Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - December 7, 2000 - Hashemi's Account of the Reactions to Seyyed Mohammad Khatami's Interview and His Views on the Pending Principles of the Constitution, Especially the Response from the President of the Judiciary

Hashemi's Actions at the Tehran Heart Hospital with Trusted Doctors for Cardiac Treatment and Their Complaints About the Guardian Council's Actions Months After the Approval and Implementation of the Organ Donation and Transplantation Law.

Full Entry of the Day:

I went to the Heart Hospital. The doctors present included Dr. Ahmad Milani, Dr. Majid Maleki, Dr. Fereydoun Noohi, Dr. Iraj Nazari, Dr. Seyyed Mahmoud Tabatabai, and Dr. Bagher Larijani. Fati was also there. I was supposed to undergo a thallium test for the third time, but after an electrocardiogram and consultation, they determined it was unnecessary and recommended that I undergo angiography instead. This was postponed until Friday. They were also upset about the Guardian Council's opinion regarding the un-Islamic nature of transplanting organs from brain-dead individuals to living persons. It is surprising that the Guardian Council announced this opinion several months after the approval of the law, during which they had neither opposed nor raised any concerns about it.

I returned to my office and worked on tasks and studies until the evening. Both domestic and foreign media paid significant attention to President Seyyed Mohammad Khatami's remarks yesterday about the existence of violations of the Constitution and the lack of power to prevent such violations, as well as the failure to report to the public over the past three and a half years. Some right-wing newspapers harshly criticized Mr. Khatami for expressing concern only about the failure to implement the press-related principles of the Constitution, while ignoring many other principles that are the government's responsibility. They questioned why he was not equally upset about the excesses and violations of the press. Leftist media reported his statements but did so as a critique of the right, which also reflects on the leadership. Foreign observers commented on the President's lack of decisiveness and his reactive approach, criticizing both the liberal faction and Mr. Khatami's management weaknesses.

Mr. Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the head of the judiciary, responded by stating that the Constitution should not be used against political movements and should not be exploited. The gathering of the Office for Consolidation of Unity at Amir Kabir University yesterday, which included insults directed at the judiciary and the Guardian Council, as well as negative slogans, has been sharply criticized by the right wing. The impasse in the U.S. elections continues to deepen. Flooding in the UK, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand has caused significant casualties.