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Iran opposition calls off vote anniversary demos: report

10 June 2010 20:47 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Iranian opposition leaders have called off anti-government protests planned for Saturday, the anniversary of last yearâ€™s disputed presidential election, an opposition website reported, APA reports quoting The Associated Press.
Both opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have decided not to go ahead with demonstrations, Karroubiâ€™s website Sahamnews.com reported on Thursday.
"After receiving reports from reformist parties and to protect the lives and properties of the people, we announce that the planned demonstrations would not be organised," they said in a joint statement posted on the website.
In recent weeks both Mousavi and Karroubi had renewed calls for fresh presidential elections and said they rejected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejadâ€™s authority.
Mousaviâ€™s Kaleme.com website reported on Tuesday that the interior ministry was prevaricating on issuing requested permits to stage demonstrations on Saturday.
"Mr. Karroubi and Mr. Mousaviâ€™s request to hold a rally was not answered under the pretext that the demand was not forwarded by political groups or parties," the website said.
It said the requests had been re-submitted by the political groups themselves, but that "the director of political affairs at the interior ministry Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini evaded accepting the request."
Ten opposition groups have been seeking permission to protest to mark the first anniversary of Ahmadinejadâ€™s re-election, the opposition website Rahesabz.net reported on Tuesday.
The groups pledged in a letter to the interior ministry that their June 12 rally would "be a silent one, with no one carrying any arms," Rahesabz.net reported.
"There will be no statement read out and no speech made," the website quoted the letter as saying.
In their statement posted on Thursday, the two leaders said the authorities were "wrong to believe that with threats, humiliation, lies, and arms" they "can suppress the protest movement."
But they urged people to continue their protests by "other less costly and more effective ways... given the experience of repression during the past year of people whose only crime was to ask for their votes peacefully."
"This is the attitude of an illegitimate government that only allows its own supporters to organise demonstrations, but the path chosen by the great Iranian people will not be closed."
After losing to Ahmadinejad in the election, Mousavi and Karroubi quickly dismissed the result as having been massively rigged, sparking street protests which rocked the Islamic republic last summer and winter.
Security forces cracked down heavily on dissent, with dozens of protesters killed, hundreds arrested and scores of prominent reformists, journalists and rights campaigners put on trial -- with many receiving stiff jail sentences.
The authorities have vowed to crack down on any new opposition protests.