Iranian lawmakers called for the execution of opposition leaders MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi after tens of thousands of people responded to their rally call with widespread demonstrations in major Iranian cities yesterday.
The MPs began their session today chanting “Death to Mousavi, Karroubi and Khatami!” and later changed their tune to “Mousavi, Karroubi must be executed!” Khabar-on-line reports.
Parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani condemned the demonstrations of February 14 as being “American and Zionist in nature.”
Referring to Karroubi and Mousavi, he said, “Those who issue announcements have fallen in America’s trap,” insisting that Monday’s demonstrations had been fomented by the US.
Mousavi and Karroubi had applied for a rally permit from the ministry of interior to stage a march in support of the recent Arab uprisings. Even though the ministry refused to issue a permit and put the two opposition leaders under house arrest, protesters took to the streets of Tehran yesterday.
Reports indicate that protesters began a silent march but, after being attacked by pro-government and security forces, they began anti-government chants.
Larijani said: “The parliament would certainly confront the interior minister” had such a permit been issued. “If they want to demonstrate against the prophet and religions, do we have to issue them a permit? Yesterday’s rally was much worse than that,” Larijani added.
According to the Iranian constitution, people are allowed to stage peaceful demonstrations.
Larijani ordered a special committee to review the nature of the so-called “sedition.” That is how the Iranian establishment refers to protests that followed allegations of fraud in the 2009 re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
According to officials reports a student was shot and killed in yesterday’s clashes and nine were injured.
