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Political prisoners in Iran say they are 'dark stain' on regime

Many voters in Iran think the June 12 election victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is questionable or rigged.
Many voters in Iran think the June 12 election victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is questionable or rigged.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Tension heavy in Iran ahead of 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution on Thursday
  • Repressive methods used against prisoners will cause more embarrassment, letter says
  • Letter to "people of Iran" says prisoners don't "fear becoming the martyrs" of Green Movement
  • Opposition Web site Rahesabz reports people sustained injuries at Ghoba Mosque in Shiraz

(CNN) -- Political prisoners issued a blunt statement slamming the Iranian regime for its post-election crackdown, and opposition supporters and security forces clashed at a mosque in southwestern Iran, an opposition Web site reported Friday.

"It is indeed shameful for this system to have so many prisoners of thoughts, ideals and aspirations. The ties between this regime and the people, which had been extended to each and every segment of society, are coming undone," according to an impassioned letter from political prisoners.

The developments illustrate the tensions in Iran ahead of the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution on Thursday. They reflect the widespread outcry among opposition supporters over the regime's jailing, suppression and execution of demonstrators who protested the June 12 election victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, declared the winner over Mir Hossein Moussavi, a result seen by many Iranians as questionable or rigged.

Addressed to "the people of Iran," the letter said the presence of political prisoners is "a dark stain on the face of this regime" and praised the opposition for its "sustained commitments" that have helped the so-called Green Movement grow, Rahesabz, an opposition Web site said.

Video: Exiled Iranian spreads word
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Repressive methods used against prisoners, the letter said, will foster more embarrassment for the regime, adding the fate of the regime will be similar to those under "the reigns of Pinochet in Chile, the Colonels in Greece, Franco in Spain, the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran and Saddam Hussein's tyranny in Iraq."

"The veils of impervious piety that the regime had put up for itself and the Supreme Leader have now been broken. Those who stand for the violence, treason, lies and terrorism of this regime, are being brushed to the periphery, more and more, with each passing day and fewer people stand up to defend this government," the letter said.

The letter said that while the prisoners don't "fear becoming the martyrs of the Green Movement," independent rights groups should monitor their conditions "in order to ensure the survival of all political prisoners." It also said that the judiciary in Iran "is but a puppet in the hands of the military-security forces."

"The situation has become so bad that some of the judges, at the time of sentencing, say: 'I have issued this sentence for you, based on the request of your interrogators!'"

Rahesabz also reported that people sustained serious injuries at the Ghoba Mosque in Shiraz in clashes during the Arbaeen religious commemoration between the Basij militia and opposition movement supporters who support Grand Ayatollah Dastgheib, a reformist. The ayatollah conducted prayers at the mosque, and his supporters chanted slogans. That prompted the Basij militia to throw rocks and stones at the people when they were leaving the mosque, Rahesabz said.

The Web site of opposition leader Moussavi reported that an activist, Noushin Jaafari, was arrested on Friday. Earlier this week, Kaveh Ghasemi Kermanshahi, a leading Iranian human rights activist and journalist, was arrested.

Protests broke out immediately last year after the presidential election and have persisted. At least seven people were killed and hundreds arrested, witnesses said, as they took to the streets on Ashura, a Muslim holy day that occurred on December 27.

Authorities are holding a series of events to commemorate the shah of Iran's overthrow in 1979. The government appears to be trying to clamp down even more tightly on opponents as the anniversary approaches, but Moussavi, another opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi and a coalition of reformist groups have urged the opposition to take to the streets in nonviolent protests.