>>You may not use the word Holocaust, sorry. Come up with another marketing term.
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That's a little too glib for my taste.
And here's a story that shows just how vital it is that a country have a solid Constitution guaranteeing individual rights as, for example, Iran does:
Iran watchdog rejects bill banning torture
By Parisa Hafezi
TEHRAN, June 9 (Reuters) - Iran's conservative-dominated constitutional watchdog has rejected a bill passed by parliament to ban the use of torture to gain information from detainees, newspapers said on Sunday.
The bill, approved by parliament in May, sought to outlaw the use as a form of torture of all physical and psychological abuse, isolation, night-time interrogations, the use of drugs on prisoners and barring visits by lawyers.
The 12-man Guardian Council said five articles of the bill were against Islamic Sharia law, two were against the constitution and a further two articles needed to be clarified by the reformist-dominated parliament, the papers said.
It was not clear which articles of the bill were rejected by the council, which has in the past thwarted attempts by parliament to adopt reforming legislation.
The Iranian constitution prohibits torture but families of pro-reform detainees have claimed psychological pressure and physical force have been used in order to gain confessions.
"The approval of the bill by parliament does not mean there is torture in the country, but deputies want to bring transparency to the present law," reformist parliamentarian Ali Tajernia told Reuters.
The Guardian Council is made up of six clerics named by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and six lawyers selected by parliament from a list submitted by the head of the judiciary, himself appointed by Khamenei.
The council is charged with vetting legislation passed by parliament to ensure it complies with Islamic law.
"The Guardian Council has been generally against bringing up the torture issue and establishing a law in this regard," said Tajernia.
The bill will now be returned to parliament one more time, but if MPs decline to make the changes demanded by the Guardian Council, the proposed legislation will be sent to the Expediency Council, an arbitration body appointed by Khamenei which has the final say on whether a bill becomes law.
"The torture bill will be sent to the Expediency Council because deputies will insist on its approval," Tajernia said.
Khamenei is locked in a power struggle in Iran with reformist President Mohammad Khatami.
06/09/02 08:33 ET |
