http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/12/2009126101815957736.html
UPDATED ON:
Sunday, December 06, 2009
14:03 Mecca time, 11:03 GMT
Rafsanjani urges 'freedom' in Iran
Thousands of people demonstrated in Tehran in the wake of
disputed elections in June [AFP]
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former Iranian president and opposition
member, has accused the country's rulers of being intolerant, amid restrictions
on journalists imposed by the authorities.
"The situation in the country is such that constructive criticism is not
accepted," Rafsanjani told students in the northern city of Mashhad on Sunday,
the ILNA news agency reported.
He called on Iran's political groups to work together to "create a
climate of freedom which will convince the majority of people and erase
ambiguities".
Rafsanjani was speaking a day before the annual Student Day, when
demonstrations against the rule of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president,
are expected to go ahead.
Several websites have urged people to gather on Student Day near Tehran
University campus.
"Those who demonstrate or protest must express themselves through legal
means. Leaders must also respect the law," Rafsanjani said.
"There have always been extremist factions and excessive attitudes on
both sides ... several problems will be solved if we adopt the path of
moderation."
Media restrictions
Iranian authorities have ordered journalists working for foreign media
organisations not to leave their offices to cover the protests that are
expected to take place on Monday.
"All permits issued for foreign media to cover news in Tehran have been
revoked from December 7 to December 9," the culture ministry's foreign press
department said in an mobile phone text message sent to journalists on Saturday.
Police and Iran's Revolutionary Guards have said that they will move
against any "illegal" rally that takes place in Tehran.
"Any illegal gathering outside universities will be strongly confronted,"
Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam, a police chief, was quoted by Etemad newspaper as
saying.
Planned protests
Residents of Tehran said that internet access, including access to email
and websites loyal to the political opposition, had been limited in the run-up
to Student Day.
Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in June in the immediate
wake of Ahmadinejad's re-election, claiming that the Iranian authorities had
rigged the vote.
Hundreds of people were detained by authorities and dozens were killed in
clashes with police and pro-government militia.
Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, who were defeated in the
presidential election, have not announced whether they will join the planned
Student Day protests, as they have done in the past.
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