Iranian opposition wants to hold a rally on February 14.
February 14 facebook page
Opposition leaders MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have
applied to the interior ministry for a permit to stage a demonstration on
February 14 in solidarity with the recent revolts in Arab countries.
Many observers interpret the move as a ploy to rally opposition supporters and
once again trigger mass protests like those which were violently crushed by the
government, following the controversial re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in
2009.
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, Iran's prosecutor general and spokesman for the
judiciary, maintained that people can express support for the Arab uprisings by
joining the state-endorsed annual demonstrations on February 11, which mark the
anniversary of the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
"Choosing a different day would mean that these people have separated their path
from the people," Ejei said; "If anybody wants to side with the people of Egypt
and Tunisia, they can join the state and the people on February 11 and take part
in the rally."
The two opposition leaders have requested a rally permit on several occasions
over the past year, and each time the government has turned them down.
Mohseni Ejei described their requests as a "political act" that the people "will
confront with alertness."
SMS messages being exchanged about the rally
The protests following the 2009 presidential elections evolved
into the worst crisis in the history of the Islamic Republic, when millions of
people took to the streets to protest alleged election fraud.
The crisis has created deep rifts in the ranks of the Islamic Republic
establishment. Mousavi and Karroubi, both once considered pillars of the that
establishment, have taken to criticizing the government, accusing it of
"oppressive actions" comparable to those of the monarchical regime it toppled.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the opposition leaders presented themselves as
representatives of a "new discourse" focused on "justice and freedom while
avoiding violence and lies."