Clashes between oppositionists and police continue in Iran

PanARMENIAN.Net - Clashes between the Iranian authorities and the reformist movement continued on today following yesterday's crackdown which that left at least nine dead, including the nephew of the main opposition leader.



Police fired teargas on crowds mourning Ali Mousavi, a nephew of Mir Hossein Mousavi, and arrested a further seven reformist activists, including Ali Riza Beheshti, the opposition leader's closest aide, and Ebrahim Yazdi, a former foreign minister, according to Iranian opposition websites.



"A group of Mousavi supporters have gathered in front of Ibn-e-Sina hospital where his nephew's body was kept ... Police fired teargas to disperse them," according to Norooz website.



The latest crackdown comes after reformist demonstrators were killed during anti-government rallies marking Ashura, one of the holiest days in the Shia calendar. The unrest was one of the bloodiest confrontations between the government forces and pro-reform protesters since the disputed presidential election in June. The brutal tactics of the police and security forces were condemned by another opposition leader, Mahdi Karroubi.



Opposition websites reported at least seven arrests today. The Parlemannews site said three of Moussavi's top aides were arrested. Security forces also stormed a foundation run by Mohammad Khatami, a reformist former president, and arrested two people, a foundation official said.



Some accounts of Sunday's violence in Tehran were vivid and detailed, but they could not be independently confirmed owing to government restrictions on the media. Police said dozens of officers had been injured and more than 300 protesters arrested.



Many demonstrators seemed not to have anticipated such harsh tactics by the authorities, despite police warnings of tougher action against any protests.



It was Iran's worst outbreak of violence since June's election, which the opposition claims that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole through mass fraud. But yesterday's events differed from previous clashes in a way that seemed to herald further turmoil, The Guardian reported.