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"The Iranian government headed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is using the excuse of 'defending the Palestinians' as a weapon to act against civil bodies," Roozonline, a Persian reformist newspaper said.

According to the report, one of the actions taking by the Iranian government recently was the banning of the country's leading reformist newspaper Kargozaran, which is linked to one of Ahmadinejad's most prominent political rivals, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
The government accused Kargozaran of reporting misinformation about Palestinian fighters in Gaza.

In addition, on Thursday, dozens of students belonging to the Basij movement, which is subordinate to the Revolutionary Guards, protested outside of human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi's home and accused her of sympathizing with Israel.

Two days prior to the demonstration Ebadi had published a statement condemning the killing of Palestinian civilians. The demonstrators sprayed graffiti on the walls of her house insinuating that Ebadi was a spy for the United States.

In the past Ebadi has expressed support of Ahmadinejad's most threatening political rival, former president and reformist Mohammad Khatami.

Khatami has not yet officially announced his candidacy, but has indicated in recent months that it was a possibility. ... >>>