Reformist cleric slams government policies against protesters

Ayatollah Montazeri

Ayatollah Hoseinali Montazeri, leading Iranian Shiite cleric announced today that “people will not be satisfied with anything less than their rightful demands.”

Protesters of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s alleged fraudulent victory in the June presidential elections have rallied around disputing candidates of the elections, MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi in a movement that has become known as the “Green Movement.”

These protests have carried on for over five months and the government’s efforts to silence them through “killing, threatening, arresting, unlawful prosecutions, handing heavy and unfair sentences to political activists and freedom-seekers and propagating lies,” according to Ayatollah Montazeri, will not affect people's determination.

The moderate cleric praises the Green Movement’s emphasis on a peaceful form of struggling for people’s violated rights. He also adds that by “paying a heavy price”, the Movement has been able to “reveal the violent nature of the extremist and oppressive faction.”

Ayatollah Montazeri also commended the Movement’s ability to draw the attention and sympathy of international human rights organizations toward their rightful demands.

Ayatollah Montazeri has been an outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic who has relentlessly condemned the government’s treatment of post-election protesters and detainees.