Iranian Reformists Insist on Keeping Protests Peaceful


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While rallying behind Mir Hossein Mousavi's 17th announcement which lists transparency in elections, freedom of assembly and the media as well as release of all political prisoners amongst the solutions for leading the country out of its current crisis, Iranian reformist groups emphasize the importance of maintaining the protests peaceful and free of violence.

cornered security forces huddled against each other while their motorcycles burn - Tehran, December 27

The opposition supporters have ignored repeated orders and threats by authorities to stop protesting. They have continued to hold rallies despite government's refusal to issue them permits. At least 8 people were killed by security forces during the Ashoura protests in Tehran on December 27 when the security forces opened fire on them and in some cases ran over them with police cars. The protesters fought back strongly after they came under attack by security and Basij militia on December 27.

The Islamic Republic has been in critical turmoil since the results of the June presidential elections became suspect and the candidates along with masses of people in street demonstrations alleged that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was fraudulently given a second term.

The hardliners have chosen the path of violent crack down on protesters in dealing with the dispute which has dragged the protests for over six months with tens of deaths and thousands of arrests.

The opposition has made every attempt at keeping the protests peaceful describing their demands within the framework of the constitution while the establishment has portrayed the protests as a foreign-backed attempt at toppling the system.

Today the reformist organizations Islamic Iran Participation Front and Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution each announced that they support people's peaceful protests to the current situation and warned the opposition that any extremism in the Green Movement will cause divisions and only prove advantageous to the enemies of this reform movement.

They also extended their support for Mir Hossein Mousavi's proposals as "minimum" but "realistic" steps that could lead the country toward "hope and prosperity."

Five prominent Iranian intellectuals, Abdolkarim Soroush, Mohsen Kadivar, Ataollah Mohajerani, Abdolali Bazargan and Akbar Ganji, also lent their support to the Opposition Leader's proposals while expanding on them in a statement issued yesterday.

Some politicians have called Mir Hossein Mousavi's conditions a sign of a retreat but reformists claim these are merely the "minimum conditions" that can lead the country out of this crisis.

Still the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has criticized the proposals and maintained that they cannot be actualized. Mir Hossein Mousavi was further reviled and attacked by the State-backed media for his latest statement.