Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani called on Friday for the release of hundreds of people detained during opposition protests last month, and stated the disputed presidential vote had broken the trust of Iranians.
"What should we do?" the former president asked, adding he had formulated a possible solution which he had discussed with members of two major bodies which he leads, the Expediency Council and the Assembly of Experts. "Our key issue is to return the trust which the people had and now to some extent is broken," he said, according to the AP.
"It is not necessary that in this situation people be jailed. Let them join their families. We should not allow enemies to rebuke and ridicule us because of detentions. We should tolerate each other."
Meanwhile, supporters of Iranian reformist leader Mir Hossein Mousavi staged new protests in Tehran Friday, witnesses said, after Rafsanjani's comments. Thousands of Mousavi supporters, shouting "Ya Hossein, Mir Hossein!" demonstrated at various locations around Tehran university.
Witnesses said riot police were deployed on various streets near the university to prevent the demonstrations. According to AFP, eyeitnesses said several people had been arrested and that police had fired rubber bullets to disperse some crowds.
