http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/06/2009626134653439673.html
UPDATED ON:
Friday, June 26, 2009
22:11 Mecca time, 19:11 GMT
News Middle East
Call to execute 'rioters' in Iran
Worshippers heard Khatami say on Friday that 'rioters'
should be punished without mercy [AFP]
A leading Iranian religious leader has called for the execution of
"rioters" who have led a series of anti-government protests following the
country's disputed June 12 presidential election.
Ahmad Khatami, a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts, told
worshippers during a sermon at Friday prayers that Iran's judiciary should
charge such rioters as "mohareb", or one who wages war against God.
"Anybody who fights against the Islamic system or the leader of
Islamic society, fight him until complete destruction," Khatami said in the
nationally broadcast sermon at Tehran University.
"We ask that the judiciary confront the leaders of the protests,
leaders of the violations, and those who are supported by the United States and
Israel strongly, and without mercy to provide a lesson for all."
Under Iranian law, the punishment for people convicted as mohareb
is execution.
'Healthy' elections
Khatami's comments came as the Guardian Council, Iran's electoral
watchdog, dismissed opposition allegations of fraud during the election.
The council said on Friday that the vote was the country's
"healthiest" since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
"After 10 days of examination, we did not see any major
irregularities," Abbas Ali Kadkhodai, a Guardian Council spokesman, said.
"We have had no fraud in any presidential election and this one was
the cleanest election we have had. I can say with certainty that there was no
fraud in this election."
In depth
The latest on Iran's post-election unrest
Send us your videos and pictures from Iran
The statement leaves the opposition little room for further legal
challenges over the election result, with the council previously rejecting a
call for the vote to be annulled.
Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the main challenger to Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, Iran's president, have led a series of mass demonstrations in the
capital, Tehran, to protest against the results of the election.
At least 19 people are believed to have been killed in violent
clashes between demonstrators and Iranian security forces.
Ghanbar Naderi, the economic and political editor of the
state-owned Iran Daily newspaper, told Al Jazeera on Friday that the situation
is now under control.
"Those who voted for Mr Mousavi in the capital have come to their
senses now," he said.
"They are slowly getting along with the reality that yes, most of
them voted for Mr Mousavi in the capital, but the rest of the country voted for
Mr Ahmadinejad.
"After two weeks ... there are no violent demonstrations on the
streets anymore and the last few people who used to take advantage of the
situation have now been detained by the police forces and they will be put on
special tribunal."
War of words
The protests have also led to a war of words between Iran and the
US, which has criticised the conduct of the June 12 election.
Iran unrest online
Social media is playing a crucial role in Iran's crisis.
Follow the conversation online here:
Latest Twitter updates on Iran
Global Voices blogs on the unrest
Watch the latest videos on CitizenTube
Browse photos from Iran on Flickr
Barack Obama, the US president, has warned that Tehran wanted to
blame the US for opposition protests.
But Ahmadinejad, Iran's president, called on Obama to "avoid
interfering in Iran's affairs" during a speech broadcast on Iranian state
television on Thursday.
"This is our friendly advice; we don't want to see the big
disgraces of the Bush era to be repeated in the new US era," he said.
Ahmadinejad's speech came days after Obama said that he was
"appalled and outraged" over threats, beatings and imprisonments of opposition
protesters following the polls.
The latest comments by both presidents could complicate any attempt
at a dialogue, which Washington hopes will include talks on the scope of Iran's
nuclear programme.
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