Several Stadiums and Parks in Tehran Designated as 'Suitable Locations' for Public Gatherings

The Iranian Cabinet has designated several stadiums and parks in various locations in Tehran as suitable venues for public gatherings, following the announcement of conditions for the 'organization' of gatherings in large and small cities across Iran. The northern side of the Islamic Consultative Assembly has also been designated as one of the 'suitable' locations for gatherings. According to a report from the government's information base, during the Cabinet meeting on Sunday, June 9, stadiums such as Dastgerdi, Takhti, Mo'tamedi, Azadi, and Shahid Shiroudi, as well as parks including Goftegu, Taleghani, Velayat, Pardisan, Honarmandan, and Shahr, along with the northern side of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, were designated as 'suitable' gathering places in the metropolis of Tehran. Earlier, Bahram Sarmast, the director general of political affairs at the Iranian Ministry of Interior, had announced that the resolution to designate specific locations for legal gatherings in Tehran, provincial centers, and cities across the country had been approved by the Cabinet, but had not yet been communicated. Following protests in over a hundred cities in Iran last December, the Tehran City Council approved a 'dual-urgency plan to select a location for public protests' on January 7, 2018. However, at that time, the Ministry of Interior did not consider the 'security and political dimensions' of the gatherings. Meanwhile, various locations in Tehran and other major cities in Iran, especially in front of government offices, the Parliament, and provincial administrations, have repeatedly been sites for protest gatherings, including gatherings of defrauded investors in front of the Parliament and the Central Bank, or ongoing protests by workers, teachers, and other professions in front of provincial administrations. Now, the Iranian Cabinet has stipulated that, in addition to the capital, security councils in other cities of Iran must also designate venues for gatherings. Accordingly, it is necessary to designate one location for cities with populations of less than one million and two locations for cities with larger populations. These locations must be 'within the urban environment', 'accessible', with an area 'proportional to the population', allowing for 'immediate presence of emergency forces', and must have 'police and security protection capabilities'. It has also been emphasized that the location of gatherings should not cause 'serious disruption' to the daily services provided by the government and the public sector to the people and should be located away from high-traffic areas to avoid creating traffic congestion that cannot be diverted to other routes. Additionally, gatherings in these locations should, as much as possible, not cause 'severe disruption to the business and daily activities of other citizens'. According to Article 27 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 'the formation of gatherings and marches, without carrying weapons, is free as long as it does not disrupt the foundations of Islam'. However, officials of the Islamic Republic insist that the Ministry of Interior must issue permits for gatherings. Furthermore, Iranian laws provide complex conditions for issuing permits for gatherings or marches, and the Ministry of Interior rarely responds positively to requests for holding gatherings. According to the Law on Political Parties, groups requesting to hold gatherings or marches must, in addition to details such as the subject and time of the march, provide 'complete information about the executive and security officials' to the Ministry of Interior. The designation of locations for gatherings in various cities of Iran has occurred in a context where previously, in many cases, several participants or organizers of peaceful gatherings of opposition groups have been arrested or summoned. In the Islamic Republic, there is generally a negative view towards any non-governmental street or home gatherings, and participants in them are often dealt with under various pretexts, including 'acts against national security'.