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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Putting Khatami, Mousavi on trial, mere rumor |
| 2009-08-05 |
| [Iran Press TV Latest] As the ruling system mounts pressure on Iran's opposition, a lawmaker rules out any prospect of prosecuting Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mohammad Khatami -- two of the public symbols of the opposition. With Iran grappling with a grave turbulence following a controversial presidential election in June, a formal endorsement by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution on Monday set in motion Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second inauguration as president. Meanwhile, remarks made by Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei during the approval ceremony suggested that President Ahmadinejad had plans to quell the elites who "failed" the election test. "Those who talk of the nation's distrust do so either out of spite or out of negligence," said Ayatollah Khamenei in an allusion to protests against the vote result, adding that the angry crowd would continue their opposition during Ahmadinejad's second term in office. The suggestion was made as the Iranian president had reportedly warned earlier that after taking office he would put down any uprising against his government. Ever since the poll, a vast outpouring of discontent with massive and deadly street protests against the official outcome of the election has caused a growing divide among the ruling elite. Among the opposing voices are influential figure Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani and Mousavi, whose credentials are well-known since the 1979 revolution, as well as Khatami, a two-time former president, and Mehdi Karroubi, a former Parliament speaker. The opposition figures, as well as the family members of the founder of the Islamic Revolution, shunned Ahmadinejad's approval ceremony on Monday. The defiant opposition, meanwhile, has attracted storms of criticism and an increasing number of attacks by Principlist politicians and a raft of high-ranking officials. Senior cleric and official Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami has assailed efforts to question the 'legitimacy' of the government that is "legitimized" by the Leader and law. On Saturday, Tehran Representative in Majlis Hamid Rasayi said the mass trial against opposition figures, protesters and journalists -- which had opened earlier in the week -- had paved the way for action against the "real riot leaders". In separate remarks on Tuesday, Javad Karimi-Qoddousi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security Commission, said that Mohammad Khatami, who has expressed his disbelief and opposition at the election result as well as the trial, should be banned from leaving the country until further notice. Commenting on recent reports, Qoddousi claimed that it was likely that Khatami would take asylum in a foreign country to avoid 'prosecution.' However, a member of the minority bloc in Parliament, Ali-Akbar Oliya, was quoted by the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) as saying that such reports are of pure propagandist nature. Oliya went on to say that the prospects of any trial against influential figures and opposition leaders were "rumors" floated by "hardliners". "Instead of spreading such rumors, we need to work to restore law and security to the nation," the parliamentarian added. On Tuesday, Iranian Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi called for "solidarity" and "unity" among officials ahead of President Ahmadinejad's swearing-in ceremony. Ahmadinejad is to take the oath of presidency before Iran's Parliament on Wednesday at 4:30am GMT. |
| Posted by:Fred |