Mahour S.

Opposition website Rah-e Sabz reports that former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Assembly of Experts, will not be invited to the official state ceremony marking the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, on June 5th. The ceremony takes place annually at the Imam Khomeini Mausoleum – a mosque which houses the tomb of Khomeini and his son. The website also reports that unlike previous years, this year, the ceremonies will be managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards.

Traditionally, the family of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, led by his grandson Hassan Khomeini, has been in charge of organizing the ceremonies which are held at the mausoleum. The family is known for its support of the Green movement’s de factor leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mohammad Khatami, and has come under heavy criticism by the hardliners for its position following the disputed June 2009 election.

The ceremonies annually held at the mausoleum include the anniversary of Khomeini’s death and a three- day prayer ceremony held annually during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Earlier this year, the three-day prayer ceremony was canceled in Ramadan [September] by Hassan Khomeini, after he came under increasing pressure by the government to select hardline clerics associated with President Ahamdinejad to give the speech before the prayers. Rafsajani and Khatami have long been speakers at the prayers [and the hardline government feared that their appearance would make way for another pro-opposition gathering similar to the Friday prayer led by Rafsanjani in July.] Hassan Khomeini canceled the three-day day prayer at the mausoleum for not wanting to select hardline speakers, an unprecedented move since the ceremony has been held every year since the death of Khomeini in 1989.

Now it is reported by Al Arabiya television news that the IRGC has taken control of the ceremony for June 5th, and has transferred organizational duties which were traditionally held by the family of Ayatollah Khomeini, to the Office of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. The IRGC has also removed longtime state attendees, such as Hashemi Rafsajani, former president Mohammad Khatami, and former Prime Minister Mousavi from the official invitation list. [It is unclear if Khomeini’s family will attend. ]

In recent weeks state media outlets such as IRNA have announced that up to 5 million people will be attending the ceremonies at the mausoleum and Roozonline reports that heads of the IRGC have been commenting on the organization of events in state media outlets. Al Arabiya reveals that the organizers this year are pushing for conservative clerics who have been long time allies of the supreme leader to attend. Specifically, they are pushing for the attendance of high-ranking conservative clerics [like Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani] who have been silent in recent months following the election – possibly in protest to the Lleader’s handling of the post-election crisis.

There are also reports that Rafsanjani has been told to keep away from the ceremony, fearing security concerns and hardline plans to denounce him on the podium during the ceremony which will be broadcast live by state TV. [In previous years, he made a speech the night before the ceremony and the Supreme Leader gave a speech the day of the ceremony before leading the prayer. State outlets report that the leader will be leading the prayers this year.]

In recent days, the website of Hashemi Rafsanjani has republished a much-publicized letter he wrote to Khamenei a week before the election in 2009 warning about election fraud and asking the Leader to intervene. Khamenei never answered this letter, and Rah-e Sabz reports that the re-publication of this letter by Rafsanjani is in response to the hardliners’ seizing control of the mourning ceremony.