Fearing the repeat of the 2009 popular uprising which shook the clerical regime establishment from head to toe, the regime’s commander of the suppressive security forces warned of massive popular anger translate into a disaster for the regime on the eve of the sham twin elections coming up in a week’s time in Iran.
“In the upcoming elections we must not allow the enemy and anti-revolution elements from abroad, along with their allies, disrupt the country’s calm atmosphere,” he said.
Ashtari emphasized on continuing repressive projects to arrest and crackdown on the youth under the pretext of taking action against hooligans. He also referred to the classification of such individuals to three different classes, and went on to express his consent over the actions taken by his repressive forces.
It is worth noting that the plans referred to by the police chief are in line with increasing crackdown policies mentioned by Greater Tehran police chief Hossein Sajedi-nia after the arrest of more than 100 youths in Tehran under the framework of taking action against disruptors of social order. According to sources the police is holding these individuals in detention centers without the right to make phone calls, receive visits or acquiring a lawyer. Reports also indicate these individuals are under torture to provide coerced confessions.
The families of various apprehended persons said a number of these individuals had no previous judicial files, have been arrested for the first time and have not even been arraigned yet. More than a month has passed since their arrest and these individuals have had no phone calls or visits with their families. Authorities are resorting to various pretexts to deprive these prisoners of any such rights and reports indicate more than 150 such individuals are now behind bars.

February 15, 2016