Mir Hossein Mousavi accused of committing "terrible crimes"July 4, 2009 - 16:47 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A newspaper editor seen as close to Iran's top authority said Saturday defeated election candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi and a former pro-reform president had committed "terrible crimes" which should be tried in court.In a commentary published in his hardline Kayhan daily, editor-in-chief Hossein Shariatmadari suggested that Mousavi and his supporters in last month's disputed election had acted on the instructions of the United States, Iran's arch-foe. The June 12 poll stirred the most striking display of internal dissent in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution and strained ties with the West. At least 20 people died in post-election violence last month. The authorities have portrayed mass pro-Mousavi protests, which erupted after official results showed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been re-elected by a landslide, as the work of local subversives and foreign powers. They blame Mousavi, a moderate former prime minister, for the bloodshed after the election. Mousavi rejects the charge. Although hardliners have regained the initiative since security forces quelled the protests, Mousavi and another losing candidate, pro-reform cleric Mehdi Karoubi, have not yielded. They again denounced the election result Wednesday and said Ahmadinejad's next cabinet would be illegitimate, Reuters reported. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |