TEHRAN On Saturday, the TEHRAN TIMES covered a protest rally by families of political prisoners in front of the United Nation's office in Tehran. In its coverage, the daily referred to some criticisms of this rally from a patriotic viewpoint.

The objections were based on the principle of safeguarding Iran's national sovereignty and dignity. While recognizing the right of all citizens to protest against any government branch, the TEHRAN TIMES suggested that these respectable families should have staged their rally in front of the Judiciary or the Majlis rather than a foreign organization.

Fortunately, the message was rightly received by the concerned families, as yesterday a group of the inmates' families met with the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and voiced their concerns in a legitimate manner. However, what is surprising is that a member of the Islamic Iran Participation Party (IIPP), Abbas Abdi, is still beating on the same drum.

In an editorial in the Sunday's edition of the Persian language daily **** Norouz****, Abdi tried desperately to justify the action of appealing to foreign entities when certain domestic issues are concerned. Posing as a compassionate humanitarian campaigner, Abdi sympathetically counted numerous inhumane treatments endured by the political prisoners.

We had heard of born-again Christians, but Abdi is certainly the first case of born-again humanitarian ever witnessed by the world!

It is sincerely hoped that he maintains his loving affection for humanity throughout his political career.