Kingdom Assembly of Iran

Kingdom Assembly of Iran (Anjoman-e Padeshahi-e Iran, also Soldiers of the Kingdom Assembly of Iran, Iran Monarchy Committee, or Tondar) is a militant Iranian royalist group[1] which seeks to overthrow the Islamic Republic and restore the ousted Iranian monarchy.[2] The group is banned in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Origins

Although it has been called "a little-known exile group,"[3] the Assembly has appeared in several news stories in recent years. The group was founded and is headed by Frood Fouladvand who has reportedly been missing since January 2007.

Activities and alleged activities

Bombings

The Jamestown Foundation reported that the organization took responsibility for the 2008 Shiraz explosion[2] at the Hosseynieh Seyed al-Shohada Mosque where twelve people were killed and 202 injured. Mohammad-Reza Ali-Zamani and Arash Rahmanipour, alleged by the government to be members of the assembly, were arrested and tried for the bombing by the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In January 2010 they were executed for moharebeh ("waging war against God") and attempting to overthrow the Islamic regime. An Assembly spokesperson has denied that Ali Zamani had played any role in the post-election protests,[4] stating that he had worked with the organization, but his job was "simply to pass on news for our radio station and to make broadcast packages".[3]

Other activities

In 2005, 56 Iranians staging a sit-in against the Iranian Islamic government were arrested at the Brussels airport for refusing to leave a Lufthansa plane. At least one protester, Armin Atshgar, identified himself as a member of the group and told the press that "We want the European Union to remove the Islamic leaders from Iran."[5] The group was also reportedly active at the annual Nowruz Persian parade in New York City.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Iran hangs alleged dissidents to warn opposition, January 29, 2010
  2. 1 2 Iranian Monarchist Group Claims Responsibility for Shiraz Mosque Attack, Terrorism Focus, Volume: 5 Issue: 20, May 20, 2008
  3. 1 2 "Iran activist sentenced to death for election protests", Robert Tait, The Guardian (8-10-2009).
  4. ↑ Iran 'executes two over post-election unrest' BBC News, 28 January 2010
  5. ↑ "Iranian protest ends in Brussels", BBC News, 11 March 2005
  6. ↑ Alicia Colon, "Tehran Condemns Persian Pride", The New York Sun, March 16, 2007
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