 In 2001, a member of the Basij, Saeed Asgar attempted to assassinate Saeed Hajjarian a leading reformist and political advisor to reformist Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.Asagar was arrested and sentenced to spend 15 years in jail, but was released after spending only a short term in prison.Human Rights Watch informs that the Basij belong to the "Parallel institutions" ("nahad-e movazi"), "the quasi-official organs of repression that have become increasingly open in crushing student protests, detaining activists, writers, and journalists in secret prisons, and threatening pro-democracy speakers and audiences at public events."