Calling former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi and former President Mohammad Khatami as members of the enemy’s “fifth column,” ayatollah Khamenei’s representative in the ultra-conservative and state-run Kayhan newspaper called on Saturday for the prosecution of the two for what it called were the “murder of innocent people, holding riots, cooperating with foreigners and acting as America’s fifth column”. Kayhan is run by Shariatmadari who is directly appointed by the leader of Iran.
Kayhan’s charges against Khatami and Mousavi were voiced after the two reformist figures protested the Guardian Council’s validation of the June election, referring to the event as a ‘velvet coup’ against the people.
Shariatmadi, who is known by many people arrested in Iran in recent years to have aided the interrogators in their interrogations, also identified Mousavi in the July 4 editorial as the “executer of a mission dictated from the outside,” condemning him for “openly cooperating with foreigners and acting as America's fifth column.”
The leader’s representative at Kayhan also described Mousavi’s recent announcement of establishing an opposition party inside Iran as “fire under the ashes,” claiming, “The political party that Mr. Mousavi intends to establish according to his recent statement cannot be legal, because its main members, such as Mousavi and Khatami, were accused of committing the aforementioned crimes.”
Shariatmadari went on to point out that it was not unlikely for Mousavi and his colleagues to establish such a political party without permission, claiming, “In that case, its real name must be the enemy’s fifth column and fire under ashes for seditious purposes.” Shariatmadari called on the judiciary and security apparatus to take preventative measures and to blind the “eye of sedition.”
Calls for putting Mousavi and Khatami on trial are made by the leader’s representative in Kayhan at a time when several of Ahmadinejad’s close affiliates have accused the reformists and opposition forces of “Moharebeh,” or enmity with God, a charge punishable by death.
A lawmaker supportive of Ahmadinejad, Mehdi Kouchakzadeh, said, “The judiciary must implement Islamic law without mercy, as it seems that certain people arrested in recent disturbances must be treated as Mohareb [enemy of God] and Mofsed Fel-Arz” [spreaders of corruption on earth, punishable by death].
He also accused several reformists who have been arrested in recent weeks of organizing the popular protests, noting, “The calculated decision of arresting radical internal forces who organized and led the disturbance has resulted in calm and resolved the issue.”
Detainees Charged with Acting against National Security
Meanwhile, the attorney for several of the detainees announced on Saturday that his clients are charged with “acting against national security.”
Saleh Nikbakht told the French news agency, that several of his “clients, including Maziar Bahari, the detained Newsweek reporter, are charged with acting against national security.” He added, “I have not yet been able to meet with him, despite repeated requests submitted to the judiciary.”
According to Nikbakht, the Newsweek reporter Maziah Bahari, and several reformist leaders who have been behind bars will be tried in court for acting against national security. Among Nikbakht’s clients are Mohammad Ali Abtahi, deputy to former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami; Behzad Nabavi, deputy speaker of the sixth Majlis; Mohsen Safai Farahani, former president of the Iranian Football Federation and representative in the sixth Majlis; Mohsen Aminzadeh, former deputy foreign minister; Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, former president Khatami’s spokesperson; and Maziar Bahari, reporter for Newsweek.
Absolsamad Khoramshahi, who represents one of the British embassy staff in Tehran, also announced on Saturday that his client is charged with “acting against national security.”
