Legal controversy over ban of Iranian reformist party

Banned reformist party, Islamic Iran Participation Front, announced that the court has cancelled the ban on their organization allowing their party to resume its political activities, but the head of Tehran courts denied the statement.

The reformist party issued a letter to the Article 10 Commission for Political Parties saying that after the Commission cancelled their licence and banned their political activity, the organization rendered a complaint to the court regarding this decision.

The letter indicates that branch 27 of the public court has issued their verdict rescinding the decision of the Commission and authorizing the Islamic Iran Participation Front to resume its activities.

However IRNA reports that Alireza Avayi, head of Tehran courts denied the statements saying that the file regarding IIPF was previously in branch 27 but it has been transferred to Tehran Revolutionary Court.

He stressed that the latest statements of the spokesman for the judiciary are final and the Islamic Iran Participation Front is not allowed to engage in any political activity.

Last week, Iran's prosecutor general and spokesman for the judiciary announced that the judiciary has barred the two reformist parties, Islamic Iran Participation Front and Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution, from political activity.

He claimed: "Their file went to trial and the court decided independently that the two parties are to be dissolved and do not have the right to continue political activities."

IIPF condemned the statement maintaining that the decision is "vague, illegal and politically-biased."

The two reformist parties have been the target of repeated attacks since the controversial protests against the alleged vote fraud that brought Mahmoud Ahmadinejad back to power.

Both parties endorsed Ahamdinejad's opponents in the elections and following the elections, many of their executive members were arrested and sentenced to heavy prison terms.