http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/07/200979134022271172.html
Thursday, July 09, 2009
18:02 Mecca time, 15:02 GMT
Iranian police disperse protest
At least 20 people have been killed in post-election protests
in Iran [AFP]
Iranian police have dispersed hundreds of protesters who staged a march
to commemorate the anniversary of student unrest in 1999, witnesses have said.
Police fired tear gas on Thursday to scatter demonstrators who defied
government warnings and moved towards Tehran University, the centre of the
unrest 10 years ago.
Police in riot gear were out in force due to the street protests that had
been held over last month's disputed presidential election.
The Iranian authorities had said that any commemoration of the 1999
rally, in which at least one student was killed and dozens wounded, would be
dealt with forcefully.
Blunt warning
The warning was issued after the G8 leaders expressed "serious concern"
over the last month's post-election unrest which left at least 20 people dead.
In video
Iran's opposition plans to
Groups of students have held small commemorative gatherings in previous
years, but Morteza Tamadon, the governor of Tehran, issued a blunt warning for
this year's anniversary.
"If some people make moves that are contrary to security initiatives
under the influence of anti-revolutionary networks, they will be trampled under
the feet of our alert people," he told the official IRNA news agency.
Witnesses said leaflets had been handed out in several Tehran squares
urging people to join Thursday's gathering.
The Iranian authorities have banned all gatherings amid a crackdown on
protesters, reformists, journalists and political activists who have opposed
the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
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