Iran Raids Offices of Election Challengers Mousavi, Karrubi
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By Ali Sheikholeslami and Ladane Nasseri
Sept. 8 (Bloomberg) -- The offices of Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karrubi, who ran against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 election, were raided and shut by security officials, their groups said.
The office of Karrubi’s Etemade Melli party was closed today under a warrant from the Tehran prosecutor, the Iranian Labour News Agency said, citing Esmaeil Gerami-Moghaddam, party spokesman. They searched Karrubi’s office, confiscated documents, films, computers and compact discs, and arrested the editor of the party’s Web site, Gerami-Moghaddam told ILNA.
Authorities seized documents yesterday at the Tehran office of a committee set up by Mousavi, the main election challenger, to pursue complaints by protesters caught up in a crackdown on dissent over the vote, his Web site, Kaleme, said today. The officials didn’t have a permit for the raid, which they carried out over the objections of staff members, according to the site.
Mousavi this week urged his backers “to follow on the green path” through “small and large gatherings,” referring to his campaign color, used to symbolize the opposition movement since the election. Former parliamentary speaker Karrubi, who accused authorities of raping people detained while protesting the election outcome, called on supporters to take to the streets Sept. 18 for rallies to coincide with the annual pro- Palestinian Quds Day demonstrations.
Mass protests in Tehran and other major cities followed the announcement of Ahmadinejad’s victory. Mousavi and Karrubi both say the election was rigged, an allegation the president and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei deny.
“This election has been the most legitimate in the past 100 years in Iran,” Ahmadinejad said yesterday in his first formal news conference since he was sworn in for a second term on Aug. 5. He cited the large turnout of voters and said there was no evidence of fraud.
Thousands of demonstrators and opposition figures were arrested. More than 140 were put on trial on charges of fueling unrest and undermining the regime as part of a “soft” coup to overthrow Islamic rule. The opposition said at least 72 people died in the unrest or in custody, while officials said 30 died.
To contact the reporters on this story: Ali Sheikholeslami in London at [email protected]; Ladane Nasseri in Beirut at [email protected].
Last Updated: September 8, 2009 11:39 EDT
Share | Email | Print | A A A
By Ali Sheikholeslami and Ladane Nasseri
Sept. 8 (Bloomberg) -- The offices of Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karrubi, who ran against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 election, were raided and shut by security officials, their groups said.
The office of Karrubi’s Etemade Melli party was closed today under a warrant from the Tehran prosecutor, the Iranian Labour News Agency said, citing Esmaeil Gerami-Moghaddam, party spokesman. They searched Karrubi’s office, confiscated documents, films, computers and compact discs, and arrested the editor of the party’s Web site, Gerami-Moghaddam told ILNA.
Authorities seized documents yesterday at the Tehran office of a committee set up by Mousavi, the main election challenger, to pursue complaints by protesters caught up in a crackdown on dissent over the vote, his Web site, Kaleme, said today. The officials didn’t have a permit for the raid, which they carried out over the objections of staff members, according to the site.
Mousavi this week urged his backers “to follow on the green path” through “small and large gatherings,” referring to his campaign color, used to symbolize the opposition movement since the election. Former parliamentary speaker Karrubi, who accused authorities of raping people detained while protesting the election outcome, called on supporters to take to the streets Sept. 18 for rallies to coincide with the annual pro- Palestinian Quds Day demonstrations.
Mass protests in Tehran and other major cities followed the announcement of Ahmadinejad’s victory. Mousavi and Karrubi both say the election was rigged, an allegation the president and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei deny.
“This election has been the most legitimate in the past 100 years in Iran,” Ahmadinejad said yesterday in his first formal news conference since he was sworn in for a second term on Aug. 5. He cited the large turnout of voters and said there was no evidence of fraud.
Thousands of demonstrators and opposition figures were arrested. More than 140 were put on trial on charges of fueling unrest and undermining the regime as part of a “soft” coup to overthrow Islamic rule. The opposition said at least 72 people died in the unrest or in custody, while officials said 30 died.
To contact the reporters on this story: Ali Sheikholeslami in London at [email protected]; Ladane Nasseri in Beirut at [email protected].
Last Updated: September 8, 2009 11:39 EDT
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