Iran’s two main opposition leaders have each managed to issue brief messages about the protests they had called for on February 14, when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of major cities in support of recent Arab uprisings.
Kaleme reports that MirHosein Mousavi has praised Monday’s “glorious” demonstrations as “a great achievement of the Iranian people and the Green Movement formed by people from every strata of the country and brave men and women of the society against the disbelief of pessimists and autocrats.”
The opposition leader maintains that the Bahman 25 (February 14) protests were attacked on two separate front. “First by autocrats seeking position, power and riches in the future,” Mousavi explains, and second by “foreigners” and those “trying to ride the wave in the international scene in order to secure their own interests.”
While Mousavi’s first reference appears to address the attacks from the Islamic Republic establishment and the conservative members of the parliament who called for the execution of the opposition leaders yesterday, the second reference points toward the United States, which has been expressing support for protesters and called on the Islamic Republic authorities to allow people to demonstrate in peace.
Mousavi says both groups are trying “to link the movement to Zionism, the U.S. and their lackeys.”
The opposition leader emphasized: “The great pride of the Green Movement is its complete independence and absolute reliance on the mighty force of the nation.”
He insisted that the Green Movement’s objective is to recapture the ideals of the 1979 Revolution and achieve the “demands of the freedom-seeking people.”
Mehdi Karroubi also issued a message condemning the “violent, inhumane and un-Islamic” confrontation with protesters on February 14. He urged the government to “hear the voice of the people before it is too late.”
“Release political prisoners and pull your hands off from the throat of independent media and be faithful to the covenant with your people in the name of the constitution,” Saham News quotes the opposition leaders as saying.
On February 14, Iranians staged mass demonstrations, despite heavy security measures in all major cities, in response to a rally call by Mousavi and Karroubi. The two opposition leaders were kept under house arrest and could not join the demonstrations.
At least two people were killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators, and human rights websites reports that at least 1,500 people have been arrested.
Yesterday, a hardline MP led a group of pro-government forces calling for prosecution of the opposition leaders. Saham News reports that the crowd later approached Karroubi’s home, chanting slogans against the two leaders.
Jaras website also reports that the Basij and plainclothes forces are planning an attack on Mousavi’s home. According to Jaras, the pro-government forces say they plan to arrest Mousavi and hand him over to the judiciary.
The establishment was taken aback by Monday’s mass demonstrations, and since yesterday, Iranian state media have been overrun with programs and interviews calling for the prosecution of Mousavi and Karroubi.
