According to Mohsen Khancharli, deputy director of operations at Greater Tehran’s State Security Forces (SSF) – mullahs’ suppressive police – “More than 85 police stations are active in this regard and operations directorates, special units, medical units, police chiefs, and dependent institutions are also working with these police stations.”
Meanwhile, the head of the public relations office at the command center of the Greater Tehran SSF, asked all released prisoners with a record and all those who were arrested at last year’s Fire Festival to report to SSF headquarters on Wednesday. Otherwise, he threatened, they would risk another detention.
Furthermore, Alireza Jamshidi, the mullahs’ judiciary spokesman, also issued a warning in advance, saying, “If the [Fire Festival] celebrations were to lead to chaos and disorder, we will respond with utmost force.”
To intimidate the youth, SSF agents have stuck posters across the capital’s public walls warning that any act “threatening security” would result in convictions involving lashes and one to six months prison term.
According to published reports by the mullahs’ SSF, thus far in Tehran alone 173 sellers and supplier of Fire Festival merchandise have been arrested and imprisoned.
The clerical regime has also announced early closure of Iranian universities for the holidays, including Shahroud Industrial University and central campuses in Semnan province, in order to prevent university protests on Fire Festival day.
Despite the regime’s intimidation and suppressive measures, however, protests and discontent have been escalating in various Iranian cities. In Shiraz, the atmosphere remains tense since last week, especially due to Mohammad Khatami’s visit and confrontations between students and the regime’s paramilitary Bassij Force.
Public preparations for Fire Festival on the eve of last Wednesday of the Iranian calendar year went on throughout Tuesday, especially by the youth and university students, as a symbol of protest against the clerical regime.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
March 17, 2009