Mousavi sees "roots of dictatorship" in Islamic Republic

MirHosein Mousavi

Iranian opposition leader, MirHosein Mousavi spoke out once more today against government policies regarding election protesters claiming the Islamic Republic is manifesting “roots of dictatorship left from the time of the monarchy” in Iran.

He claimed that despite widespread assumptions at the beginning of the Revolution of 1979, elements and roots that lead to “dictatorship” are still present in the Islamic Republic system and can be identified.

The disputing candidate of the elections listed “the closure of press and media activities, filling of prisons and merciless killing of people on the streets” as signs of “dictatorship in the Islamic Republic.”

He added that “Despotism in the name of religion is the worst form of despotism,” and condemned the recent comments of Ayatollah Janati in Tehran’s Friday Mass Prayers where he commended the execution of Mohammadreza Ali-Zamani and Arash Rahmanipou,r two dissidents who were hanged last week in Tehran. Ayatollah Janati went as far as calling for more executions.

Former Prime Minister, MirHosein Mousavi also criticized the actions of the judiciary and claimed that the armed and security forces are in effect handling the files at the judiciary.

He added: “We have completely lost all hope in the judiciary. The judiciary that prosecutes the educated, freedom-loving and pious son of our great martyr Ayatollah Beheshti and all other proponents of freedom has drifted far from the goals of the Revolution.”

He maintained that the prisons have been filled with the “purest children of our nation” and they are hard at work “fabricating financial, sexual and espionage charges against them.” He claimed all this is happening while the true “deviators, and looters of the public purse” are comfortably at large.

MirHosein Mousavi also criticized the activities of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad government in the past years and their lack of accountability regarding the sale of oil and all relevant financial reports.

He claimed: “The Parliament is evidently helpless regarding its duties vis a vis the government. This is a fact which even the fair conservative members of the establishment have complained about.”

The opposition leader also emphasized the interconnection of demands for economic justice with demands for political freedom.

He maintained that those who are aiming at a national consensus for change should “connect more closely with the low-income strata of the society and become defenders of their interests.”

He added that since economic decisions and policies are of the utmost importance in the fate of the nation, the public should pay become more sensitive toward economic news and analyses.

He called on police and Basij forces to be “kind and gentle with people” and urged the supporters of the Green Movement to surpass all divisions amongst the people.

Mousavi claimed: “This movement has risen from amongst the people and belongs to them; therefore, everyone should respect customs, beliefs and sanctities of the society.”

The opposition leader also emphasized that: “The Green Movement has no particular representative or speaker abroad. One of the beauties of the Green Space is that everyone can speak their mind and the movement spreads further in an atmosphere of tolerance.”