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Protesters, police clash in Iran demo Published Date: February 15, 2011 TEHRAN: Riot police yesterday fired teargas and paintballs at protesters staging anti-government demonstrations in Tehran under the pretext of rallies supporting Arab uprisings, websites and witnesses said. Police moved in when crowds of opposition supporters gathered at Tehran's prominent Azadi (Freedom) Square began chanting "Death to Dictator!" - a slogan used against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after the disputed 2009 presidential election. Kaleme.com, website of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, said that according to "unconfirmed reports, hundreds of protesters were arrested in Tehran". There was no immediate official confirmation of any arrests. The demonstrations, staged despite a ban on rallies, marked the first anti-government protests in Tehran since Feb 11, 2010, when activists took to the streets to mark the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution. Opposition website Rahesabz.net said clashes were also reported near Tehran University and on the road connecting Azadi Square with Enghelab Square. It said teargas was fired by police as protesters chanted "Ya Hossein, Mir Hossein" a slogan from 2009 in support of Mousavi. Rahesabz.net also reported chanting against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with shouts of "Ben Ali Mubarak, It's your turn Syed Ali!" "Police also barged into buses stuck in traffic on the road (between Azadi Square and Enghelab Square) and beat women passengers to spread fear among passengers," Kaleme.com reported. It said protesters using roadside telephone booths and recording footage on mobiles were also subject to police assaults. Websites and witnesses said thousands of opposition supporters had taken to the streets of Tehran in support of Arab revolts despite a heavy police deployment. Some set fire to rubbish bins while chanting slogans in apparent reference to Ahmadinejad. Mobile phone services were cut and there were power blackouts in areas where the protests were taking place, witnesses said. The authorities earlier surrounded the house of Mousavi to prevent him from attending the rally which regime-backers said was a cover for protests similar to those which shook the foundations of the Islamic republic in 2009. Fellow opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi has been under de facto house arrest, according to his website Sahamnews.org, while Rahesabz.net reported that former reformist president turned opposition backer Mohammad Khatami's house was also cordoned off. While Iran backed the Arab uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, the interior ministry banned yesterday's rally planned by Mousavi and Karroubi. Witnesses and websites said the opposition supporters had initially walked in scattered crowds silently to Azadi Square from across the capital as policemen kept a sharp watch. Motorbike-borne riot police armed with shotguns, tear gas, batons, paintball guns and fire extinguishers were deployed in key squares to prevent the gatherings. "Some policemen are chasing protesters in order to disperse them," a witness said, describing the scene at Imam Hussein Square where he said there were around 1,000 riot police. More police and Basij militiamen took up positions in Haft-e Tir square, a regular site for anti-government protests in 2009. In London, rights group Amnesty International condemned the authorities "for breaking up an apparently peaceful march". "Iranians have a right to gather to peacefully express their support for the people of Egypt and Tunisia," Amnesty's Hassiba Hadj-Sahraoui said in a statement. Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who is on a visit to Iran, urged governments in the Middle East to listen to the demands of their people. "When leaders and heads of countries do not pay attention to the demands of their nations, the people themselves take action to achieve their demands," IRNA quoted Gul as saying yesterday. The foreign media has been banned from on-the-spot reporting of the gatherings. Later yesterday. state television website reported that the demonstrations had ended and that crowds of people also demonstrated in support of the regime. Mousavi and Karroubi and their supporters remain steadfast in rejecting Ahmadinejad's presidency, saying the hardliner was re-elected because of massive vote rigging in June 2009. Their protests in the immediate aftermath of the election brought hundreds of thousands of people on to the streets of Tehran and other cities, shaking the regime and dividing the nation's elite clergy. Iranian authorities crushed those demonstrations in which scores of people were killed and wounded, and thousands arrested in a crackdown by security forces and members of the feared Basij militia. - Agencies [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
