Mahour S.

The website affiliated with opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, Kaleme, reports that on May 31 Mehdi Karoubi and Mousavi met at Karoubi’s residence to discuss recent events and their upcoming plans for June 12th, the one year anniversary of the disputed 2009 presidential election.

The opposition leaders discussed other events and anniversaries in the month of June, which is a time ripe with defining political developments in Iran. Another anniversary that Iranians mark is the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, who died on June 5 1989. Other reformist groups and political parties have also released statements commemorating these anniversaries, most especially the death of Khomeini, and condemning the government handling of the events which have occurred since June 12, 2009.

Mousavi and Karoubi, at the end of their meeting, signed and released a joint letter addressed to the governor of Tehran, asking for a permit to demonstrate on June 12th. In the letter they write that, “God willing this permit will be issued, and we will see a glorious public turnout.” While Mousavi and Karoubi did not directly ask protesters to demonstrate, their letter to the governor also entails the route of the planned protests in Tehran, which is from Imam Hossein Square to Azadi Sqaure. It seems that they have adopted a wise strategy: they stopped short of directly calling on Iranians to protest because they have yet to receive the permit. But by writing a letter to the governor and announcing the protest routes, they have alerted Iranians that demonstrations could take place if a permit is granted. Three weeks ago, Mousavi and Karoubi directly asked Iranians to participate “in the events of June 12.”
The group known as the Association of Combatant Clerics, whose notable members include former President Mohammad Khatami, also issued a statement commemorating the events of the month of June. They condemned post-election suppression of the opposition by the government and praised the peaceful protesters who participated in demonstrations following the election in 2009. Their statement, however, does not explicitly invite demonstrators to protest on the anniversary of the election.

The Association of Qom Seminary Researchers and Instructors, whose members include the reformist Grand Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani, released a letter in memory of the late Khomeini, criticizing the government’s handling of the post-election protests in 2009. The letter ends with a list of six demands, which include the release of political prisoners and the “full and complete” implementation of the constitution, “especially where it pertains to the rights of the nation which have thus far been ignored”. They too do not explicitly call for mass demonstrations on June 12th but condemn the government’s response to the “people’s legitimate and peaceful protest”.

The Islamic Iran Participation Front, a leading reformist political party, which was banned by Iranian authorities last month and then defiantly vowed to continue its political activity, was another group to release a statement. The statement commemorated the death of the revolutionary leader, praised the “courage and strength” of Iranian forces in the Iran-Iraq war and condemned post-election violence and suppression. The group went on to applaud people’s “courageous and peaceful resistance” following the 2009 election.
No opposition group has thus far directly called out for protesters to attend mass demonstrations, fearing responsibility for the safety of the protesters who may face harsh government response. But Mousavi and Karoubi’s meeting and letter, along with letters by other groups, their praise for previous peaceful protests and their condemnation of government action have been a general pattern following the 2009 election, when opposition leaders galvanize their supporters and wait for the public ‘s response.