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The National Council of Resistance of Iran issued a statement on Thursday indicating that nearly the entire 15,000 population of Jajarm (northeastern Khorassan province) staged a city-wide protest beginning Saturday, February 15, against the clerical regime's suppressive policies, the abysmal economic conditions and the Councils' election sham, reports from Iran say.
The statement said that residents jammed the city's streets and chanted slogans against the regime's leaders. They were also protesting against new geographical divisions by the Interior Ministry which had merged the cities of Jajarm and Garmeh.
To put down the popular uprising, the clerical regime mobilized the local forces and dispatched hundreds of special anti-riot forces of the Guards Corps from the city of Bojnourd to Jajarm.
In protest to the regime's suppressive measures, more than 2,000 mine workers in this area went on strike; all mines have been shut down.
In the past two days, security forces raided the people's homes, arrested many youth and took them to unknown locations. Around 200 have been arrested in these events in Jajarm. The city is reported to be extremely tense as anti-riot forces are stationed throughout the city and an undeclared martial law is in force.
The Iranian Resistance calls on international
human rights organizations to condemn the clerical regime's repressive
policies and demands that they undertake urgent action to save the lives
of those arrested.
Iranians in US Protest Against Khatami's Visit To Italy, Agence France Presse, February 18
Iranians residing in the US protested on Thursday in front of the Italian Embassy in Washington, DC, to oppose the proposed trip to Rome by the mullahs' president Mohammad Khatami.
The demonstrators called for the cancellation
of Khatami's visit scheduled in March declaring that the clerical regime
is devoid of legitimacy among Iranian people, who are represented by the
National Council of Resistance and its president-elect, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi.
Gathering in Washington, Voice of America, February 14
Hundreds of Iranians gathered on the invitation of the National Council of Resistance in ceremonies marking the twentieth anniversary of the Iranian revolution.
The speakers included, James Akins,
former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Professor Hadi Mahabadi, NCR’s
representative in Canada. They made speeches against rapprochement toward
Khatami and said that he enjoys no support among the Iranian people.
Universities: Focal Point of Protest, Le Monde, February 11
Universities, high schools and stadiums are becoming centers of protest. During student’s protests, they chant slogans: Down with despotism, dismiss Yazdi, we don’t want this Majlis. Last year, no one dared to say "down with despotism."
This, also frightens Khatami, since
he was not aware that the history has picked him up to be the instrument
of change. Had he known this, he wouldn’t have nominated himself. His own
interests overlap with that of the state. Should the state be toppled,
he’ll go too.
Iranian Cleric's Attackers Identified--Papers, Reuter, February 18
A total of 45 people have been identified following last Thursday's attack at a mosque in the holy city of Qom against cleric Hadi Khamenei, a younger brother of Khamenei, the daily Hamshahri quoted the Qom province governor as saying.
It was not clear if any of the suspects had been arrested.
The attack was the latest in a long series of assaults by hardline vigilantes against supporters of Khatami. Legal action against the attackers has been rare, leading to the widespread belief that the militants enjoy the support of powerful conservatives.
Hadi Khamenei was injured in the attack
which occurred as he spoke in a mosque in Qom, south of Tehran.
Extremist Suspect to Stay in Albanian Jail, Reuter, February 17
An Albanian court on Wednesday remanded in custody a Syrian and an Iranian on charges of forging official documents and illegal possession of weapons, ATA news agency said.
The two men -- suspected of spying on the U.S. embassy -- were arrested on Monday by Albanian police who said they found an automatic weapon, ammunition, hand grenades, forged documents and a two-way radio in their possession.
Interior Minister Petro Koci said on Tuesday the two suspects had been arrested on suspicion of setting up an extremist Islamic network in the Balkan country.