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The Iranian parliament held a special session on January 7 to discuss the antigovernment protests that have rocked the country for more than a week.
The Iranian parliament held a special session on January 7 to discuss the antigovernment protests that have rocked the country for more than a week.

Iran Live Blog: Parliament Holds Closed Session On Civil Unrest

Follow all of the latest developments as they happen.

Final Summary

-- A top Iranian judiciary official has said antigovernment protest leaders should be handed the harshest possible sentences, while President Hassan Rohani suggested demonstrations were driven by opposition to his ultraconservative rivals in the ruling elite.

-- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has also weighed in on the matter, warning other countries not to foment insecurity in his country, echoing the official position of the Iranian government that the protests were fomented by the intelligence services of foreign states-- including the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.

-- The United States has rejected Iran’s claims that Washington was behind the protests, which have led to the deaths of 22 people and the arrest of more than 1,700 others.

-- German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has said the European Union will invite Zarif for talks about the widespread antigovernment protests that have roiled the country since December 2

-- Lawmaker Tayebeh Siavashi told the semiofficial ILNA news agency on January 8 that a 22-year-old man who was arrested by the police had died in prison. He said that he was informed by authorities that the detainee "committed suicide in jail."

-- Various Iranian officials have said that hundreds of detainees have been released, some after agreeing to sign a pledge not to "reoffend," the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.

-- In other news, a senior Iranian education official says Iran intends to ban English-language classes from primary schools amid warnings from Islamic leaders that the language has led to a "cultural invasion" from the West.

Live blog by Golnaz Esfandiari with Farangis Najibullah and Frud Bezhan

*NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Tehran (GMT +3.5)

Videos have appeared on social media in recent days appearing to show relatives of detainees gathering outside prisons seeking information about the fate of their loved ones.

This video purportedly shows people singing and staying warm outside Tehran's Evin prison late January 5.

Iranians visiting Armenia's capital, Yerevan, spoke on January 5 about the series of antigovernment protests across Iran in the past week. Interviews by RFE/RL's Armenian Service.

Iranians In Armenia Discuss Unrest Back Home
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Prominent Reformists Reject Claims Of Foreign Interference In Protests

Story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda:

Following repeated claims by Iranian officials that recent protests have been organized or instigated by foreigners, sixteen prominent reformist figures in Iran have issued a statement rejecting the claim.

In the January 6 statement the activists say, “Despite the fact the enemies of the country always try to take advantage of such events, but we should know that any kind of foreign interference will not be possible without the existence of internal conditions”.

The signatories of the statement also maintain that focus on external interference, “in addition to being an insult to the people, leads to negligence toward the real causes of the protests” and an effective response to them.

At the same time these reformists have strongly condemned “American interference” and “especially that of its president” in the internal affairs of Iran.

Most of the signatories are former officials or members of parliament from the time of President Mohammad Khatami, who tried to institute reforms in the late 1990s, but was boxed in by the Supreme Leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his conservative followers. Almost all have been arrested and imprisoned since then or have politically motivated legal cases pending.

President Hassan Rouhani, Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Supreme National Security Council and other officials have accused the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia of organizing or instigating the current protests.

Israel has rejected interference in Iran’s internal affairs and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Rouhani’s accusation “a lie and laughable”.

The protests have engulfed more than 101 cities and towns in Iran, which makes the claims of foreign instigation far-fetched.

The statement of reformists says that although economic condition played a role in protests, but more democracy, rule of law and accountability are needed to rescue the economy.

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