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Headline News Mousavi: Iranian revolution failed Published Date: February 03, 2010 TEHRAN: Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi yesterday issued his harshest criticism yet of Iran's regime, saying the 1979 Islamic revolution had failed as the "roots of tyranny and dictatorship" still exist. The sharply-worded interview posted on his website Kaleme.org came as a top Iranian judiciary official was reported as saying another nine anti-government protesters would be executed "soon". Ex-premier Mousavi, once rated as a key pillar of the Islamic revolution, said in the interview that present day Iran showed the "attitude of a historic tyrant regime everywhere". "Dictatorship in the name of religion is the worst kind. The most evident manifestation of a continued tyrannical attitude is the abuse of parliament and judiciary. We have completely lost hope in the judiciary," he said. Mousavi added that he no longer believed, as he once did, "that the revolution had removed all those structures which could lead to totalitarianism and dictatorship". "Stifling the media, filling the prisons and brutally killing people who peacefully demand their rights in the streets indicate the roots of tyranny and dictatorship remain from the monarchist era... I don't believe that the revolution achieved its goals," he said. Mousavi, who has spearheaded the anti-government protests since the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last June, made the remarks as Iran marks the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution. Celebrations marking the 1979 return from exile of hardline cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini began on Monday and will climax on February 11, the anniversary of the fall of shah who had ruled Iran for nearly four decades. The violent protests against Ahmadinejad have triggered one of the worst crises since the foundation of the Islamic republic, rocked the pillars of the regime and divided the nation's clergy. Dozens of people have been killed in the protests, hundreds wounded and several others put on trial by the authorities, accused of plotting to overthrow the government. Fars news agency reported that Iran's deputy judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi said yesterday that nine people arrested during anti-government protests would "soon" be executed for what he said was their bid to topple the Islamic regime. Iran hanged two people on Thursday on similar charges. Their executions were condemned internationally and branded by opposition leaders as an effort to scare protesters and keep them off the streets during the traditional Feb 11 rally marking the anniversary of the revolution . Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, Iran's other main opposition leader, have called for a large turnout of their supporters on that day, prompting the security forces to warn of a massive crackdown should the occasion be used to stage anti-government protests. Eight people were killed, among them Mousavi's nephew, and about 1,000 were arrested in the last anti-government demonstration on Dec 27 during the Shiite mourning festival of Ashoura. The two opposition leaders maintain that Ahmadinejad's re-election was "fraudulent" and Karroubi has even alleged that several protesters detained in the immediate aftermath of the June election were raped in jails. But on Jan 25 Karroubi's son Hossein told AFP that his father now recognised Ahmadinejad as "the head of government" as his re-election was endorsed by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran's prominent hardline cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati had during Friday prayers in Tehran last week praised the judiciary for Thursday's hangings, saying "there is no room for clemency but it is time for severity". Jannati is a key backer of Ahmadinejad and heads the powerful electoral watchdog the Guardians Council, whose handling of the election has also been at the centre of the opposition's protest. Mousavi, who ran against Ahmadinejad and charged the election was massively rigged, condemned the two executions and yesterday took a swipe at Janati. "People have realised that some may be sent to their death as a result of petty deals and without respecting the law so that a heartless Friday prayer speaker... cheers the judiciary," Mousavi said in the interview. "He (Janati) is unaware of the effective power of innocent blood and does not know that the blood of martyrs destroyed the shah's regime," he said. The 'green movement' will not abandon its peaceful fight ... until people's rights are preserved," Mousavi told the Kaleme website. "Peaceful protests are Iranians' right." His comments may encourage supporters to take to the streets on Feb 11, when Iran marks the anniversary of the 1979 revolution with state-organised rallies. If so, clashes are expected. But Mousavi urged restraint from security forces whose commanders have vowed a punishing response if opposition supporters take to the streets on Feb 11. A display of opposition numbers on the most hallowed day in the Iranian political calendar would mark a stinging symbolic challenge to the clerical leadership. "Applying kindness is my advice to the police and Basij," Mousavi said, referring to a pro-government militia. He said his supporters are not hostile to security forces and are only seeking reform s. State radio reported that Khamenei had new criticism for some opposition figures, though he did not name them. "I believe some of the recent bitter events have been sustained due to the big negligence of some individuals. In the political arena, negligence and unintentional acts can sometimes have the same result as treason," Khamenei was quoted as telling a group of Tehran University professors. - Agencies ++++ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/islamic-revolution-a-failure-mir-hussein-mousavi/story-e6frg6so-1225826505230 Islamic revolution a failure: Mir Hussein Mousavi John Lyons, Middle East correspondent From: The Australian February 04, 2010 12:00AM IRAN's internal crisis looks set to worsen after an extraordinary attack by opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousavi, who branded the Islamic revolution of 1979 a failure. Pushing his criticisms of the ruling Islamic regime further than he has before, the former prime minister said the revolution had failed to eradicate "the roots of tyranny and dictatorship" that marked the reign of its predecessor, the Shah. "Stifling the media, filling the prisons and brutally killing people who peacefully demand their rights in the streets indicate the roots of tyranny and dictatorship remain from the monarchist era," he said. "I don't believe that the revolution achieved its goals." He added: "Dictatorship in the name of religion is the worst kind." Mr Mousavi's comments came as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to make a concession in relation to Iran's nuclear program. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that his government would accept a nuclear fuel-swap agreement overseen by the UN. It said the announcement on Iranian television was immediately greeted with scepticism by Western diplomats who had watched Iran "flip-flop"on the fuel-swap issue since it was proposed in October. Mr Ahmadinejad told state TV: "We have no problem sending our enriched uranium abroad. If we send our enriched uranium abroad and then they do not give us the 20 per cent enriched fuel for our reactor we are capable of producing it inside Iran." The US is leading the push for harsher sanctions against Iran. In his State of the Union address last week, President Obama said if Iran did not comply with international requirements it would face harsh consequences. While he did not raise military action, Israel has repeatedly said that it is keeping "all options on the table" in relation to Iran. The most likely course of any military action would be that the US would not be directly involved in flying aircraft itself but would provide support for an Israeli air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Mr Mousavi's comments are likely to incense the regime, which is already bracing for more demonstrations next Thursday, the anniversary of the Islamic revolution. The regime warned yesterday that it would "firmly confront" any demonstrators who attempt to turn official rallies to commemorate the revolution into anti-government protests. While the regime has tried to discredit Mr Mousavi, inside Iran he has authority having been prime minister under Ayatollah Khomeini and leader of Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. The regime yesterday made clear it was not softening in its attitude to opposition protesters with the announcement that it was preparing to execute nine more protesters who were detained during the uprising in June. The protesters were charged with "waging war against God". Millions of Iranians protested in June claiming that the election result which saw Mr Ahmadinejad returned to power had been rigged. An Iranian official yesterday told Fars news agency: "Nine others will be hanged soon. The nine, and the two who were hanged on Thursday, were surely arrested in the recent riots and had links to anti-revolutionary groups." 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