Iran's largest pro-reform party on Sunday condemned the arrests of more than 30 liberal opposition members as a political move aimed at influencing the June 8 presidential elections.
"These unprecedented arrests are an attempt to influence political participation and the will of the people," the Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF) said in a statement carried by the student ISNA news agency, cited by AFP.
The IIPF, headed by President Mohammad Khatami's brother, urged the voters to say "no" to those fighting the wishes of the people and called for a heavy turnout at the polls.
The detainees belong to the liberal opposition party, Freedom Movement of Iran. They were arrested on Saturday in the capital Tehran and in several other cities, said the official IRNA news agency.
It quoted a statement by the Tehran Revolutionary Court as saying that some members of the outlawed Freedom Movement of Iran (FMI) and counter-revolutionary figures backing this political camp had been arrested Saturday.
"The arrests of these dissidents followed the recent crackdown on the nationalist-religious alliance.”
It added that the arrested figures were among those who tried to overthrow the Islamic system of Iran "through creating troubles and tensions in the society and cooperating with the opposition abroad." - Albawaba.com
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