Tehran - Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi
reiterated in a statement Wednesday that he did not acknowledge the
re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
'From now on we will have a government the legitimacy of which the
majority of the people, including me, will not acknowledge,' Moussavi
said in his first reaction to the official confirmation of
Ahmadinejad's re-election.
Moussavi further said on his website that he would make no
compromise on the rights of his supporters.
The Guardian Council had on Monday re-confirmed the results of the
June 12 election and Ahmadinejad's victory.
'The Guardian Council's approval ... closed its eyes to numerous
irregularities,' said Moussavi, whose demand for annulment of the
results and holding new elections has been rejected by the
establishment.
The council said that that with the final confirmation, neither
Moussavi nor the other moderate candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, had any
right to 'veto the election process' and continue their protests over
election fraud.
'It is not too late and it is still possible to restore the
people's trust ... the safety of our system depends on doing this,'
said Moussavi addressing the Guardian Council.
Calling on his supporters, Moussavi said that 'as long as our
protests go on, this government will have no legitimacy.'
'Hope in the future is our clearest protest. If you want to remain
real Iranians, protect the flames of hope in your hearts, as hope is
seed of the identity of Iranians worldwide,' Moussavi said.
'It is our historic duty to continue our protests to gain the
people's legitimate rights,' he added.
Referring to political prisoners, he called on the release of 'the
children of the revolution.'
'How can the people trust a government which jails their friends,
colleagues and children solely on the pretext of paranoia,' Moussavi
said.
According to police reports, more than 1,000 people, including
former officials, dissidents, journalists and demonstrators, have
been arrested. Most have since been released.
'Creating a security atmosphere in the society will only lead to
people's distrust towards the system.' Moussavi warned, referring to
increased security measures in Tehran to forestall further protest
demonstrations.
Pointing to massive restrictions of local and international media,
Moussavi said that a free press was 'oxygen for a healthy society'
and called on the government to stop blocking media activities.
The foreign press had been banned from directly covering the
protests or contacting the opposition.
'The green colour we chose as a symbol for our movement meant a
life with more freedom and welfare than we have today,' Moussavi said
in his seven-page statement.
At the end of his statement, Moussavi called for the stopping of
the 'security approach,' amendment of the election law to prevent
further manipulations and guaranteeing the impartiality of the
relevant election bodies.
He further demanded freedom for protest gatherings, press,
websites, as well as a stop to alleged governmental interference in
the country's communication system - from switching off mobile phones
and SMS systems to tapping phone conversations.
Meanwhile Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the presidential
election in Iran was also a victory for the international front
against the United States.
'The election was a victory for the whole anti-imperialistic front
worldwide and from now on, this front can have a more powerful
presence in the international scene,' Ahmadinejad told visiting
Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez.
Ahmadinejad considers the high turnout in the election as another
acknowledgment of the Islamic system after three decades, encouraging
him to have a tougher approach towards the West in his second
presidential tenure.
The opposition however says that the 85 per cent turnout was an
unanimous demand for changes in the Islamic state.
So far three leading reformist parties - Etemad Melli, SMEE and
IIPF - rejected acknowledging Ahmadinejad's re-election.
Also former president Mohammad Khatami joined the critics and
called on the immediate release of all the prisoner detained since
the start of the protest demonstrations, including his former deputy
Mohammad-Ali Abtahi and spokesman Abdollah Ramezanpour.
'What are the charges against these people, if they are criminals,
why do they have no lawyers? oppressing people cannot end the
protests and not be in the interest of the system, either,' Khatami
said.
He further decried the state-run television for broadcasting
alleged confessions by some detained protestors and said 'confessions
under pressure were futile and outdated.'
The reformist cleric further warned the establishment that with
such measures, the people's interest in attending future elections
would sharply decrease.
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