posted February 13, 2001 09:37               

TEHRAN, Feb 12 (AFP) - Pro-reform Tehran MP Elaheh Koulaii, close to moderate President Mohammad Khatami, appeared before the Iranian capital's revolutionary court Monday following a summons, sources said. She was ordered to provide the tribunal with a number of explanations, but no further information was available.

On Sunday, the state IRNA news agency said two MPs, Koulaii and former deputy culture minister Ahmad Bourghani-Farahani, had been ordered to appear before the conservative-led tribunal.

Bourghani-Farahani told AFP Monday that he did not know the reason for his summons. He is expected to appear in court Tuesday.

The former editor-in-chief of IRNA, Bourghani-Farahani recently criticised the country's powerful conservative camp which controls key state institutions including the judiciary and the police.

On January 24, a total 150 reformist MPs from the 272-member chamber issued an open letter expressing "deep concern" over the judiciary's "illegal actions," citing crackdowns on the reformist press and legal action against liberal deputies.

Parliament has been pushing for the immunity of its members amid reports the judiciary is preparing cases against several reformist MPs, including President Mohammad Khatami's brother, Tehran deputy Mohammad-Reza Khatami.

On January 28, pro-reform MP Hossein Loghmanian was arrested and released several hours later.

Deputies were outraged over Loghmanian's arrest, which MPs say came after his statements critical of the judiciary.

They interrupted a budget debate being carried live on state radio to denounce the "arbitrary" arrest and threatening to "take action" if he was not released immediately.

The conservative-dominated courts have been running an unprecedented offensive against the reformist movement headed by Mohammad Khatami.

posted February 14, 2001 09:58               

TEHRAN, Feb 13 (AFP) - A reformist Iranian MP accused the country's conservative-led judiciary Tuesday of the "political and illegal" summons of pro-reform legislators to court. Tehran MP and head of the reformist-dominated chamber's national security commission, Mohsen Mirdamadi, said the recent summons of two reformist MPs to the Tehran revolutionary tribunal was a "political and illegal" act.

"We condemn such an insulting behaviour against deputies by the judiciary," Mirdamadi said in a heated discussion carried live on state radio, calling on parliament speaker Mehdi Karubi to protect deputies.

Pro-reform Tehran MP Elaheh Koulaii, close to moderate President Mohammad Khatami, was summoned to the revolutionary court Monday where she was accused of providing financial aid to the country's main student movement, the pro-reform Office to Consolidate Unity (OCU).

Early Tuesday, reformist MP and former deputy culture minister Ahmad Bourghani-Farahani, was also ordered to appear before the hardline tribunal.

His summons comes after he criticised the country's powerful conservative camp, which controls key state institutions including the judiciary and the police.

On January 24, a total of 150 reformist MPs from the 272-member chamber issued an open letter expressing "deep concern" over the judiciary's "illegal actions," citing crackdowns on the reformist press and legal action against liberal deputies.

Parliament has been pushing for the immunity of its members amid reports the judiciary is preparing cases against several reformist MPs, including President Mohammad Khatami's brother, Tehran deputy Mohammad-Reza Khatami.

On January 28, pro-reform MP Hossein Loghmanian was arrested and released several hours later.

Deputies were outraged over Loghmanian's arrest, which MPs say came after his statements critical of the judiciary.

They interrupted a budget debate being carried live on state radio to denounce the "arbitrary" arrest and threatening to "take action" if he was not released immediately.

The conservative-dominated courts have been running an unprecedented offensive against the reformist movement headed by Mohammad Khatami.