| Submit your comments on this article |
| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| In post-vote Iran, Army seeks more Judicial action |
| 2009-08-25 |
| [Iran Press TV Latest] Months after Iran's controversial presidential election, officials at the military and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) say the security situation in the country calls for prompt punitive action against voices of dissent. Following the official announcement of the poll results, Iran witnessed widespread demonstrations as supporters of defeated presidential candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi took to the streets to protest "fraud" in the June 12 election. Nearly two months after the election, sporadic protests continue to take place -- mainly across the capital -- on various occasions. Iranian authorities have since put hundreds of opposition activists and protestors in the dock, with many more implicating Mousavi and Karroubi as the driving force behind the recent turmoil which swept across the country. Deputy Head of Iran's armed forces headquarters Brigadier General Seyyed Massoud Jazayeri said Monday that "Iran is not in a situation where it can afford to lose time for prosecuting rioters; the national security calls for swift retribution for rioters." Iranian authorities have characterized the widespread post-vote unrest as a foreign-led attempt at a "velvet coup" seeking to topple the Islamic establishment. The opposition, however, has denied having any links to foreign countries, adding that the outcry has been prompted by national doubts over the official result of the vote. Jazayeri went on to claim that the alleged movement for a "soft overthrow" has managed to continue its existence in the country on a certain level. "While basic layers of the 'soft coup' have been left untouched, we cannot be optimistic that the country will not face such threats and crises over again," the military official added. Jazayeri said it was necessary that before such movements do refurbishments and renew their members, the country's judiciary and intelligence agency take crucial steps to quash their revolt. Meanwhile, another senior military official Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, head of the IRGC's political bureau, said foreign countries know that the only way to overthrow a revolution staged by the people is to make use of the people. He went on to accuse the opposition leaders, who claimed fraud in the election, of causing the unrest as well as killing civilians along with Basij forces. "In this election, for the first time, certain candidates claimed fraud and by causing unrest killed and injured many including 8 members of the Basij," Javani claimed. Another official at Iran's Naval Force accused the opposition of seeking to eliminate certain governmental bodies from the Islamic establishment. "The velvet revolution sought to eliminate many fundamentals of the system such as the Velayat-e-Faqih and the Guardians Council," Commander of IRGC's naval forces Admiral Morteza Saffari said. He went on further accusing the leaders of the alleged "velvet revolution" of working to facilitate the occupation of the country by foreigners. |
| Posted by:Fred |