TEHRAN: Iranian opposition leaders have called off anti-government demonstrations they had planned for Saturday, the anniversary of last year’s disputed presidential election, an opposition website reported Thursday.
Both opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have decided to cancel the demonstrations, Karroubi’s website Sahamnews.com reported.
"After receiving reports from reformist parties and to protect the lives and properties of the people, we announce that the planned demonstrations would not be organized," the two leaders said in a joint statement posted on the website.
Over the past weeks Mousavi and Karroubi had renewed calls for fresh presidential elections and rejected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s authority.
The Kaleme.com website which belongs to Mousavi reported on Tuesday that the interior ministry was prevaricating on issuing the permits for holding the demonstrations on Saturday.
"Mr. Karroubi and Mr. Mousavi’s request to hold a rally was not answered under the pretext that the demand was not forwarded by political groups or parties," the website said.
It said the requests had been re-submitted by the political groups themselves, but that "the director of political affairs at the interior ministry Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini evaded accepting the request."
Ten opposition groups have been seeking permission to protest to mark the first anniversary of Ahmadinejad’s re-election, the opposition website Rahesabz.net reported on Tuesday.
The groups pledged in a letter to the interior ministry that their June 12 rally would "be a silent one, with no one carrying any arms," Rahesabz.net reported.
"There will be no statement read out and no speech made," the website quoted the letter as saying.
After losing to Ahmadinejad in the election, Mousavi and Karroubi had quickly dismissed the election result as massively rigged, sparking street protests which rocked the Islamic republic throughout the summer and winter.
Security forces cracked down heavily, with dozens of protesters killed, hundreds arrested and scores of prominent reformist leaders, journalists and rights campaigners put on trial — many receiving stiff jail sentences.
Authorities have vowed to crack down on any opposition protests.
