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Iran cleric slams '09 post-vote unrest

Iran Materials 31 December 2010 19:25 (UTC +04:00)
A senior Iranian cleric says after their defeat in the 2009 election the heads of sedition tried to hurt the establishment by starting rumors of vote fraud and drawing people to the streets, PressTV reported.
Iran cleric slams '09 post-vote unrest

A senior Iranian cleric says after their defeat in the 2009 election the heads of sedition tried to hurt the establishment by starting rumors of vote fraud and drawing people to the streets, PressTV reported.

"The great epic of December 30 (Dey 9) is the day of amity with the [Islamic] Revolution and pledging allegiance to the Leader, and the day of expressing resentment towards the enemies," IRNA quoted Tehran's interim Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami as saying.

He was referring to a massive turnout of demonstrators across Iran on December 30, 2009, when people condemned anti-government protests, rioting and claims of vote fraud -- allegations ruled out by the country's legislative and election officials.

Ayatollah Khatami described weeks of unrest as part of a plot by the enemy who tried to draw people to the street with false accusations and deliver a blow to the Islamic establishment.

The cleric criticized the disregard of the rioters for Islamic and Shia sanctities and the desecration of the mourning ceremonies marking the martyrdom of the third Shia Imam, Hussein (PBUH), on the 10th day of Muharram, known as Ashura.

"The seditionists made mischief on that day (Ashura) and did not allow the people to peacefully commemorate Imam Hussein (PBUH)," he complained.

Ayatollah Khatami further described the instigators of the riots as "power-hungry" people who turned a blind eye to the "national interests of Iranians and all virtues."

"The December 30 epic of was able to foil the plots hatched by the seditionists and bring the sedition movement closer to drawing its last breath," he said.

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