Tehran, Jan 27, IRNA -- Head of Majlis Commission Article 90 Hossein
Ansari-Rad said on Saturday that the commission has launched an
inquiry into over 20 complaints against the Judiciary and has
concluded that the Judiciary has violated the law in at least three
cases.
Ansari-Rad said that the Majlis has already notified its findings
to the Judiciary.
He expressed outrage at the way the Judiciary has dealt with Press
violations and said that the Article 168 of the Constitution and the
Press Law has explicitly excluded press offenses from other crimes,
otherwise there was no need for the Press Law.
He said that Article 168 of the Constitution stipulates a special
law and specified legal proceedings to examine press offenses.
Ansari-Rad said that the Judiciary is required to respect Article
168 of the Constitution and the Press law in dealing with the press
offenses which has envisaged open trials for those accused of Press
offenses in presence of the Press Jury.
He said that the Justice Department has ignored Article 168 of the
Constitution and the Press Law in dealing with press offenses and
the closure of dozens of newspapers documenting to a law dating back
to 1960.
Ansari-Rad said that Majlis Article 90 Commission will take legal
action against Tehran Justice Department for violating Article 168 of
the Constitution and the Press Law and the Commission is
constitutionally empowered to ask the Judidicary to hold extraordinary
court hearing free from the procedural obstacles against Head of
Tehran Justice Department Abbas Ali Alizadeh.
He said that Alizadeh has admitted that he held legal proceedings
against Journalist Mashallah Shamsolvaezin and Emadeddin Baqi in the
absence of a jury.
He also complained that Journalist Akbar Ganji and Ahmad Zeidabadi
have been tried without a Press Jury while they should have been dealt
with in line with the Press Law and in presence of the Press Jury in
the court, the preliminary requirement for the Judiciary.
Ansari-Rad added that the Judiciary is not entitled to try
journalists behind closed doors and expressed hope that the appeals
court would reject the verdicts issued against the journalists because
the verdicts lack legal validity.
He also said that Prosecutor General is also expected to turn down
any legal proceedings against the journalists which is held in the
absence of the Press Jury.
... Payvand News - 1/27/01 ... --
