Zanjani: Imprisonment of activists is regime’s way to hold on to power

Radio Zamaneh
Iranian Shiite leader Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani condemned the continued incarceration of Iranian political and social activists and called it a strategy [by the regime] to “hold on to power.”

In a meeting with families of recent detainees, the reformist cleric maintained that there are some who struggle to hold on to power “at all costs.” He stated that the continued arrest of Iranian activists is a sign of this struggle.

In the past ten months, the Islamic Republic of Iran has arrested thousands of dissidents in disputes over the outcome of the June 2009 presidential election.

While some election protesters have been temporarily released on heavy bails, many still languish in Iranian prisons.

Ayatollah Bayat Zanajani has repeatedly spoken out against the outcome of the elections and the violent crackdown on election protesters.

He accused the Islamic Republic of committing the same mistakes against Iranians as the previous regime did.

Ayatollah Zanjani told the families of political prisoners: “Your loved ones are among the purest members of society and you should not lose hope over their imprisonment.”

The Iranian clergy has become heavily divided in the aftermath of the June presidential election. A group of Iranian senior clerics have spoken out against post-election government suppression and lent their support to the reform movement.

Translation by: Persian2English.com