[Iran Press TV Latest] A top IRGC commander rejects allegations that the force backed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the elections and accuses the Reformists of having links to the West.
In a recent interview with Press TV, IRGC Brigadier Yadollah Javani said that the force supported no specific candidate in the June 12 elections.
"The roots of these allegations lie in IRGC efforts to raise awareness among the Guards and Basij forces so that they would participate in the elections with a high level of understanding about [the country's] political groups and movements," said Brig. Javani.
Javani, who heads the political bureau of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, went on to say that the IRGC made such efforts to raise political awareness in the society as the enemy seeks to orchestrate a velvet revolution in Iran.
The commander also said that certain political groups in the country - capable of participating in the elections because of their past accomplishments -- were targets of US aid, as they did not have "strong faith" in the Islamic establishment and were leaning toward the West.
Javani cited the Reformist camp and Reformist figures such as Akbar Gangi Mehrangiz Kar, Hassan Youssefi-Ashkevari among the factions and figures "leaning toward the West" and opposing the values of the Islamic Revolution.
The Iranian brigadier drew parallels between aspects of the recent opposition movement in Iran with the past velvet revolutions in former Soviet states.
He said the use of the color green as a campaign symbol for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, along with US plans to fund "pro-democracy and human rights groups" inside Iran bore certain similarities to the previous revolutions in former Soviet states.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Former two-term Iranian president Seyyed Mohammad Khatami calls for a thorough parliamentary investigation into the election and the post-election violence.
In a Thursday meeting with the Reformist minority block of Iran's Parliament (Majlis), Khatami spoke about disputes linked to the recent presidential election and its aftermath and about ways of finding a just way out, the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported.
Pointing to an order to shut down the Kahrizak detention facility outside Tehran, Khatami said that "it is not enough to say that a sub-standard detention center has been shut down. What does 'sub-standard' mean?"
The Kahrizak detention center was shut down earlier this week following a report that it did not meet the required standards.
"Does it mean that a ventilation fan was faulty or its washrooms were not clean? Lives have been lost and our dear youth, women and men have been subjected to certain treatments," Khatami said.
"On the issue of detainees... Of course, they must be released, but that is not enough," he added.
Iranians went to the polls on June 12, following which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected as president by a landslide. In objection to the result, supporters of the defeated candidates took to the streets and violence ensued. At least 20 people were killed and many protestors were jailed.
Khatami condemned the post-election conduct "as contrary to religion, customs and laws regarding those in detention and their families."
"All of these harm the Revolution and the society and are against law and fairness," he said. "It is necessary to deal with those responsible for such behaviors and acts according to the law and to compensate for the violated rights and limits."
"Every brutal act perpetrated against anyone must be dealt with, but more importantly is the harm that has been done to the public trust, and this is what must be mended," Khatami was quoted by ILNA as saying.
He went on to lament the accusations against some of the detained Reformist activists, who were said to have "confessed" to various offences while in detention, according to media reports.
"If an offense has been committed, then first there must be precise and clear evidence, not claims that are bandied about and rumors of extracted confessions. Afterwards there must be an open and just court with the participation of a jury and defense attorney to consider the allegations," explained Khatami.
Commenting on the position of the Parliament, he said, "In our system, and under our constitution and also the pronouncements of the late Imam Khomeini, the Majlis (parliament) has the highest of places. It can investigate any issue, question ministers and even decide on the eligibility and the competence of the president. Nevertheless, we see that it is prevented from investigating certain issues such as the attack against [Tehran University's] student dormitories, or the conditions of detainees. This means subverting our system."
He emphasized that today the Parliament "can put the investigation of the election process on its agenda, and, if a truly independent committee takes over this task, then the results can greatly clarify the events."
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
07/31/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11132 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
Iran's Judiciary has announced that the trial of the first group of 'rioters' who had provoked post-election unrest in the country will begin on Saturday.
Tehran's Public Prosecutor Office declared in a statement on Wednesday that the first court session to prosecute the suspects will be held on August 1, 2009, IRNA reported.
The statement also blasted the US and Britain over their stance towards Iran's presidential election and "their interference in Iran's internal affairs which was aimed at plunging the country in post-election chaos."
The office also hailed efforts made by Iran's security forces and the Basij volunteers who managed to "arrest the rioters and end the unrest".
The statement said that a number of suspects were identified by their photos taken during street unrests, and thanked the Iranian nation for help in identifying them. "People's help will lead to identification of more rioters in the near future," it promised.
Ten charges were listed, including attacking military centers with weapons and fire-bombs and attacking security forces; damaging public and private properties, distributing pamphlets against the system of the Islamic Republic; relations with anti-Iranian terrorist groups such as the Mujahedeen Khalq Organization (MKO); and preparing reports for the foreign media and the enemies.
Following Iran's 10th presidential election on June 12, supporters of opposition candidates took to the streets in protest against what they described as massive "ballot rigging" and the officially-announced results that gave the incumbent Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad another term in office.
[Iran Press TV Latest] A Turkish minister has dismissed reports that a container-load of gold and cash, worth USD 18.5 billion, has been transferred to Turkey from Iran. 18.5 billion, ya say? Ummmmmm...nope. Haven't seen it.
Turkey's Kanal D channel had earlier reported that an Iranian businessman, Esmael Safarian-Nasab, had moved USD 7.5 billion in cash and 20 metric tons of gold to Turkey in October 2008. Ya got a tracking number on that?
Safarian-Nasab's Turkish lawyer, Senol Ozel, in an interview with Kanal D had claimed that his client wants his money back. Ya got a tracking number on that?
Ozel says Turkish government's move to adopt new regulations to facilitate foreign investment in the country had encouraged his client to take his fortune to Turkey. Yeah, He got an email from them and everything...
However, Safarian-Nasab now wants to withdraw his investment - a move which could create a big hole in the Turkish Central Bank's balance-sheet.
Turkish State Minister Hayati Yazici on Thursday dismissed the report, stressing that the claim is "false and baseless", Turkey's official news agency, Anadolu reported.
Turkish customs officials say that such a container has never entered Turkey, Anadolu reported. Ya got a tracking number on that? Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
07/31/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11137 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
this would be a battle of who has less credibility
PressTV (funded by mullah Inc.) or Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey or a turkish lawyer representing an Iranian gangster
Posted by: Lord garth ||
07/31/2009 0:08 Comments ||
Top||
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
