Tehran Representative: Protesters of the 2009 Elections Will Not Be Satisfied with House Arrest, Imprisonment, or Exile

A member of parliament pointed to the "clear violation of neutrality" by some members of the Guardian Council during the 2009 elections and their support for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stating that society is still not satisfied with the outcome of these elections and that protesters cannot be convinced through "exclusion, house arrest, imprisonment, and violent confrontations." According to the website of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Mahmoud Sadqi, a representative from Tehran, on Sunday, October 25, in his speech, identified the "clear violation of neutrality by some members of the Guardian Council" in various elections, especially the 2009 presidential election, as one of the main factors leading to the "sedition" and "clouding of the atmosphere" that year. He noted that such actions were the reason why the election protesters were not satisfied and emphasized that "one cannot convince protesters through exclusion, house arrest, imprisonment, and violent confrontations." Mr. Sadqi stressed that "the community must be convinced through reforming practices and behaviors," adding that Iranian society is still "not convinced" about the 2009 presidential election. This member of the Hope faction called for addressing the issues of the 2009 election in line with the general policies of elections announced by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. He emphasized that "the issues related to the tenth presidential election must be resolved by addressing these factors and those who violated neutrality in the elections." Without naming names, Mr. Sadqi cited the support of Mohammad Yazdi, a member of the Guardian Council and head of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the speech of Gholamhossein Elham, a legal member of the Guardian Council, in place of Ahmadinejad at the Tehran prayer site in 2009 as examples of the "violation of neutrality" by the Guardian Council in that election. He also referenced a section of the election law that states that "the bias of observers towards any candidate" is considered a crime and can lead to punishment including dismissal from public service and imprisonment. This member of parliament emphasized that "the matters of those who were complicit in fomenting sedition, including those who violated the elections, must be addressed, and it is hoped that the issues related to the tenth term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly elections will also be resolved." According to reports, at least six members of the 12-member Guardian Council, which is responsible for overseeing elections, supported Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2009 presidential election. For instance, Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, praised the "hardworking" and "active" government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shortly before the presidential election on April 5, 2009, warning about the rise of a president close to the enemy. In this context, Mohsen Esmaeili, one of the legal experts of the Guardian Council, stated in January 2015 that some members of the Guardian Council "overstepped their bounds" as judges in the 2009 elections and "violated the law." Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in parliament, also considered the support of some Guardian Council members, including Ahmad Jannati, Mohammad Yazdi, Mohammad Momen, and Gholamhossein Elham for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the protests against the election results in 2009 as a mistake. The interference of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in elections has "become a fixed practice." Mr. Sadqi, in another part of his remarks, referred to the prohibition of military and intelligence forces from entering "political and electoral classifications" according to the general policies of elections, stating that "unfortunately, in several recent elections, this guideline and principle have been clearly violated by some military and paramilitary institutions." He warned that "those who care for the revolution and the system, especially the armed forces, the IRGC, and the Islamic Revolution's Basij, should not intervene in elections and support candidates, as it harms the integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran." In the "general policies of elections" that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic announced on Saturday, October 24, to the heads of the three branches of government and the head of the Expediency Discernment Council, the entry of military, intelligence, and security forces into "political and electoral classifications" was prohibited. This provision was included in the announcement at a time when the IRGC and the Basij Organization of Iran have been named as two military and paramilitary institutions intervening in the elections held in the country for several years. Meanwhile, Ali Saeedi, the Supreme Leader's representative in the IRGC, on Friday, February 11, 2016, called the slogan of "cross-factional" and "neutrality" in elections a "big lie." Mr. Saeedi also stated in winter 2013 that "the inherent duty of the IRGC is to logically and reasonably engineer elections." Critics of the Iranian government also consider a video of a speech by Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, released in 2014 as evidence of "fraud" in the 2009 presidential election, citing his remarks that the IRGC's "concern and red line" was that reformists "would come to power again."