DISSIDENT CLERIC PREVENTED FROM LEAVING IRAN

S E C R E T IRAN RPO DUBAI 000053

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR GAYLE; BERLIN FOR PAETZOLD; BAKU FOR HAUGEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/21/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL IR PHUM SCUL
SUBJECT: DISSIDENT CLERIC PREVENTED FROM LEAVING IRAN

REF: A. RPO DUBAI 0052; B. RPO DUBAI 0050

CLASSIFIED BY: Jillian L Burns, Director, Iran Regional Presence
Office, Dubai, US Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)

1.(S) Summary: The Iranian government seized dissident Iranian
cleric Mohsen Kadivar's passport just before he boarded a plane
to Dubai to apply for a US visa. Kadivar, who has been
imprisoned in the past for his theological criticisms of the
Iranian system of government, was informed that the Special
Court for Clergy had put a travel ban on him. He is in the
process of trying to have his passport restored so he can travel
for a year's fellowship at the University of Virginia. In light
of this and several other similar cases, IRPO recommends a
statement condemning the Iranian government's practice of
seizing passports of some Iranians traveling to and from the US,
without citing specific cases. End summary

2.(S) The Iranian government prevented preeminent reformist
religious scholar and outspoken critic of velayat-e faqih Mohsen
Kadivar from leaving Iran August 16 and seized his passport. As
relayed to IRPO by a US intermediary, two hours before his
flight from Imam Khomeini Airport, authorities took Kadivar's
passport and told him to report the following week to
intelligence to claim his passport. Kadivar learned for the
first time that in February 2007, the Special Court for Clergy
had put a travel ban on him. On August 20, he reported to an
intelligence office called the "passport branch of the
Presidency Office," where he was told to go to the Special Court
for Clergy. At the court, he was told to fill out an
application to try to cancel the travel ban and to call August
25 for an update.

3.(S) Kadivar was on his way to Dubai to apply for a US visa to
spend a year's sabbatical at the University of Virginia. When
he didn't show up for his visa appointment, IRPO informed UVA.
His point of contact at UVA there later forwarded to IRPO
Director Kadivar's email detailing what had happened to him.
Kadivar indicated he was not optimistic that his situation will
be resolved soon.

4.(U) Kadivar has written extensively on systems of government
according to Shiite theology, and he has openly questioned the
Islamic Republic of Iran's doctrine of velayat-e faqih. After
receiving a sentence of 18 months for his critical writings, he
was released in 2000 from Evin Prison.

5.(S) Kadivar's case is one of several that IRPO has learned
about in which the Iranian government has confiscated the
passports of Iranians traveling to or from the US, in addition
to the well-publicized case of dual citizen Parnaz Azima. The
first two sets involve either USG funded travel or links to a
think tank accused by Iran of being part of the USG "soft
revolution" conspiracy. A group of Iranian documentary
filmmakers returning from an IVLP program had their passports
taken upon their return after they had defied authorities and
participated in the program (Ref A). Also, a political science
professor, who spent a year at National Endowment for Democracy
(NED) before teaching at a US university, had his passport taken
away after returning to Iran on a visit. (Ref B) He was also
dismissed from his Iranian university. Kadivar's case is
somewhat different, in that the purpose of his travel is not
related to any entity - USG or other - that the Iranian
government has accused of promoting a soft revolution in Iran.
However, what sets him apart from ordinary academic exchanges is
that he is a very well-known and controversial figure in Iran.

6.(S) Comment: UVA has asked that the USG not to make a
specific public statement about Kadivar's case for the time
being, out of concern that doing so could preclude a speedy
resolution of his situation. It is very likely that if the USG
named Kadivar by name, the Iranian government would jump to the
conclusion that we are the real sponsor of Kadivar's fellowship
to the US and mostly likely Kadivar would be prevented from
traveling, and possibly arrested and imprisoned Instead, we
recommend a statement on the practice of seizing passports that
omits specifics. We can expand the guidance regarding dual
citizen Parnaz Azima who is in a similar situation to add
language saying we also deplore the Iranian government's
practice of seizing passports of some non-dual citizen Iranians
traveling to or from the US. Because the other cases involve
people whose cases are not publicly known - unlike in the case
of a political prisoner - and who have no other citizenship,
they stand to face greater retribution if the USG identifies
them publicly. Should Kadivar - or the others - ask for such a
statement, we can later supply details.

BURNS