Members of Parliament (MPs) barred from running for February 20 parliamentary election continued their sit-in protest against what they say violation of their constitutional rights, IRNA reported from Tehran.

photo: ISNA

A lawmaker from Qazvin Hojjatoleslam Nasser Qavami led the dusk and night (Isha) prayers in the prayers house of the parliament.

photo: ISNA

Majlis Speaker Hojjatoleslam Mehdi Karroubi said the Guardian Council action is not acceptable and the parliament will explore all legal channels to stop violation of rights of the candidates and the entire people.

photo: ISNA

Vice Speaker of Parliament Behzad Nabavi, Chairman of Parliamentary Commission on National Security and Foreign Affairs Mohsen Mirdamadi, MP Mrs Soheila Jelodarzadeh, Ebrahim Amini, Ahmad Bourghani and MP Mrs Jamileh Kadivar, MP from Shiraz Jalil Sazegarnejad and several other incumbent MPs have staged sit-in protest from this morning to denounce the unprecedented move by the Guardian Council to reject the incumbent lawmakers as the climax of power struggle.

photo: ISNA

Sazegarnejad accused the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) of embarking on partisan conflict and putting its seal on violation of rights of the incumbent MPs.

photo: ISNA

OFU terms rejection of incumbent MPs 'illegal'

Tehran, Jan 11, IRNA -- Member of campus-based political entity, the Office to Foster Unity (OFU) Saeed Razavi Faqih said that candidates of the seventh parliament have been illegally rejected and that the student movement supports the incumbent MPs barred from running in the elections.

Razavi Faqih told IRNA that all those barred from running in the election should stand up against the violation of their rights to force those who violated the rights of the people to come to terms with the law.

Asked about the sit-in protest in parliament to protest the Guardian Council's action, Razavi Faqih said that the protest should not exclude to the eligibility rights of the MPs, it should also focus on the constitutional rights of the people.

Protest sit-in by Iranian MPs
photo: ISNA

"They are right to protest the violation of their own rights and the rights of the people as well. It may lead to other political streams joining the protest of the MPs," he said.

He said that the student movement believes that the achievements of the democratic movement should be safeguarded. Lack of resolve to safeguard the people's achievements will lead to high price being paid in long term, the political activist said.

"The student movement will spare no effort to protect the democratic achievements of the Iranian nation," he said.

"If we were deprived of the basic right of franchise, or being voted, we certainly will never attain our rights."

Razavi Faqih said that those who resorted to such desperate action will never realize their objectives.