Ansar-e Hezbollah, the ultra-conservative group dedicated to preserving Islamic principles in Iran, has announced that if Hassan Khomeini and Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri arrive in Gorgan for a speech, they will receive the same reception that outspoken MP Ali Mortahari got in Shiraz.
In a report on Wednesday April 22, the Shargh daily wrote that Ansar-e Hezbollah in Golestan Province has warned the Gorgan City Council, the mayor and the organizers of the commemoration of the Yak 40 plane crash in the city that they should not be party to a gathering “where someone like Ali Motahari wants to come and say that in the Islamic Republic, even the Supreme Leader can be criticized.”
The Yak 40 plane crash occurred in the Crab Forests of Golestan Province in May of 2001, killing the transport minister at that time along with several Golestan provincial representatives and officials as well as the captain and crew.
Ansar-e Hezbollah has told organizers: “Do not create an atmosphere that could lead to the repetition of the Shiraz events.”
Tehran MP Ali Motahari arrived in Shiraz last month to give a speech at Shiraz University. He was, however, attacked by a mob and prevented from arriving at the university. He was forced to return to Tehran without giving his speech.
While Shiraz city officials have been charged with prosecuting the perpetrators, so far no one has been held accountable for the incident.
Ansar-e Hezbollah has said that candidates running in the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections should not attend any event in Gorgan because the election day is looming.
While Ansar-e Hezbollah has been restricting reformist figures from making public speeches at various events, there have been no such threats to conservative candidates making appearances and talking to the public.
