Iranian opposition
June 15, 2009
"The interior ministry issued a statement and said no permission had been issued for a rally. The holding of such a gathering would be illegal," Iranian state radio said.
"Some seditious elements had planned to hold a rally and by fabrication said they had permission from the interior ministry. Any disrupter of public security would be dealt with according to the law," the announcement continued.
Nationwide rallies were planned for Monday in protest of the landslide re-election of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi had urged people to protest peacefully and in a non-confrontational manner.
Mousavi claims the vote was rigged, and called on Iran's top supervisory body, the Guardian Council, to nullify the election because of what he alleges were irregularities. The interior ministry and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have dismissed the criticism.
In a statement, Moussavi condemned the ban, calling it an illegal act by the ministry. However, he called on his supporters not to stage any rally without permission in order to avoid "violence by violence-mongers," according to dpa news service.
Moussavi said the rally would be held as soon as the necessary permission was granted.
Thousands of opposition supporters clashed with police on Saturday and Sunday in Tehran after Ahmadinejad won re-election to a four-year term, allegedly taking 63 percent of the vote. At least 60 protesters were arrested in the violence in the Iranian capital.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has criticized Tehran over the election. He also condemned what he called "brutal actions" against demonstrators. The Iranian ambassador has been summoned to the foreign ministry in Berlin over the disputed election. International criticism has also come from the European Union and the United States.
ai/jen AFP/Reuters