The Government Considers 'Parks and Sports Venues' as Locations for Holding Gatherings

The Director General of Political Affairs at the Iranian Ministry of Interior announced that a resolution designating specific locations for holding legal gatherings in Tehran, provincial capitals, and cities across the country has been approved by the Cabinet but has not yet been communicated. According to ISNA news agency, Bahram Sarmast stated on Tuesday, June 7, during a press conference that parks, sports venues, and squares have been designated for gatherings. He added that the aim of this resolution is to ensure that 'these protests are heard, their security is ensured, and they do not disrupt people's businesses.' Following the protests in December of last year in over a hundred cities in Iran, the Tehran City Council approved a 'two-urgency plan to select a location for public protests' on January 7, 2018. At that time, Salman Samani, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, stated that the Tehran City Council's resolution was merely a 'proposal' and did not address the 'security and political dimensions' of gatherings. Meanwhile, various locations in Tehran and other major cities in Iran, especially in front of government offices, the Parliament, and provincial offices, have repeatedly been sites for protest gatherings, including protests by defrauded investors in front of the Parliament and the Central Bank, as well as ongoing protests by workers, teachers, and other professions in front of provincial offices. 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 principles of Islam.' However, officials insist that the Ministry of Interior must issue permits for gatherings. Moreover, Iranian laws stipulate 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 Political Parties Law, groups requesting to hold gatherings or marches must, in addition to details such as the subject and time of the march, also provide 'complete information about the executive and security officials' to the Ministry of Interior. Additionally, in many cases, a number of participants or organizers of peaceful gatherings of opposition groups have been arrested or summoned. Previously, Mahmoud Mirloohi, Deputy Minister of Interior during Mohammad Khatami's government and a current member of the Tehran City Council, stated on January 7, 2018, that under current laws, even holding 'a legal gathering is not feasible.' The Director General of Political Affairs at the Ministry of Interior also mentioned on Tuesday that a recent executive regulation for Article 13 of the Political Parties Law has been approved by the Cabinet and communicated for implementation to all provinces. This regulation, issued on May 29 by the First Vice President, states that parties must obtain permission from the governorate to hold gatherings. According to this regulation, there is no need for a permit to hold speeches in enclosed spaces, and parties only need to inform the governorate of this matter. In recent weeks, protest actions, including truck drivers' strikes, gatherings of people in Kazeroon, and gatherings of workers from Hepco, have received widespread attention. Some analysts have speculated that following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and the return of U.S. sanctions against Iran in the coming months, Iran's economic situation may experience new shocks, leading to widespread protests in the country. Meanwhile, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, warned on Sunday, June 6, about what he described as the 'exploitation' of labor and economic protests by the U.S. and Israel, threatening that security agencies would deal with 'violators' and protests that 'disturb the country's security.'