Draft on 'Conducting Gatherings' Prepared in Iran's Parliament

A member of parliament announced that a draft for implementing Article 27 of the Constitution regarding the holding of gatherings has been prepared and will be presented after the budget review in parliament. Abolfazl Torabi, a member of the Parliament's Council Commission, stated in an interview with the 'House of the Nation' news agency, affiliated with the parliament, that this draft outlines the manner of conducting gatherings, ensuring security, and how officials should respond to participants. According to Mr. Torabi, the street adjacent to the parliament has also been proposed as a location for gatherings. The report indicates that the draft for implementing Article 27 of the Constitution has been prepared by several members of parliament and will be presented after the budget bill is reviewed. Mr. Torabi mentioned that in the case of gatherings of 100, 300, 700, 1,000, and 2,000 people or more, a representative from parliament, the head of a specialized commission, a member of the parliamentary board, the deputy speaker, and the speaker of parliament must be present to respond to the participants. Article 27 of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Constitution states: 'The formation of gatherings and marches, without carrying weapons, is free, provided that it does not disrupt the principles of Islam.' However, complex conditions are stipulated in Iranian laws for issuing permits for gatherings or marches, and the Ministry of Interior has only approved a few requests in recent years. Groups requesting to hold gatherings or marches must provide 'complete specifications of the executive and security officials' to the Ministry of Interior, and even then, the Ministry rarely issues permits for political marches and gatherings. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Mirlohi, a former deputy minister of interior during Mohammad Khatami's administration and a member of Tehran's city council, stated on January 7 that under current laws, even holding 'a legal gathering is not feasible.' The Ministry of Interior has also repeatedly denied permits for gatherings of labor groups and other organizations. These groups have reported that after holding peaceful gatherings, several participants or organizers have been arrested or summoned. Following the protests in January, the Tehran City Council approved a 'two-urgency plan to select a location for public protests' on January 7. However, Salman Samani, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, stated on January 12 that the Tehran City Council's resolution is merely a 'proposal' and does not address the 'security and political dimensions' of gatherings. The draft for implementing Article 27 of the Constitution regarding gatherings was prepared after recent protests in over a hundred cities in Iran faced government repression, resulting in the deaths of more than 20 people and the arrest of thousands. Recently, the National Front of Iran sent a letter to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, requesting permission to hold a public gathering on March 5 in Tehran. Previously, seven close associates of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad officially requested a permit from the Ministry of Interior to hold a demonstration and 'protest gathering' on January 23. In this context, the National Front's request from Rouhani for holding a gathering in Tehran, the release of videos of 'protests in several cities in Iran,' and 'nine male and one female member of parliament' visiting Evin are notable.