Amnesty International is calling on the Iranian authorities to allow peaceful demonstrations, including by those opposed to the current government, on 11 February, the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Various officials from the police and the judiciary have warned in recent days that anti-government demonstrations will be not be tolerated.

Amnesty International fears that the comments made by officials, and the wave of arrests, unfair trials and executions illustrated below presage renewed violence on the part of the state, should people heed the calls made by unsuccessful presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi to take to the streets to peacefully voice their opinions.

Amnesty International fully recognises the Iranian authorities’ duty and responsibility to safeguard the public and maintain order but this does not justify the suppression of peaceful protests, as has happened repeatedly over recent months, nor violence by state forces against peaceful demonstrators. All policing must be conducted in accordance with internationally recognised standards relating to policing and the use of force, and should be conducted by appropriately-trained law enforcement personnel – not the politically-partisan volunteer Basij militia, which has a record of committing serious human rights violations and is neither trained nor equipped for proper police work. No one should be subjected to assault and strong-arm treatment by the security forces and any persons accused of violent acts, such as stone-throwing or criminal damage, should be charged and tried fairly in full conformity with Iran’s obligations under international law.

Mass demonstrations against the government are expected to go ahead on 11 February despite recent “show trials” of people accused of links to various opposition groups and orchestrating protests which have resulted in the imposition of long prison sentences and two executions. Those targeted have included alleged members of: a monarchist group, the Anjoman-e Padshahi Iran (API - Kingdom Assembly of Iran); the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI); a “Communist grouplet”; and members of the Baha’i faith.

Amnesty International is concerned that the Iranian authorities appear to be coercing detainees to falsely “confess” to links with particular political groups or organisations alleged to be fomenting the demonstrations in order to scapegoat them for the continuing protests against the government and ongoing human rights violations. The targeting of these groups and the severity of the government’s actions appear to be intended, at least in part, to deter further protests, including those planned for 11 February.

The two men who were executed in January - Arash Rahmanipour and Mohammad Reza Ali-Zamani - were arrested before last June’s disputed presidential election. At their trials, in which they were represented by court appointed lawyers and to which their own lawyers were denied access, they made coerced “confessions” and were convicted of having links to the API and attempting to make explosives. Arash Rahmanipour was allowed one 15-minute meeting with his lawyer after his trial. He said he had been forced to “confess” to the allegations presented by his interrogators, who had brought his pregnant sister before him and threatened that she would be harmed if he refused to do so.

These trials and executions have been used by Iranian authorities to support their contention that the mass popular protests of recent months have not been an expression of popular discontent about the disputed outcome of the presidential election and the authorities’ brutal repression of protests but, rather, were fomented by foreign powers and exiled opposition groups intent on achieving regime change in Iran.