World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (February 10, 2011)

The Washington Post reported on Thursday that the Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi have asked for permission to hold a Feb. 14 rally to honor the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Iran's state prosecutor said the opposition should not do it. Iran crushed protests against a disputed 2009 election and the opposition has not staged rallies in more than a year. Iran's opposition says the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was rigged.

The Los Angeles Times covers the continuation of Iranian authorities and the opposition battle over the legacy of Tahrir Square. It also reported about rejection of a request by opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karubi to hold a rally Monday in support of the antigovernment uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt by the Iranian judiciary.

The same theme is touched on by the New York Times. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other conservative figures have portrayed the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia as a result of the people’s “Islamic awakening.” Ayatollah Khamenei praised the protesters last Friday, prompting some members of the Iranian opposition to say a refusal to grant permission for their rally would be hypocritical.

“Turkish Parliament to investigate missing people” is an article published by the Turkish information agency Hurriyet. Parliament on Wednesday established a subcommittee to investigate people who have allegedly disappeared while in custody. The move came after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with what is known as the “Saturday Mothers,” family members of the so-called disappeared people, last Saturday in Istanbul. Affected by the words of Kadriye Ceylan, the mother of the missing Tolga Baykal Ceylan, Erdoğan also mentioned the issue in his party’s parliamentary group meeting Tuesday, urging the Interior Ministry to investigate the incidents.

Press TV published the article headlined “Russia vows crackdown on terrorism.” It says that Russia has pledged to carry out an all-out clampdown on terrorism in response to a Chechnya-based militant group's admission that it was responsible for the deadly bombing at a Moscow airport last month. "Russia will carry out an uncompromised fight against international terrorism and will always be a reliable ally of states that opposes terror by all legal means," AFP quoted Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as saying on Tuesday during a presentation ceremony for foreign ambassadors' credentials in Moscow.