Official Request from Ahmadinejad's Associates for Protest Gathering

Seven associates of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president, officially requested permission from the Ministry of Interior on Tuesday, January 23, to hold a protest and 'gathering of dissent.' In the letter published on the Telegram channel of two of them, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei and Ali Akbar Javanfekr, the purpose of this gathering is stated as 'protesting against certain ongoing processes in the country and criticizing the poor economic conditions.' Other signatories of this letter include Hassan Mousavi, Abdolreza Sheikh-al-Islami, Hamid Baqaei, Ali Zabiheh, and Morteza Tamaddon. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his associates, especially Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei and Hamid Baqaei, have strongly criticized the current situation in the country at several ceremonies and gatherings in recent months. Their criticisms of Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary appointed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, escalated to the point that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic also reacted to it. Mr. Khamenei, without mentioning Ahmadinejad and his team by name, stated: 'Those who have or had all the country's resources have no right to play the role of the opposition.' However, with the onset of nationwide protests in early January, the former president and his team appeared less in public, and fewer news reports were published about them. Now, following the decline of these protests, of which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was at least indirectly identified as one of the instigators, this group has written a letter to the Minister of Interior, referencing these protests to request permission for a gathering. The new wave of protests in the country began on Thursday, January 27, in the city of Mashhad, with slogans about the poor economic conditions of the people, but it quickly took on a political form, including slogans like 'Death to Khamenei.' According to official statistics, these protests resulted in at least 25 deaths and thousands of arrests. In the letter from the former president's associates, it is mentioned that the people's protests 'were generally met with inadequate responses and actions from the managers of the relevant organizations and security institutions.' The letter continues: 'We invite the people to express their opinions and peaceful and lawful protests regarding the management of the country by various powers and some policies and behaviors, especially in economic, judicial, and social matters.' The Ministry of Interior has not yet responded to this letter, and no reaction has been reported in this regard.