Iran activist criticizes UK over Ahmadinejad's inauguration

guardian.co.uk

Foreign Office sent ambassador to president's swearing-in despite violent crackdown on opposition protests

Britain's decision to send its ambassador to the inauguration ceremony of the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been criticised by an opposition activist whose husband was detained in the post-election crackdown.

The Foreign Office confirmed that the deputy head of mission, Patrick Davies, went to Monday's blessing of Ahmadinejad by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and that the ambassador, Simon Gass, attended today's ceremony despite strained relations between the countries.

Fatemeh Shams, 26, a student at Oxford University whose husband, Mohammadreza Jalaeipour, was detained as the pair tried to leave the country in June, said perceived waning support from abroad was the "main concern" for reformists in Iran.

"Any kind of support given to this coup state is not acceptable," she said. "The majority of Iranian people would criticise Britain if they realised its representative was there."

She said most Iranian reformists had stayed away from the ceremony and three who attended were being harshly criticised on opposition websites. Jalaeipour, 27, also an Oxford student, is still being held. Shams said her parents visited him in jail three days ago.

In the aftermath of the disputed election, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blamed western powers for interfering in Iranian politics, singling out the UK as the "most treacherous". In response, Iran's ambassador to London was summoned to the Foreign Office and told that the supreme leader's remarks were unacceptable.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "It is not business as usual, which is why we have not sent a message of congratulations." He said the decision not to send the traditional message followed informal EU co-ordination between embassies in Tehran, although it was ultimately a matter for individual member states.

He defended the decision to send a representative to the inauguration ceremony, saying it was necessary to continue engagement with Iran on British concerns. "We have several issues we need to address with the government, including its nuclear programme and human rights, and to do that we need to keep channels of communication open."

Ahmadinejad did not refer to the UK directly in his speech after taking the oath of office in parliament, but said: "Some governments should feel responsible for the words and deeds, interferences, occupations ... They need to be accountable for this."

He said Iran would "resist violation of law and interference and abuse of national mechanisms and discrimination".