Islamofascists jail lawmaker for exercising right of free speech:
Lawmakers Leave Iran's Parliament
.c The Associated Press
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - About 60 Iranian lawmakers briefly walked out of parliament Sunday to protest the imprisonment of a fellow legislator on charges of insulting the hard-line judiciary.
The reformist-dominated parliament, or Majlis, was angered by the arrest of Hossein Loqmanian, the first lawmaker to be imprisoned since the 1979 Iranian revolution.
Loqmanian, who represents the western city of Hamedan, was sent to Tehran's Evin prison on Dec. 25 to serve a 10-month sentence for criticizing the judiciary. The courts have ordered the closure of dozens of pro-reform newspapers and jailed liberal journalists and politicians over the past two years.
President Mohammad Khatami, who initiated Iran's political and economic reforms, has accused the judiciary of violating the constitution by prosecuting lawmakers despite their parliamentary immunity.
Iran's hard-line supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, has ignored a call by the 290-seat parliament to ``end illegal judiciary actions.''
Parliament's 15-minute walkout delayed Sunday's session for about an hour.
AP-NY-01-13-02 1621EST |
