The Iranian judiciary today announced it will prevent opposition leaders from issuing statements, forbidding them from taking advantage of the “regime’s tolerance.”
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, the head of Iran’s judiciary, told the media that the mass opposition demonstrations, which occurred in all Iranian major cities on Monday, were supported by “the intelligence and propaganda services of the West, monafeghin and monarchists,” and the “leaders of sedition” do not understand who was truly behind the protests.
Iranian establishment refers to the opposition leaders MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi as leaders of sedition.
The exiled dissident group, People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, which the Islamic Republic regards as one of its archenemies, is dismissively referred to as “monafeghin.”
“Isn’t the vast propaganda of escapees and monarchists as well as the support of Obama and Clinton sufficient proof of the anti-Revolutionary direction?” Larijani asked, referring to U.S. statements of support for Iranian protesters. He accused the opposition of playing into the hands of the Islamic Republic’s enemies.
Last week, Mousavi and Karroubi called for a rally in support of Arab uprisings in the region. The protests, which the opposition leaders could not attend because they were under house arrest, turned into mass anti-government protests after security forces attacked the crowds.
Larijani said the judiciary will follow the “seditionists” and will not allow the “leaders of sedition” to become “heroes.” Islamic Republic authorities also use “sedition” to describe the protests that followed the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009.
However, in view of the sudden wave of anger among Islamic Republic hardliners and the call for the execution of Mousavi and Karroubi by Iranian MPs and senior political figures, Larijani called for calm and control.
“We ask everyone to allow the judiciary to deal with the situation within the framework of the law, with foresight and consideration for the interests of the regime,” he said. “Be certain that there will be no failure in this regard.”
He gave assurances that the judiciary will block the “mechanism through which the sedition leaders issue their statements.”
In the past year, Iranian opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi have issued frequent statements on their websites, criticizing the government and urging their supporters to remain informed and vigilant regarding the protest movement.
