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| Axis of Evil |
| Iran hardliners reject bill banning torture |
| 2003-01-09 |
| Iran's conservative constitutional watchdog Wednesday again rejected a bill banning the torture of prisoners despite amendments by the reformist parliament, parliamentary deputies said. I mean, where's the fun in running an Islamic dictatorship if you can't torture people? The 12-man Guardian Council, which has the power to veto legislation it judges unconstitutional or un-Islamic, has been the chief conservative instrument in blocking reforms introduced by President Mohammad Khatami's reformers. Reform being un-Islamic, don't you know? The bill, which seeks to tighten existing laws and define what actions are unacceptable, was approved in December for the second time by deputies after the Guardian Council had rejected an earlier draft. Some families of political detainees have claimed psychological pressure and physical force have been used to extract confessions during interrogations. The bill will now either be sent back to parliament for further amendment or go before the Expediency Council which arbitrates in disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council. The Expediency Council has almost always decided in favor of the Guardian Council. The Guardian Council is made up of clerics appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and six jurists selected by parliament from a short-list submitted by the head of the judiciary, who is also appointed by Khamenei. Meaning everybody on the council is Khamenei's pick. Handy how that works |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 thats how it "works" in Canada. The picking part, torture is eight months of snow. |
| Posted by: john 2003-01-09 14:47:44 |