Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - May 8, 2000 - Attacks by conservative and principled newspapers against Seyed Mohammad Khatami

Attacks by conservative and principled newspapers against Seyed Mohammad Khatami

Visiting Ayatollah Seyed Hassan Taheri Khorram Abadi. 

The continuation of press closures following Ayatollah Khamenei's remarks on May 1, 2000, by the special judicial complex led by Mohseni Ejei. 

Conservative and principled newspapers are attacking Seyed Mohammad Khatami; notably, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Jomhouri Eslami" is also a social advisor to the president.

The UN Human Rights Commission condemned human rights violations in Chechnya by Russia, which responded. The coordination of the SALT II treaty and the missile defense agreement between the US and Russia has heated up. The US does not want the treaty to be implemented, citing the arming of countries like Iran and North Korea with long-range missiles, and aims to revive the Star Wars initiative, while Russia has made the implementation of SALT II conditional on missile defense agreements.

I worked in my Koshk office until 5 PM. I visited Mr. [Seyed Hassan] Taheri Khorram Abadi, who is recovering from a stroke at a home in Jamaran. He has had difficulty speaking and some paralysis, but is improving; however, he still cannot handle heavy work, extensive reading, or long conversations. We discussed the Tehran elections, the state of the press, the Guardian Council, and the upcoming Assembly of Experts session.

I rested and read at home until evening. It was announced that the judiciary had also closed the newspapers "Mosharekat" and "Sobhe Emruz." Previously, the newspapers "Akhbar Eqtesadi" and the weekly "Avā" had been shut down. Thus, the number of publications closed this week reached sixteen, all linked to the Second of Khordad movement; they are frustrated and have had limited protests. Western media continues to make noise, while right-wing media offers strong endorsements, and Islamic groups also show support. Some right-wing and principled newspapers, like "Jomhouri Eslami" and "Resalat," have begun to make direct, explicit statements against Mr. [Seyed Mohammad] Khatami, the president.