The Campaign also urged the authorities to restore media that have been shut down in the context of the election, as well as cellular telephone and texting capacities that have been reduced, and to allow international media to function normally.

“At this crucial time, we urge the government to end restrictions and infringements on civil liberties that can lead to violent and dangerous public confrontations,” stated Aaron Rhodes, a spokesperson for the Campaign.

“We ask that the streets be de-militarized and that citizens be allowed to express themselves in accordance with Iran’s international obligations to respect the freedoms of expression and association,” he said.

Since the announcement of election results, protests have engulfed Tehran and other cities that have been attacked violently by the police and special forces of security units. Reports indicate that violence directed at protesters has been indiscriminate and has resulted in many injuries.

On 14 June, Sardar Radan, a police commander, told the media that 170 people have been arrested in recent days; 110 of whom are protestors. He described the remaining detainees as “organizers.”

The Campaign has confirmed the detention of at least 20 leading opposition politicians and journalists including Mostafa Tajzadeh, Mohsen Aminzadeh, Taghi Rahmani, Reza Alijani, Abdullah Ramezanzadeh, Shahin Nourbakhsh,  Hoda Saber, Kayvan Samimi, Emad Bahavar, Ahmad Afjeie, Ahmad Zaydabadi, Saeed Shariati,and Shiva Nazarahari.

Behzad Nabavi, Mohammad Reza Khatami and his wife, Mohsen Mirdamadi, Zahra Mojaradi, and Mohammad Atrianfard were also detained overnight and released on Sunday 14 June.

The Campaign has learned that security forces have announced that further arrests will be made.

The Campaign insists that the government has a responsibility to restore a peaceful and safe environment for Iranian citizens and can do so by ending oppressive restrictions that can provoke clashes and a cycle of police violence.

(13 June 2009) The international community should not recognize the results of Iran’s 12 June 2009 presidential election, which gives all signs of having been manipulated by government authorities to produce a massive victory for incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.  The Campaign further recommended that the existing results be voided and new elections held in order to establish legitimacy.

As the Campaign reported earlier, the leading challenger to Ahmadinejad, Mir Hossein Moussavi, was informed by Iran’s Interior Ministry at 23:00 on 12 June that tabulated results showed him to be victor, and he was asked to wait on celebrations until Sunday.

A few hours later, the Ministry inexplicably reversed itself declaring a massive victory for Ahmadinejad. Iran’s religious Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ignoring turmoil in the Ministry and rising protests, announced the victory and declared the process finished.

“The international community cannot accept such questionable election results, and should withhold recognition of these elections,“ stated Hadi Ghaemi, spokesperson for the Campaign.

“All must help the authorities understand that there will be no social peace in Iran and no credibility for the government abroad, without a re-run to discover which candidate actually deserves to govern,” he said.

At this time, Iran has been thrown into an unprecedented crisis of legitimacy. Thousands of Iranian citizens expressing their outrage, shock, and humiliation are facing the extreme danger of lethal violence at the hands of police and security forces in Tehran and throughout Iran.

“The stage has been set for a Tehran Tiananmen, in which massive violence will be unleashed in an attempt to intimidate the citizens from pursuing their dream of democracy,” Ghaemi said, referring to the 1989 massacre of many hundreds of Chinese pro-democracy demonstrators.

The Campaign called upon all of Iran’s partners in the international community to strongly denounce not only the election process, but the government’s violent attempts to quash legitimate protests.

The Campaign believes that a government can neither serve the Iranian people at home nor represent them abroad under the cloud of suspicion that exists at the present time. Only new elections, conducted with transparency, accountability, and with independent observers can rectify the situation.  The international community must do its responsible part to bring about this solution by withholding recognition of the 12 June results.