The Latest from Iran (21 February): Please Vote

See also Iran Audio Feature: Scott Lucas with the BBC on "War" and the Nuclear Programme
Iran Snapshot: The Difficulties of Getting Around Sanctions
The Latest from Iran (20 February): A Meeting with the Supreme Leader?

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1830 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Journalist Mahsa Amirabadi has been sentenced to a prison term for the second time in the past two years.

Amrabadi was given a five-year term, four of it suspended, for “assembly and collusion against national security". She wass charged with refusal to denounce opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi; attendance at gatherings of political prisoners to read the Qur'an; interviews and writing reports for newspapers; visits to independent members of the clergy; and defence of the rights of her husband, detained journalist Masoud Bastani.

Amrabadi, sentenced to one year in prison soon after the 2009 Presidential election, was arrested in March 2011 by intelligence officers of the Revolutionary Guards and released on bail.

Amrabadi's husband, Massoud Bastani,has been sentenced to six years in prison for his journalism.

0955 GMT: Execution Watch. The European Union's representative for foreign policy, Catherine Ashton, has issued a statement this morning about web designer Saeed Malekpour, whose death penalty for dissemination of "obscene material" was sent to the enforcement section last week:

I am extremely saddened and concerned about reports that the execution of Iranian software designer Saeed Malekpour may be imminent.

Some weeks ago, I called on the Iranian Government to review his sentence together with those of two other bloggers, Ahmadreza Hashempour and Vahid Asghari. Civil rights organizations have raised serious concerns over the fairness, transparency and the speed of the court proceedings. I repeat my call on Iran to review their sentences and I particularly call on Iran to halt the execution of Saeed Malekpour. His death sentence contravenes Iran’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The EU holds a strong and principled position against the death penalty. I reiterate my call on Iran to halt all pending executions and to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty.

0925 GMT: Elections Watch. More on the challenge to the Government by conservative MP Ali Motahari in a campaign debate at a Tehran university (see 0550 GMT)....

Motahari said, “The main people to blame [for unrest after the 2009 Presidential election] were those who managed the crisis. Some of the population were discontented. But how must they have been dealt with? Let’s even say that their leaders were traitors; But all these ordinary citizens and [religious] women in chador came out and protested; Shouldn’t we have allowed them to assemble in order to gradually extinguish the turmoil?”

Motahari asked, “Why did you act in a way that directed the slogans towards the [Supreme] Leader? You didn’t even give them a single minute to speak out.”

0750 GMT: Shutting Down the Clerics. Ahmad Montazeri, the son of the late Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, has spoken about the sealing of his residence and of the office and library of his father.

Ahmad Montazeri said the regime was scared of the remembrance of Grand Ayatollah name. It was also angered that Ahmad Montazeri was the official representative for senior clerics who had criticised the Government.

0735 GMT: Elections Watch. Watch for charges and counter-charges of corruption in the run-up to the 2 March vote for Parliament.

Alireza Zakani of the principlist Unity Front offered an example in a debate with Ghasem Ravanbakhsh of the pro-Ahmadinejad Resistance Front. Zakani criticised Sadegh Mahsouli, former Minister of Interior and one of the founders of the Resistance Front, for an annual profit of 2.25 billion Toman (about $1.2 million) from his businesses.

Ravanbakhsh replied that Mahsouli's businesses were "completely legal".

The media outlet of principlist Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of the Expediency Council and 2009 Presidential candidate, gloats that the speakers outnumbered the audience at a pro-Ahmadinejad Resistance Front event.

0615 GMT: Rafsanjani Watch. He may have left office 15 years ago, but former President Hashemi Rafsanjani has been a central figure (see 0550 GMT) in many of the campaign debates.

Alireza Mahjoub, the head of the pro-reform Workers House, responded to criticism of Rafsanjani by the pro-Ahmadinejad Ghasem Ravanbakhsh: "He’s part of the history of the revolution. If you have a criticism about him, why don’t you let him know? You make [your criticism[ public with no supporting evidence, and when you have made it public, you don’t allow him to defend himself."

Referring to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's notable allegation in the 2009 Presidential election of Rafsanjani's corruption, Mahjoub pressed Ravanbakhsh, "It seems you have the same mindset as Ahmadinejad and think that you can justify yourself by accusing Hashemi."

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Reza Bahonar also used Rafsanjani to aim at the current President's men. He declared that the Unity Front does not belong to Rafsanjani and criticised the members of the pro-Ahmadinejad Resistance Front "who are trying to mislead people to believe the opposite". He said, "Unfortunately Ahmadinejad and the Resistance Front always think that, to gain people’s votes, there should be a game between Ahmadinejad and Hashemi."

Bahonar, complaining that Ahmadiejad had ignored Parliament, asserted, "The problem with Ahmadinejad is that he likes to work with people who are always confirming him and never criticise him. Consequently, anyone who criticise he will be replaced. Unfortunately, he does not pay attention to the advice of others."

0550 GMT: Amidst economic concerns and reports of resignation after 32 months of repression and political conflict, it is uncertain how many Iranians will turn out for the Parliamentary elections on 2 March, but no one can deny the regime's efforts to get them to the ballot box.

On Monday, Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani, the head of the Unity Front, and Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi issued an announcement asking people to participate in high numbers. 

And in a moment reminiscent of the lively days before the 2009 Presidential election, MP Ali Motahari, the leader of a breakaway principlist group, debated Merhdad Bazrpash of the pro-Ahmadinejad Resistance Front at a Tehran university.

Motahari argued that the purpose of the Parliament is to prevent dictatorship of the Government and its violation of the law. He added that MPs should be free and independent, taking no support from the Government.

Bazrpash chided Motahari for setting up a faction "when he realised no other party wants him as a member". He then criticised his rival for defending Sayed Hasan Khomeini, the grandson of the late Ayatollah; activist Faezeh Hashemi; and her father, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani. 

Motahari not only maintained his defence but went farther. Supporting Rafsanjani's letter to the Supreme Leader, which warned of manipulation of the 2009 Presidential election, he said that Rafsanjani's July 2009 Tehran Friday Prayer ---  his last appearance on the podium and a high-water mark for the Green Movement --- was "correct".

As for Ahmadinejad, Motahari told Bazrpash, with reference to the $2.6 billion bank fraud, "You and your friend have stolen 3000 billion Toman.”