Opposition Group Calls On Iranians To Join Rally

The Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope has issued a rally call to the citizens of Tehran and other Iranian cities to take to the streets on February 14.

The Kaleme opposition website wrote that on the anniversary of last year’s February 14th street protests, the Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope is calling on all supporters of the Green Movement to take part in public but silent demonstrations.

Last year’s protests led to the house arrest of opposition leaders MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, the two presidential candidates that challenged Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory in the 2009 elections with allegations of vote rigging. Today’s call for silent demonstrations urges protesters to refrain from any violence.

“Iran and Iranians are being challenged in one of the most difficult eras of their history. Incompetence in the government has led to the complete waste of the countries interests and resources,” the Coordination Council writes.

The statement draws attention to the recent statement by 39 political prisoners, who are urging Iranians to boycott the elections and denounce the administration’s inadequate economic and social policies.

On February 14 of 2011, Mousavi and Karroubi issued a rally call to their supporters to join demonstrations in support of the Arab uprisings in the region. The demonstrations led to a number of deaths and the widespread arrest of protesters across the country.

Since then, authorities have barricaded the home of MirHossein Mosauvi with an iron gate, and the opposition leader and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, have been held inside, cut off from the outside world and forbidden from communicating with the public.

Mehdi Karroubi was also put under house arrest with his wife but has since been moved to a smaller apartment, where he is being held on his own.