaei and Dr. [Javad] Gorji were also there. They said that her hip dislocation has been corrected, but she will need to stay in the hospital until Monday for the fracture to heal. She is in severe pain, but strong painkillers are helping. Her daughter Sara is also hospitalized but has no major issues. They mentioned that there were many visitors today, which was tiring for her.