Amnesty International on Wednesday called on the Iranian authorities to allow peaceful gatherings during the Shiite Muslim festival of Ashura.“We call on the supreme leader to ensure that no one faces arrest or the batons of plain-clothed Basij [volunteer militia] for merely taking part in a peaceful demonstration on such an occasion,” the London-based human rights group said in a statement.
Ashura, which marks the climax of a 10-day-long commemoration of the death of one of Shiite Islam’s most revered figures, Imam Hussein – the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad – falls on 27 December this year.
Opponents of the government have taken to using officially sanctioned demonstrations to turn out in huge numbers and protest against June’s disputed presidential election, which the opposition movement says was rigged.
On Wednesday, Iran’s deputy police chief, General Ahmad Reza Radan, said that police will crack down on any “illegal gatherings” during the festival.
According to the semi-official ISNA news agency, Radan said that if demonstrators cross “red lines” during any “illegal gatherings”, police will take action, including making arrests.
He did not specify what constituted the “red lines”.
“Iran’s government must make Ashoura the time to end the practice of preventing peaceful demonstrations – including by making pre-emptive arrests – and ensure that excessive force is not used” against any anti-government demonstrators, said Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa program.
Sources: Amnesty International website
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