Mir Hossein Mousavi steps up pressure on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iran’s opposition leader stepped up the pressure on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today as the President’s erratic behaviour sparked sharp criticism even from fellow hardliners.

In an unusually aggressive speech published on his website, Mir Hossein Mousavi accused the regime of a catalogue of crimes and abuses. He said a key test of its commitment to the constitution would be whether it permits a ceremony in Tehran’s huge Grand Mosalla prayer halls on Thursday to mourn protestors killed in Iran’s post-election violence.

“We don’t want to do anything. We will not have speeches. We just want to use this Mosalla for mourning… so allow us to gather only to recite the Koran,” he demanded.

The regime fears any large gathering will swiftly turn into another anti-government demonstration, but Mr Mousavi said that Iranians would not tolerate rulers that abandoned the constitutionRead more at www.timesonline.co.uk

In Iran, Leader orders closure of post-vote prison

Amid reports of the mistreatment of detainees who protested against the result of the presidential vote, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution orders officials to shut down a “non-standard” prison.

The head of Iran’s National Security Council said Monday that Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei had demanded that the prison which did not measure up to the required standards to be shut down.

“In the course of recent events, the Leader has ordered officials (to take measures), so that no one, God forbid, suffers injustice,” Saeed Jalili said in a statement.

The presidential election in June, which lead to the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president, was followed by massive protests by supporters of the defeated candidates.

Thousands were detained in the aftermath of the vote, many of whom have since been released. According to Judiciary spokesman Ali-Reza Jamshidi, at least 300 people remain behind bars. Read more at www.presstv.ir

Iran’s Protesters: The Feisty, New Phase of Their Campaign

Phase 2 has begun. Six weeks after millions took to the streets to protest Iran’s presidential election, their uprising has morphed into a feistier, more imaginative and potentially enduring campaign.

The second phase plays out in a boycott of goods advertised on state-controlled television. Just try buying a certain brand of dairy product, an Iranian human-rights activist told me, and the person behind you in line is likely to whisper, “Don’t buy that. It’s from an advertiser.” It includes calls to switch on every electric appliance in the house just before the evening TV news to trip up Tehran’s grid. It features quickie “blitz” street demonstrations, lasting just long enough to chant “Death to the dictator!”

several times but short enough to evade security forces. It involves identifying paramilitary Basij vigilantes linked to the crackdown and putting marks in green —Read more at www.time.com