Turmoil at the tomb of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri

Published in “Financial Times Deutschland” on December 20 2009
http://www.ftd.de/politik/international/:iran-tod-des-regimekritikers-aufruhr-am-grab-des-grossayatollahs/50052916.html

In recent weeks, the government in Iran has intensified attacks against the opposition. The death of the dissident cleric Hussein Ali Montazer could now fuel new protests of the opposition.
By Benjamin Dierks

Mourning Iranian women take photos of the deceased dissident cleric Hussein Ali Montazeri in Qom (Photo: AFP)

The insult could hardly have been deeper. In barely more than one sentence, state media in Iran announced the death of Grand Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri on Sunday. As reported by news agency IRNA, Montazeri had died on Saturday at the age of 87 after a long illness. His religious position was not mentioned, not a word about his role in the Islamic Revolution of 1979, or his later work in the Republic.

The death of every other figure of a comparable position would have been honored with permanent broadcasts on TV and public mourning. The dictated silence in Montazeri’s case shows the huge rift between the regime and one of its harshest critics. Among the few prominent figures who condoled to the family of the deceased was Grand Ayatollah Youssef Saneie, who, like Montazeri, is a dissident cleric.

Supporters of Montazeri, however, on Sunday in their thousands flocked to the theologian stronghold in the city of Qom in South Iran, where the cleric will be buried on Monday. The opposition leaders called for a national day of mourning. “He will be remembered as a man who sacrificed his political life for his principles,” says Baqer Moein, an expert on Iran. He was an inspiration for other opposition supporters. His funeral could turn into a staging area for dissidents. In opposition circles, the talk was of up to one million mourners who could gather in Qom on Monday. The riot police already on Sunday was present all over Qom, according to a reformist website.

The rhetoric of the regime against opposition supporters had become much sharper in the past few days, since during a demonstration of dissidents on occasion of the official Student Day two weeks ago students had allegedly burned pictures of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini and his successor Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and torn them apart. Montazeri was one of the few to confront the baiting that followed the incident. He stated that Khomeini had been neither innocent, nor superhuman or inviolable. For years he has been accusing conservative clerics of establishing a dictatorship in Iran in the name of Islam. On Saturday, Iran’s leaders issued warnings to the opposition to not come to Qom.

In state organized rallies against the alleged desecration of Khomeini, thousands of supporters of the regime protested in Tehran and other cities. Clerical whips on sound trucks instigated the crowd outside Tehran University. Apart from the usual slogans of “Down with USA” and “Down with Israel”, slogans were heard calling for the death of opposition leaders like Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. “Mousavi, this is the last warning,” was one chant. “Execute the leaders of rebellion.”

Part 2: A dictatorship in the name of Islam
Montazeri with his sober assessment of Khomeini was largely isolated. After the regime launched the campaign against the alleged enemies of Khomeini, most opposition leaders have remained calm. Other than initially expected, Moussavi did not call on his supporters to attend the demonstrations scheduled for last Friday. The regime had announced it would approve Moussavi’s claim under the precondition that the dissidents join the protests of supporters of the leadership. Following the alleged fraudulent re-election of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Montazeri had backed the defeated candidate Moussavi and the protests led by him.

While supporters of the regime on the one hand, and the opposition on the other hand are heading towards renewed confrontations, first signs of progress have emerged in the investigations into the violence during the post-election unrest. A military court accused the guards of the Kahrizak detention center in the South of the country of having killed three political prisoners. The alleged victims had been arrested during the protests against the election victory of Ahmadinejad in June. In the indictment announced on Saturday by the military prosecutor, it said that the prisoners were beaten to death. The prison authorities had indicated meningitis as the cause of death in all cases.

The opposition assumes that 70 people died in the post-election protests. About 4000 people had been arrested during the clashes following the election. Most of them were brought to Evin in northern Tehran. 200 of them, however, were brought to Kahrizak. The prison was later closed due to various shortcomings.

Thousands of dissidents flock to attend mourning ceremony for Grand Ayatollah

Published in German weekly magazine “Spiegel” on December 20 2009
Source (German): http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,668183,00.html#ref=rss

DPA Grand Ayatollah Montazeri

New tensions are ahead in Iran: Thousands of supporters of the opposition are expected to attend the funeral service for Grand Ayatollah Montazeri on Monday. Already large numbers of police forces are said to be present there. The regime critic died from a heart attack at the age of 87.

