[FREE IRAN Project] In The Spirit Of Cyrus The Great

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"Iran's 'Pinochet', unloved hero of students"

Wednesday, June 22, 2005 - ©2005 IranMania.com
Source: http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=32823&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs

LONDON, June 22 (IranMania) - Moderate conservative Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani tried to rally pro-democracy Iranian students by promising to continue reforms if he wins this week's high-stakes presidential run-off against a hardliner, according to AFP.

Despite getting a mixed reception at Tehran university -- where just a year ago he was branded "Iran's Pinochet" -- Rafsanjani appeared to have won reluctant support from many students forced to confront a lesser-of-two-evils choice.

In a confused event, Rafsanjani was greeted by hundreds of activists with deafening chants of "We support Hashemi to block fascism!" -- yet was also given a grilling over the fate of political prisoners jailed for criticising him.

"Despite our criticism of Mr. Rafsanjani over these past years, it is our duty to support him to stop fascism," a student leader told a crammed amphitheatre as Rafsanjani arrived for his first rally of the entire campaign.

On Friday 70-year-old Rafsanjani, a pragmatic regime veteran who favours closer ties with the West, will go into a run-off against Tehran's far right-wing mayor, Mahmood Ahmadinejad.

The university meeting was the kind of event Rafsanjani has avoided for years. But he desperately need to rally the students, many of whom boycotted the first round of the polls out of either apathy or anger that unelected hardliners still hold the real power.

"At this very sensitive juncture for the country and the region, you students need to be vigilant," said a calm-looking Rafsanjani.

"This new unity between reformist, progressive and traditionalist forces will allow the president to be elected with the greatest number of votes," he asserted.

Leftist students may be swallowing their pride on Friday and voting for Rafsanjani, but on Tuesday they were not letting him off the hook. At one point the ayatollah was bombarded with chants of "Ganji! Ganji!" and "Free political prisoners!".

Akbar Ganji is Iran's longest serving jailed journalist, behind bars for five years after he tied Rafsanjani to the serial killings of dissidents.

"Who ever said criticism was a crime? Who said expressing an opinion is a crime?" Rafsanjani responded in a decidedly vague and woolly reply.

"For freedom of expression," Rafsanjani argued, "the law has to be respected."

Rafsanjani did, however, lash out at the hardline Guardians Council -- an unelected political watchdog accused of rigging the first round of the election.

"If the Guardians Council intervenes to change the vote, I will act to stop them," he vowed.

"I consider myself to be the foundation of reforms," said Rafsanjani, who has already served as president from 1989 to 1997, the year when ougoing reformist President Mohammad Khatami took office.

"The Khatami government was merely a more advanced phase of what I started. And reforms must continue with determination," Rafsanjani said, drawing large cheers.