http://www.juancole.com/2009/06/mousavi-defies-khamenei-police-attack.html
Informed Comment
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Mousavi Defies Khamenei
Mir Hosain Mousavi issued a powerful implicit denunciation of Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday, and insisting again that the results
of the presidential election be annulled in favor of wholly new
elections. ABC reports:
' Mr Mousavi hit back at a speech by the country's supreme leader,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in which the Ayatollah ruled out any
election fraud. In a statement posted on his newspaper website, Mr
Mousavi said his demand for the annulment of the election was an
undeniable right and vowed to side with the Iranian people in
defending their rights. "If this huge volume of cheating and
changing the votes... which has hurt people's trust, is presented as
the very evidence of the lack of cheating, then it will butcher the
republican aspect of the system and the idea that Islam is
incompatible with a republic will be proven," Mr Mousavi said. The
strong criticism headlined "the fifth statement of Mir Hossein
Mousavi to the Iranian people: don't allow lies and cheaters to
steal the flag of defending the Islamic system from you" was briefly
pulled from the website but later reposted.'
Some reports say that Mousavi has privately told followers that if he
is arrested, they should carry out a nation-wide strike.
Mousavi has thrown down a gauntlet before the Supreme Leader and a
battle has been joined. By the rules of the Khomeinist regime, only one
of them can now survive. And perhaps neither will.
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Michael