Possible Protest Against Motahari After Friday Prayers

Ali Motahari considered the prevention of his speech during the open session of the Parliament on Sunday as a "violation of constitutional principles" and stated that he might file a complaint against the representatives who obstructed his speech. This representative from Tehran also mentioned the possibility of a protest against him after Friday prayers in Tehran, saying, "I have heard about this issue, and God willing, I will participate myself." On Sunday, January 21, the "attack" by some representatives of the Parliament on Ali Motahari, after his repeated request for lifting the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi during his speech, temporarily halted the open session of the Parliament. Following these events, Safar Naeimi Raz, a representative from Astara, reported on Tuesday, January 23, that about 50 representatives of the Parliament had filed a complaint against Ali Motahari with the Supervisory Board on the Conduct of Representatives. According to Gholamreza Asadollahi, a member of the Supervisory Board, this complaint will be reviewed in the meeting on Thursday, January 24. Mr. Motahari reacted to this complaint on Thursday, saying, "In fact, I should file a complaint; they seem to have taken the initiative so that they do not fall, but I am generally not one to file complaints." According to the state news agency IRNA, he added, "I generally do not have a good relationship with complaints, but I should think about it, and if I feel it has positive effects, I might do it, but I have not reached that conclusion yet." Mohammad Reza Tabesh, a representative from Ardakan, also stated on Thursday that complaints should be filed against the representatives who "disturbed the atmosphere of the Parliament." The Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, reported on Tuesday, January 23, that "some political groups are planning to organize a protest after this week's Friday prayers in opposition to Motahari." According to this news agency, "some are seeking" to demand Mr. Motahari's expulsion from the Parliament. Mr. Motahari commented on the possibility of this protest, saying, "I have heard about this issue, and God willing, I will participate myself." On Tuesday, a short video of some representatives clashing with Mr. Motahari during his speech was released. The state news agency IRNA reported, citing the Khordad website, that Mr. Motahari is attempting to obtain the complete video of the session from Sunday. Mr. Motahari also commented on his request for this video, saying, "The video is fine as long as the session was open. They should generally provide the video, but I do not know if they will provide the later part or not." Regarding the physical confrontation with some representatives during the session on Sunday, he clarified, "There was no physical confrontation, but one or two people were pulling my hand to get me to come down. I let go of my hand and pushed them, but it was not a physical confrontation in that sense." On Tuesday, Mr. Motahari issued a statement naming the representatives who obstructed his speech, describing the events of Sunday as causing "disgrace to the Parliament." The IRNA news agency, citing the Khordad website, reported that after the publication of this statement, Mr. Motahari's website became inaccessible. In his speech during the session on Sunday, Mr. Motahari reiterated his previous positions, calling for the lifting of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two leaders who protested the results of the 2009 presidential election. Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest since February 2011 without trial, based on a resolution by the Supreme National Security Council.