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- January 20, 2011, 07:51:08 PMAhmadinejad urges prosecution of opposition leaders You are not allowed to view links.
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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today called for the leaders of the opposition to be prosecuted over Iran's post-election turmoil, stepping up pressure against the pro-reform movement that says he won the election by fraud.
It was the first time Ahmadinejad has made such a call, publicly siding with hard-line politicians and clerics and commanders of the powerful Revolutionary Guard who have demanded in recent weeks that opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and his top allies be arrested.
Ahmadinejad took an even tougher line than his top ally, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who earlier this week said he saw no evidence that opposition leaders were tools of Iran's foreign enemies, a claim that hard-liners have made.
The differing stances suggest there are divisions within Iran's leadership over how far to take the heavy crackdown against the opposition since the disputed June 12 presidential election.
Hard-liners appear to be seeking to completely crush the pro-reform movement,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, calling for its political parties to be banned and leaders detained.
Khamenei seems to be wary that going too far could fuel a backlash against the clerical leadership, which has already been weakened by the post-election crisis.
Khamenei holds ultimate say in political issues in Iran, but he also needs to satisfy hard-liners and the Revolutionary Guard.
The government has already put more than 100 senior figures and activists from the pro-reform opposition on trial, accusing them of being part of a foreign-backed plot to overthrow the Islamic Republic through a "velvet revolution".
Prosecutors allege that the wave of mass protests that erupted after the election claiming fraud were instigated by the opposition to spark that revolution.
But so far, despite hard-liners' calls, there has been no move to arrest the very top rung of the opposition - Mousavi and his allies Mahdi Karroubi and former President Mohammad Khatami. Doing so could spark a major escalation in the confrontation.
In a harshly worded statement, Khatami lashed out at hard-liners,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, saying they were accused of "treason" in the public's eyes because of the fraudulent vote. He said the claims that the opposition protests were part of a foreign plot were a "very big mistake" and aimed to "justify violent, illegal and monopolistic behaviour" by the government.
Ahmadinejad's comments today came in a speech to thousands ahead of the weekly Friday prayers in Tehran. He said those on trial were "deceived" into participating in the alleged plot and that the leaders should be punished.
"These deceived, second-tier elements should be dealt with with Islamic mercy. Don't give immunity and protection to the main elements while punishing the deceived second-tier elements,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login," he said.
"There must be a serious confrontation with the leaders and key elements who organised and provoked (the riots) and carried out the enemy's plan. They have to be dealt with seriously," he said,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, without directly naming the leaders.
Ahmadinejad also admitted for the first time that some detained protesters were abused in custody but also denied any government involvement, claiming instead that it was the work of Iran's enemies and the opposition.
"These actions that were carried out in custody ... were part of the enemy's scenario," he said. "Security,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, military and intelligence forces are free from these shameful acts."
Top police officials and a parliamentary probe has already confirmed that some prisoners were abused by their jailers. The government has been struggling to contain outrage among many Iranians over the accusations of abuse.
Related Stories:
Iran elections
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today called for the leaders of the opposition to be prosecuted over Iran's post-election turmoil, stepping up pressure against the pro-reform movement that says he won the election by fraud.
It was the first time Ahmadinejad has made such a call, publicly siding with hard-line politicians and clerics and commanders of the powerful Revolutionary Guard who have demanded in recent weeks that opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and his top allies be arrested.
Ahmadinejad took an even tougher line than his top ally, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who earlier this week said he saw no evidence that opposition leaders were tools of Iran's foreign enemies, a claim that hard-liners have made.
The differing stances suggest there are divisions within Iran's leadership over how far to take the heavy crackdown against the opposition since the disputed June 12 presidential election.
Hard-liners appear to be seeking to completely crush the pro-reform movement,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, calling for its political parties to be banned and leaders detained.
Khamenei seems to be wary that going too far could fuel a backlash against the clerical leadership, which has already been weakened by the post-election crisis.
Khamenei holds ultimate say in political issues in Iran, but he also needs to satisfy hard-liners and the Revolutionary Guard.
The government has already put more than 100 senior figures and activists from the pro-reform opposition on trial, accusing them of being part of a foreign-backed plot to overthrow the Islamic Republic through a "velvet revolution".
Prosecutors allege that the wave of mass protests that erupted after the election claiming fraud were instigated by the opposition to spark that revolution.
But so far, despite hard-liners' calls, there has been no move to arrest the very top rung of the opposition - Mousavi and his allies Mahdi Karroubi and former President Mohammad Khatami. Doing so could spark a major escalation in the confrontation.
In a harshly worded statement, Khatami lashed out at hard-liners,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, saying they were accused of "treason" in the public's eyes because of the fraudulent vote. He said the claims that the opposition protests were part of a foreign plot were a "very big mistake" and aimed to "justify violent, illegal and monopolistic behaviour" by the government.
Ahmadinejad's comments today came in a speech to thousands ahead of the weekly Friday prayers in Tehran. He said those on trial were "deceived" into participating in the alleged plot and that the leaders should be punished.
"These deceived, second-tier elements should be dealt with with Islamic mercy. Don't give immunity and protection to the main elements while punishing the deceived second-tier elements,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login," he said.
"There must be a serious confrontation with the leaders and key elements who organised and provoked (the riots) and carried out the enemy's plan. They have to be dealt with seriously," he said,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, without directly naming the leaders.
Ahmadinejad also admitted for the first time that some detained protesters were abused in custody but also denied any government involvement, claiming instead that it was the work of Iran's enemies and the opposition.
"These actions that were carried out in custody ... were part of the enemy's scenario," he said. "Security,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, military and intelligence forces are free from these shameful acts."
Top police officials and a parliamentary probe has already confirmed that some prisoners were abused by their jailers. The government has been struggling to contain outrage among many Iranians over the accusations of abuse.
Related Stories:
Iran elections