Tehran – Thousands of Iranians are heading to the religious center in the city of Qom in the South of Iran, where Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri is laid out. The cleric, one of the sharpest critics of the regime in Tehran, had died from a heart attack last night at the age of 87, and is supposed to be buried on Monday.

In the capital, Iranian opposition supporters are bemoaning Montazeri’s death in the streets, according to reformist websites. “He will be remembered as a man who sacrificed his political life to his principles”, says Baqer Moein, an expert on Iran. Montazeri had been an inspiration for other oppositionists.

The funeral of the reformer could provide a staging area for the moderate opposition, and this could unsettle the authorities. According to a reformist website, riot police forces already on Sunday were present all over Qom. Tensions had recently increased again, six months after the disputed presidential elections.

The news of Montazeri’s death was barely reflected in the Iranian media. Also, official reports did not mention Montazeri’s title “Grand Ayatollah”.

Among the clerics, Montazeri was one of the fiercest critics of the disputed elections in June and the rigid actions against protesters. He had called for a three day mourning in honor of the slain protesters, and accused the leadership around ultra conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of breaching the precepts of religion with their unyielding stance. He had also described the religious regime of the country as a dictatorship.

Montazeri had been among the leading figures of the Islamic Revolution of 1979 that overthrew the Shah, who was allied with the West. Before dissociating himself from revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini and falling from grace, he had been his supporter. The influential theologian had been under house arrest for five years. In 1989, not he, but Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader of Iran.
als/Reuters/dpa

Grand Ayatollah Montazeri has passed away

Published in weekly magazine “Spiegel” on December 20 2009
Source (German): http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,668143,00.html#ref=rss

Grand Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri dies at the age of 87 (Photo: AFP)

He called the Iranian regime under president Ahmadinejad a dictatorship, and criticized the way the Islamic Republic developed: Grand Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, who has died in Qom after a long illness. With him, one of the most senior religious authorities in Iran has passed away.

Tehran – Shia cleric and reformist Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri has died in the holy city of Qom at the age of 87 from his illness. This was reported on Sunday by Iranian news agency IRNA. Montazeri was one of the first influential clerics in Iran to criticize the way authorities deal with demonstrators protesting against the re-election of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Montazeri was known for his critical attitude towards the spiritual leadership of the country, and the religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini had initially designated the Grand Ayatollah to succeed him. However, after Montazeri had continued to be increasingly critical about the development of the Islamic Republic, he fell from grace and was placed under house arrest until 2003.

After Khomeini’s death in June of 1979, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was president at that time, became the supreme religious leader of Iran. Khamenei until today holds the highest office in the Islamic Republic, and in the current struggle for power backs the disputed [president] Ahmadinejad.

Montazeri had repeatedly accused Ahmadinejad of dictatorial ruling. In August, he had last criticized the religious regime, explicitly calling it a dictatorship, saying the government’s actions against the street protests against Ahmadinejad’s controversial re-election could lead to an overthrow of the system.

jjc/Reuters/AFP

(Translator’s note: many German news outlets have picked up this particular news item of Reuters/AFP, I am not going to translate them all. What is worth mentioning is that even the popular yellow press newspaper “BILD” has published this in an unusually serious tone)

Iran: Dissident Montazeri dies

Published in “Focus” on December 20 2009
Source (German): http://www.focus.de/politik/ausland/iran-regimekritiker-montaseri-gestorben_aid_464746.html

With Ali Montazeri, one of Iran’s most senior dissident authorities has died.

Shia cleric Ali Montazeri at the age of 87 succumbed to a long disease. This was reported by the state news agency IRNA on Sunday, omitting Montazeri’s official title Grand Ayatollah. The scholar was a resident of the spiritual center in the Southern Iranian city of Qom, that recently had been a source of increasing criticism of the arch-conservative government of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini had initially designated Grand Ayatollah Montazeri to succeed him. However, as Montazeri turned out to be increasingly critical about the development of the Islamic Republic, he fell into disgrace.

After Khomeini died in June of 1989, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was president at that time, became the supreme religious leader of Iran. Khamenei until today holds the highest office in the Islamic Republic and in the current struggle for power backs the controversial president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Montazeri, though, had repeatedly accused Ahmadinejad of dictatorial ruling.
sie/dpa/Reuters/AFP