- Sputnik International
Multimedia
When a picture is worth a thousand words. See what's happening in the world from a more visual perspective with Sputnik's photo galleries, infographics and other multimedia content.

Police clash with protestors; Iran

Subscribe
According to witnesses and state media, Iranian security forces beat anti-government protesters with batons and fired tear gas. Amateur footage emerged from Iran on Wednesday, purporting to show opposition supporters demonstrating in a central square of the capital, chanting their own slogans against the government crackdown on the opposition which followed the presidential election turmoil.

Opposition supporters held protests in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday, in competition with a government-sponsored rally marking the 30th anniversary of the takeover of the US Embassy.
According to witnesses and state media, Iranian security forces beat anti-government protesters with batons and fired tear gas. Amateur footage emerged from Iran on Wednesday, purporting to show opposition supporters demonstrating in a central square of the capital, chanting their own slogans against the government crackdown on the opposition which followed the presidential election turmoil.
The images which were monitored in London and accessed from YouTube, showed protesters marching in one of the main Tehran squares, Haft-e-Tir Square - about a half-mile (one kilometre) from the annual anti-American gathering outside the former US Embassy.
The protesters seen in the video appealed for the release of political prisoners, "political prisoner should be released," the protesters repeated. Amateur footage also emerged on Wednesday and monitored in London and accessed from YouTube, shows a man believed to be opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi walking towards Haft-e-Tir Square surrounded by crowds. Supporters can be heard shouting "It's Karroubi" referring to the opposition leader as he walks down the street. AP Television could not independently verify the date and authenticity of the video. Reformist websites also said Karroubi, was beaten by security forces before being led away by his bodyguards. Neither Karroubi nor his aides could be immediately contacted. The counter-demonstrations were the opposition's first major show of force on the streets of Tehran since mid-September that coincided with state-backed protests against Israel.
Many marchers on Wednesday wore green scarves or wristbands that symbolised the campaign of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole the June election from him through fraud. Mousavi and his allies, including former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, appeared to encourage opposition protesters to stay on the streets.
For a month after the June balloting, thousands of opposition supporters held street demonstrations against the alleged vote fraud but were met with a heavy government crackdown.
The opposition says at least 72 protesters were killed in the violence that followed the election, while government officials maintain that only 36 died in the unrest - the worst in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought the current regime to power. Thousands were arrested, and the regime's opponents have charged some detainees were tortured to death in prison.
The contrast in the latest wave of protests was stark: thousands of people outside the former embassy waved anti-American banners and signs chanted "Death to America and praising the Islamic Revolution.
While nearby, opposition marchers cried "Death to the Dictator." Witnesses told The Associated Press that security forces, mainly paramilitary units from the elite Revolutionary Guard, swept through several hundred demonstrators at Haft-e-Tir Square, clubbing, kicking and slapping protesters.
The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals from authorities. Pro-reform websites said police fired into the air to try to clear the square.
The report could not immediately be independently verified. The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported police also used tear gas to disperse protesters in other parts of the city.
There was no independent information on injuries or arrests, but state-run Press TV said no one was hurt.
Media restrictions now limit journalists to covering state media and government-approved events, such as the rally outside the former embassy. Mobile phones and internet access were apparently blocked in a repeat of tactics used by authorities after the election. Iranian authorities had warned protesters against attempts to disrupt or overshadow the annual gathering outside the former US Embassy, which was stormed by militants in 1979 in the turbulent months after the Islamic Revolution. A total of 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days. Security forces fanned out around Tehran at daybreak on Wednesday after opposition leaders refused to call off their appeals for counter protests. Volunteer militiamen linked to the Revolutionary Guard patrolled the streets on motorcycles - a familiar sight during the unrest touched off by the claims of election fraud. The full extent of the opposition marches was not immediately clear. Witnesses - also speaking on condition of anonymity - said about two-thousand students at Tehran University faced off against security forces, but there were no immediate reports of violence.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала