Iranian protest stifled
PAUL HUGHES
REUTERS NEWS AGENCY
20 Feb 2004
TEHRAN—A hard-line crackdown on Iran's reform movement widened yesterday on the eve of a disputed parliamentary election when prosecutors sealed a campaign office of the main reformist party and blocked its news Web site.
It followed the closing of the two most outspoken reformist newspapers Wednesday for reporting a scathing open letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by dozens of reformist lawmakers banned from today's election.
"They are blocking our channels of communication with the people," said Ali Shakourirad, a deputy and member of the Islamic Iran Participation Front.
The party is boycotting the election, which it says was rigged when an unelected clerical watchdog disqualified more than 2,500 mainly reformist candidates. A further 1,179 contenders have since withdrawn.
Criticizing the Islamic leader is an offence and the Supreme National Security Council had ordered newspapers not to report the letter in which deputies accused Khamenei of presiding over a system that trampled on people's rights. The dailies and Web site were closed when they disobeyed.
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