Ahmadinejad backs Iranian Security Forces

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who spoke before Tehran’s Friday Prayers today, condemned the violations at detention centres calling it an “enemy plot” aimed at tarnishing the image of the Islamic Republic. He insisted that “our revolutionary, security, military and intelligence forces would never commit such shameful acts” and commended the Basij militia for sacrificing themselves and suffering beatings during the "riots" in order to protect the public and their property.

In the meantime, images of the crackdown on the post-election demonstrations which was posted on the net and viewed all across the world show security forces fiercely beating people and destroying private vehicles.

Torture of detainees following the mass demonstrations against Ahmadinejad’s disputed victory has now been confirmed by several Iranian state-approved media outlets. Even the controversial reports of the rape of detainees were confirmed yesterday on Parliament News website by an anonymous member of the parliamentary panel probing these violations.

Ahmadinejad, whose chief support lies within the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij militia, claimed the perpetrators of these acts were enemy elements that had infiltrated the security forces. He claimed the perpetrators of these violations have to be punished and added that most importantly "the leaders of these riots" had to prosecuted.

Ahmadinejad declared: “It shouldn’t be that the leaders of the riots remain immune and only the deceived followers are punished.” By the leaders, he is referring mainly to the two defeated candidates of the June elections, MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi who have disputed the result of the elections and formally denied the legitimacy of Ahmadinejad’s consequent government.

Last week Norooz website reported that a proposal fiercely backed by Ahmadinejad is on the table at the National Security Council to arrest Mousavi, Karoubi and nine other prominent reformist figures. Despite Ahmadinejad’s persistence, senior officials have rejected the arrests.

In addition to the protests of the reformist camp, Ahmadinejad has had to deal with a rift in the very conservative camp of the government that has snubbed his every step at forming the tenth government of the Islamic Republic.

His inauguration was boycotted by prominent government figures, his choice of vice president was overturned by the Supreme Leader and there is speculation that his cabinet will not receive the parliamentary approval it needs.

The protests against vote-rigging in the tenth presidential elections have been connected by the government with a Western plot to topple the regime. However, yesterday the Supreme Leader declared that there is no evidence that the opposition leaders were foreign-backed.

Ahmadinejad said that he was told by the foreign minister of a friendly country that the foreign minister of the “Old colonizer” (Britain) had told him this time they had planned every detail for the fall of the Iranian government.

Ahmadinejad declared that the tenth government would take a tougher stance against foreign powers.