Police Stood By to Let Plain Clothes Agents to Beat

Ayatollah Montazeri’s mourning ceremony in Isfahan turned violent on Wednesday when plain-clothes and security-military forces intervened.  Rasheed Esmaili, member of the human rights committee of the student opposition group “Advar Tahkim,” who was present at the event, gave Rooz a report about the day’s events.  

Read on the details of the interview.

Rooz: On Wednesday morning, with the invitation of Isfahan’s former Friday prayer leader, ayatollah Taheri, a mourning event for ayatollah Taheri was supposed to take place.  Did it take place?

Rasheed Esmaeili (Esmaeili): Thousands of people in Isfahan heeded ayatollah Taheri’s invitation to commemorate the memory of grand ayatollah Montazeri, but on Wednesday morning they saw the closed doors of the Seyyed mosque in Isfahan, where the event was supposed to take place.  Meanwhile, government forces in Isfahan had practically mobilized an army against the mourners, controlling the streets surrounding the mosque since Wednesday morning. People dispersed on the sidewalks and recited prayers for the happiness of ayatollah Montazeri’s spirit, but even that wasn’t tolerated and a mobilized group of plain clothes agents, carrying pictures of ayatollah Khamenei, attacked the mourners in Isfahan.  Unfortunately, the level of violence imposed by plain clothes agents was beyond imagination.  They not only used pepper spray against the mourners, but also beat them in the month of Moharram.  All they were doing was reciting prayers for a grand ayatollah whose religious credentials have not been denied even by the Islamic Republic supreme leader.

Rooz: Was anyone arrested at the event?

Esmaeili: I personally witnessed the beating and violent arrest of at least 5 mourners, but the number of arrested people was much more than that, said to be around 50.  Some people were arrested while blood was dripping from their forces because of the security and plain clothes agents’ violent and savage beating.

Rooz: Did people chant any slogans during the event?

Esmaeili:  Yes, slogans like, “innocent Montazeri, your path is continued” and, “Montazeri’s will – death to this dictatorship” were among those chanted by mourners in Isfahan.  People hadn’t planned to chant slogans but when their prayers and Allah Akbar recitals were responded to by beating and pepper spray, they began to chant slogans.  This shows that the main reason for clashes and disturbances is the savage and unwise behavior of the coup government’s suppressive forces.

Rooz: How did the police treat the people?

Esmaeili: Look, this is a new tradition that whenever plain clothes agents attack people, police forces stay aside to allow them to easily carry out their task.  In effect, the police act as backup and supporters of plain clothes agents by not taking any action against them, and enters the stage only when plain clothes agents run into a problem.