European Forum

7 killed in Iran after mass protests; partial election recount to be held

On 16 June Iran’s powerful Guardian Council said it is ready to recount disputed votes from the presidential election of 12 June. In this election the incumbent president Ahmadinejad won the election with 62.6% of the votes, while his rival Mir Hossein Mousavi only received 33.75% of the votes. Mousavi is considered the moderate candidate, who is more Western oriented and has the support of students in Iran. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has upheld the election result, urged the Guardian Council to "precisely consider" the complaints. The election has been disputed by the main opposition leader Mousavi and by other moderate candidates, saying the election was rigged. Ahmadinejad denied these allegations. This triggered mass protests in cities in Iran, the biggest protests since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

"I hope it will not take long that the noble people will see that the question has been examined in the best way and we will give the result to the people" Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati told state television on Monday 15 June. But a spokesman for the Guardians Council said only that it was "ready to recount the disputed ballot boxes claimed by some candidates, in the presence of their representatives. It is possible that there may be some changes in the tally after the recount" spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodai said. However, Kadkhodai told state television that annulling the vote was not an option: "Based on the law, the demand of those candidates for the cancellation of the vote, this cannot be considered" he said. Opposition candidates Mir Hossein Musavi and Mehdi Karrubi said they wanted new elections held rather than a recount of "a few ballot boxes." Musavi has described the poll as a "charade" and has called for an annulment of the results. Karrubi has called the results "illegitimate" and said that he does not recognize Ahmadinejad as the President of Iran.

On Monday (15 June) 7 people were killed and several were wounded in a protest which involved hundreds of thousands of people. Mousavi urged followers not to take part in a rally planned for Tuesday, amid fears of new violence. "This headquarters calls on people to avoid the trap of planned clashes" a Mousavi spokesman said. Foreign media have been banned from covering the protest and other "unauthorised events". It was due to have taken place in Tehran's Vali Asr Square at the same time as a demonstration there by supporters of President Ahmadinejad. The main issue after the election that has been raised is the speed of the vote count and also results that show Ahmadinejad beating Musavi even in the ethnic-Azeri candidate's hometown. The protests are being met with repressive measures by the Iranian establishment, which has blocked the SMS text-messaging system and a number of websites, as well as social-networking sites. Dozens of opposition activists have been arrested since the protests began. Those detained also include supporters of reform, including Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a close aide of ex-president Mohammad Khatami. Meanwhile, Iranian state television said the "main agents" behind the unrest had been detained, and guns and explosives seized. There are reports of fresh demonstrations at Tehran University - one of the main centres of tension in recent days. The powerful Speaker of parliament, Ali Larijani, has condemned an attack by police and militia on a student dormitory. Unrest has also been reported in other parts of Iran. One of Mousavi's websites said a student had died on Monday in clashes with hardliners in the southern city of Shiraz.

The authorities' handling of the protests has drawn international criticism. US President Barack Obama said he was "deeply troubled" by the violence in Iran. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was following the situation closely. "The position of me and the United Nations is that the genuine will of the Iranian people should be fully respected" he told reporters. EU foreign ministers expressed "serious concern" and called for an inquiry into the conduct of the election, while France and Germany each summoned their Iranian ambassadors to explain what was going on. Meanwhile, President Ahmadinejad arrived in Russia on Tuesday. He told at a regional summit that the "age of empires" had ended, but made no mention of the protests. 


Sources: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Volkskrant, BBC