nday, July 20, 19 2 (TIe 29, 1361) PRICE 25 RIALS
LATE' NEWS
MOGADISHU, Somalia, July 19 (UP !) — The Somali,.
goveirnmenf Monday summoned the Soviet ambassador in
an official protest over Soviet involvement is the Horn of
Africa conflict as anti-government rebels claimed a major
“ictory in fight for control of the main north-south high-
way. Radio Kulmis, the voice of the anti-Somali Democra-
tic Somali Salvation Front said in its nightly broadcast front
Ethiopia that its forces killed 380 Somali soldiers in two 12'
hour battles for control of the Belet Hues Highway, the
main army supply route and the only tarred road linking
Mogadishu with the Ogaden bordej region.
HoJJ. C1soaroshahI Respond, to tiN. Rlgttta Omup:
Our People Have Decided To Be
Free, Independent and islamic
GENEVA, July19 (Reuter) — 70,0(X) martyrs and 100,0(X) cnp-
Iran today criticized a United pled (in the Islamic Revolution)
Nations committee reviewing its — were the avenging type, they
human rights record, and deactib- would have made rivers nm with
in 1 as insign ,tflcant the number of blood.”
people executed attica the Islamic Hojjatoleslam Khosroshahi
Revolution. - directed his strongest criticism at
Tehran's ambassador to the Waleed Sadi of Jordan who
Vatican, angrily responding to opened the surprisingly frank
tough questions put to him last sion last Thursday with blunt qua.,
week by the U N.Human.Rights ttions about reported torture and
Committee, accused the 18- mass execuiions in Iran.
member body of wilfully twisting “Sadi set the scene and the
the facts about the situation in his others followed in throwing all
country these unjustified and baseless.
“What on earth gives you the accusations at us,” he said, adding
right to ask us any questions?” attacks on Jordan's stand towards
Hojjatoleslam Seyyed HadJ Khos- the Palestinians which led to an
roshahi, a cleric, asked the com- acrimonous exchange with Mr,t
mittee. Sadi.
“Our people have decided to He also questioned the v lue
remain ‘free, independent and of U.N. human tights inquiriesi
Islamic and not be fooled by the when the former shah's aisterI
imperialist myth of human oftenheadedthelraniiiandc lega . 1
rigbts,” the head of a six-man tion to the' U.N. Human Ri g h t sj
Iranian delegation said, Cotninission and once chaired itsi
As for mass executions coin- plenary meeting.
mlrtee members asked about, he
ditmits d the dead as murderers The ambassador then prabed
and other corrupt elements whose the Soviet and East German corn-
number was insignificant cons- mittee members whote questions
pared with the 150,000 who, he centered on the Iranian legal
said, were killed during the rather than other issues,
French R VO1UtiOn. He said that only these twO
“If It were not for Islamic cia- delegates 5 med to understand
tuency and tolerance, how many Iran's revolutionary situation.
agentaof.thefonneri'egmmewould Andreas Mavrommitis of
have been executed?” be asked Cyprus, chairman of the commit.j
the committee, which periodically tee since its inception in 1976,T
reviews application of the Interna- reminded the' Iranian delegationi
tional Covenant on Civil and of a failure to provide a long.I
Political Rights. awaited report on its appinstion
“If our people — after offeting of huntant ights guaranteed underl
internstjotiaj law,
Iran, which had long promised
the committee a report to replsce
the one submitted by the former
ahah'a government just before the
revolution, handed in a four-page
statement and said a detailed
“report would follow in futuru.
Hojjatokslam Khosroshahi
today also attacked British media
for covering the opening session
- on Thursday and reprinting Mr.
Sadi's questions which, he said,
‘made the session more like an
inquiry th in the dfiiojue”iiw ii
sU PpqSC4 P .
“The BRC. the Guardian and
other Imp ttia1ist sources quoted
the genlle rian from Jordan and
attacked us and said the Iranjana
were being tried,” he said.
“If the questioning takes the
form of an inquiry, it Is no surprise
- the imperialist mediA tAksathus
• • . }lojjatoleslam Khosroshabi
also discussed what be called the
“ridiculous Baha'i problem” after
committee members asked hIre
about the religious minority that
says Tebran is persecuting its
leadership!
• • He said about 70 members of
the Baha'i faith were executed
because they had worked closely
with the former shah and Isratl.
The real question to ask, he
said, was: “Why out of 70,0(X)
have only 70 been executed?” I
He said the Baha'i community ,
• • - tbeonlyminorityfaithinlrannot
recognized by the new Islamic
• constitution, numbered only
• ‘ 7o, lrn
- I
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