Funeral of Iran's senior dissident cleric turns into opposition rallyDecember 22, 2009 - 16:58 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The funeral of Iran's most senior dissident cleric on Monday was turned into an opposition rally in the holy city of Qom, with mourners chanting "death to the dictator", in spite of attempts by the authorities to stop it.The estimates of people who attended for the funeral of Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri vary from tens to hundreds of thousands. But the boost for the opposition could be shortlived. There were several reports of clashes between opposition supporters and security forces. Late on Monday night it was reported on a conservative website that some 2,000 hardline Montazeri opponents had attacked the Qom memorial service. In recent years he has held an unassailable position within the regime that allowed him to criticise its leaders without facing serious punishment. It gave him a free hand to condemn the post-election violence this summer and even take a swipe at the country's supreme leader. The opposition now has no equivalent figure, leaving its leaders with the challenge of keeping up with their increasingly radical supporters. "Mr. Montazeri's commitment to freedom and his political courage was unique and his death creates a vacuum which cannot be filled easily," said Abolfazl Moussavian, a reform-minded cleric, The Financial Times reported. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Welcome to CaseKey 2024. Byblos Bank Armenia firmly stands by future innovators Strategic business cases, invaluable experience, innovative approaches and more than 25 events are in store for the participants of CaseKey 2024. Macron honors Charles Aznavour on 100th anniversary French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to the memory of French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour. Blinken says U.S. reviewing a number of aid requests from Armenia He said the U.S. is reviewing the requests to determine what more it can do to increase its assistance to Armenia. At least 2 CSTO members participated in preparing 44-day war against Armenia – PM Nikol Pashinyan has declared that at least two CSTO member countries participated in preparations for the 44-day war against Armenia. |