Police Efforts to Prevent Cyrus Day Celebrations; From Summons and Pledges to Military Deployment on Pasargadae Road

On the eve of November 7, Cyrus Day, reports indicate that law enforcement is attempting to prevent any ceremonies and public presence in Pasargadae.

Some images and news reports published on social media on Monday, October 28, show that numerous officers are present along roads leading to Pasargadae, and checkpoints have been established on these routes.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Hossein Aghassi, a legal counsel, also announced on Monday through a tweet that he and several other citizens have been forced to pledge to police that they will not participate in any ceremonies related to Cyrus Day commemoration. Mr. Aghassi described this action as “denial of national heritage.”

Iranian authorities have closed roads leading to Pasargadae in Fars Province in previous years on the eve of Cyrus Day. The Judiciary News Agency reported in 2017 that Basij forces were scheduled to conduct military exercises in that area simultaneously.

Last year, Brian Hook, the U.S. State Department’s special representative for Iran, referring to the security crackdown on Cyrus the Great commemoration ceremonies, said: “It is entirely appropriate and fitting that the Iranian people want to honor that heritage. Cyrus is far more representative of the Iranian people than this regime.”

November 7, recognized as the day Cyrus entered Babylon, has informally become known as Cyrus Day, although this occasion is not registered in any official calendar.

Nevertheless, in recent years, large crowds have gathered around his mausoleum in Pasargadae on this day. The 2016 gathering, which reached thousands of people, sparked sensitivity among the government and traditional clerics.

In videos sent at that time to Voice of America, attendees chanted: “Iran is our homeland, Cyrus is our father.”

Source: Voice of America