February 2, 2010

Source:

Mousavi says he will continue fight for reform

Mir Hossein Mousavi has said he will continue his struggle against the government. In a statement posted on Kaleme website, Mousavi said the 1979 Islamic Revolution had failed to achieve most of its goals. He said politically motivated arrests of protesters were illegal and that the constitution should be changed to secure people’s rights. His comments constitute one of his strongest challenges to the government.

They also come at a particularly sensitive time. Iran will mark the 31st anniversary of the founding of the Islamic Republic on 11 February. The anniversary is one of the most important dates in Iran’s political calendar. Mr Mousavi and his reformist ally Mehdi Karroubi have called on their supporters to attend rallies on the day of the anniversary.But hardliners, including the country’s Supreme Leader, have warned that anti-government protests will not be tolerated. Tensions in Iran are still high after bloody demonstrations during the Shia ritual of Ashura in December 2009 when eight protestors were killed and officials said over 1,000 were arrested.Mousavi’s nephew Seyed Ali Mousavi was among those killed. The Bloody Ashura clashes were the worst episode of violence since the aftermath of last June’s disputed presidential election and subsequent government crackdown. Iran has hanged two people last week who were arrested during the post-election unrest that erupted after the vote that returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power. Death sentences for nine others are at the appeal stage.

“The green movement will not abandon its peaceful fight… until people’s rights are preserved,” Mousavi told Kalemeh website. “Peaceful protests are Iranians’ right.”

Mousavi also said that the Islamic Revolution in Iran has failed to eradicate the “roots of tyranny and dictatorship” that, he says, marked the Shah’s era.

He said he no longer believed, as he once did, “that the revolution had removed all those structures which could lead to totalitarianism and dictatorship”.

“Today, one can identify both elements and foundations which produce dictatorship as well as resistance against returning to this dictatorship,” he said.

“Stifling the media, filling the prisons and brutally killing people who peacefully demand their rights in the streets indicate the roots of tyranny and dictatorship remain from the monarchist era… I don’t believe that the revolution achieved its goals,” Mousavi added.

Last month Mr Mousavi said that he was not afraid to die for the cause of reform.

—————————————————————————–

Khatami:The response to civil protests is not repression, prison and execution.

Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, former president, on the first day of the ceremonies for the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Republic, in a meeting with some political figures, said: (Complete text )

The former president by pointing out that the life of the political parties and groups is in the freedom of assemblies and parties, stated: “The freedom that we are talking about is the freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, freedom of expressing that opinion and freedom of employing that opinion and that the people be asked to give their inputs about that opinion.”

Khatami said: “The requirement for the freedom in its true meaning, which in short is the power of the people over their own destiny, is the freedom of speech and assembly; and how could it be possible that there are parties but they don’t have any platform to express their views?! And cannot hold gatherings?!”

He emphasised: “It should be allowed that in calm and civil environment people get a chance to come and then it would be clear what poeple’s tendencies are? And more important than all these are the elections, that should be free, healthy and trustworthy.”

He stressed: “See what kind of atmosphere has been created these days. There is not only oppression and brutal confrontations and arrests but also there is the atmosphere of accusation and allegations; and the fact that there are extreme limitations on one side for its speeches and communicating with people and on the other side there are some in complete freedom that I believe by fabricating lies and allegations are pushing the society toward violence (a blind violence that only God knows what would be its outcome).”

Khatami added: “How wonderful it would be if all the loved ones who are in [political] prisons were among us and we could all participate in the 22-Bahman (Feb 11th) rally together!”

Khatami continued: “Some have the authority to lie and say such person has written a letter and in the letter has been said such things (referring to the coup government’s attempts to fabricate a story that Khatami has written a letter to the supreme leader); while no one knows what is in this [so called] letter and there was no such a thing at all. Then the same people try to create tension and portray differences among those who have the honour of being accepted by the people and then say that they have differences among themselves while it is not like that at all.”

Khatami warned: “These are wrong and evil methods being used in order to disappoint people and to say that those who were accepted by the people have forgotten about the people and betrayed them but it is not like that at all.”

While reiterating that they (the reformists) have always invited people to peace, Khatami said: “People have the right to protest. They have the right to know that their votes are effective. People have the right to have proper freedom and good economy.”

———————————————————————-

Don’t give up that your hand are the key to any lock … believe in the dream and never hesitate … We Are Countless … with special than…ks to supporters YouTube Link:

Sister of Dr. Alireza Beheshti, Mir Hossein Mousavi’s top advisor and son of martyr Ayatollah Beheshti who has been illegally detained since the new wave of arrests after the Bloody Ashura, while denying the reports that they were allowed to visit Alireza Beheshti said that they had a telephone conversation with Dr. Beheshti’s physician and they were told that the low blood pressure that Alireza Beheshti is suffering in prison following his recent heart attack is very dangerous and could be due to the medical poisoning. She added that they sent these medical documents to Tehran Prosecutor and asked him to allow Dr. Beheshti be transferred to a hospital outside prison with all the expenses paid by the family but unfortunately they have not heard anything back yet.

A group of the families of the political prisoners, who were arrested in the events after the election, were supposed to meet with some reformist members of the parliament yesterday but despite the previous arrangements, they were prevented from entering the parliament by security forces! These families of the political prisoners in a letter to the speaker of the parliament strongly objected to this illegal act and the continuation of the detention of the loved ones.

The family of late Grand Ayatollah Montazeri in a message thanked all those who participated in Grand Ayatollah’s commemoration ceremony for the 40th day anniversary of his passing, despite all the restrictions and limitations. In this message the family of Grand Ayatollah expressed deep sorrow and regret for the fact that they were not even allowed to hold the ceremony in a mosque to be able to accommodate the mourners. In this message it was also mentioned that although the state-run TV (coup government’s propaganda machine) aired unjust and insulting programs in the days close to Grand Ayatollah’s memorial ceremony but this did not stop the flow of the devoted people to participate in his memorial and pay their respect to this great and honourable scholar; and although the ceremony was held in peace but after it was finished some young participant were illegally arrested by security forces! It was also stressed that Grand Ayatollah Montazeri is alive and will always be alive and even after his passing many young people just started to know this noble man and all this is like he has been born again; therefore these might be the reasons on why the state-run TV has been acting so hostile and unjust against the late Grand Ayatollah. At the end of this letter son of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, Ahmad Montazeri, announced that he is ready to appear on any TV program and debate to respond to all the unjust and insulting remarks made against his father and if the authorities have any courage and fairness left in them, they should let him have a chance to explain his point of views.

The Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution by issuing a statement condemned the rushed execution of two of the political prisoners, Arash Rahmani and Mohammad Reza Alizamani, and demanded the immediate response by judiciary regarding the questions raised about these executions. For instance they ask that given that these two political prisoners were arrested before the election why they made “confessions” in the show trails held for the prisoners of the events after the election?! What were the documents and evidence proving their crimes? What were their clear charges and what exactly did they do? Why the executions were done in such a hurry?! Why didn’t the judiciary deny the false rumours that they were related to the post-election protests?!

Seyyed Hassan Khomeini (grandson of Imam Khomeini and the representative of his family) who attended the ceremony held in Imam Khomeini’s tomb for the anniversary of his return from exile and the beginning of the ceremonies of the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, as soon as Ahmadinejad took the podium, left the ceremony. According to reports, Seyyed Hassan Khomeini right after this ceremony, visited the family of Dr. Alireza Beheshti, Mir Hossein Mousavi’s top advisor and the son of martyr Ayatollah Beheshti who has been illegally detained, and comforted them.