![\"Fearful](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2006\/03\/fire-festival.jpg\" "\\"Fearful")
The Iranian regime has taken extensive suppressive measures all around the country to block any protests on the occasion of the Iranian national “Festival of Fire,” (the last Wednesday of the Iranian year). The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), on March 3, called on the Iranian nation to celebrate the national festival and turn it into an act of protest against the clerical regime. <\/p>\n
State Security Forces (SSF) in the central Iranian city of Shiraz staged maneuvers from 3pm to 7pm on March 5 in preparation to deal with any protests. “We will confront any disturbance with full force,” said Ali Khallaghi, head of SSF in the city.<\/p>\n
Tehran’s prosecutor-general’s office has ordered the special forces in 18 districts to confront Iranian youth during the festival. Saeid Mortazavi, Tehran’s Prosecutor-General, threatened the youth on state-run Network One Television, and said, “Anyone arrested during disturbances will face Islamic punishments.”<\/p>\n
The Iranian regime has placed all traffic control police units under the temporary command of paramilitary Basij forces in another attempt to suppress any dissent on the occasion of the festivities. <\/p>\n
“Celebrating the last Wednesday of the year,” the state controlled daily Islamic Republic wrote quoting the ruling mullahs, “is against Islamic Law.”<\/p>\n
In the southern city of Ahwaz on March 4, SSF announced, “Procurement, sale, and use of firecrackers and inflammables is illegal according to the country’s laws and will be legally punishable.” <\/p>\n
Similar decrees have been issued in the southern city of Abadan. “People should refrain from assembling, setting fires, and blocking roads,” local SSF warned.<\/p>\n
In the western city of Kermanshah, security forces announced, “Over 4000 policemen have been dispatched to keep order during for the ceremonies marking the last Wednesday of the year.”<\/p>\n
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
March 9, 2006<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Iranian regime has taken extensive suppressive measures all around the country to block any protests on the occasion of the Iranian national “Festival of Fire,” (the last Wednesday of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[171],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1127","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-statement-human-rights"},"yoast_head":"\n