Iran Protesters Attacked By Riot Police
Current World News Comments (0)
8:01pm UK, Monday June 22, 2009
Riot police have attacked hundreds of protesters with tear gas and fired live bullets in the air to disperse a rally in central Tehran.
Protesters are dispersed as the authorities crack down on ‘unlawful’ demonstations
It happened after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened to crush any new demonstrations against the results of the country’s presidential election.
Witnesses said helicopters hovered overhead as about 200 demonstrators gathered in Haft-e-Tir Square.
Hundreds of anti-riot police then moved in and quickly put an end to the protest.
British nationals are now being urged by the Foreign office to avoid all but essential travel to Iran.
Those already in the country are not being advised to leave but are being warned not to join in demonstrations or attend large gatherings.
There have been near-daily rallies on the streets of the capital Tehran since the presidential vote on June 12.
In a statement on their website, the guards vowed to react in a “revolutionary” way to suppress unauthorised demonstrations.
The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s most powerful military force, have close ties to the country’s supreme leader.
On Friday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned further protests, prompting street violence in which at least 10 people died. Tehran was a lot quieter on Sunday.
In their statement, the guards ordered demonstrators to “end the sabotage and rioting activities”, describing their resistance as a “conspiracy” against Iran.
The statement warned protesters to “be prepared for a resolution and revolutionary confrontation” with the Guards and security forces.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has vowed to keep up the demonstrations, claiming the election – won by president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – was a fraud.
Iran’s Guardian Council has now acknowledged voting irregularities in 50 electoral districts, although it insists this will not affect the outcome of the vote.
The latest killings have taken the official death toll to at least 17.
But images posted online, including video purporting to show the fatal shooting of a woman called Neda, indicate the figure may be higher.
Election Protests: Live Inside Iran
In a separate development, a power struggle between Iran’s ruling clerics has surfaced with the detention of family members of an influential ayatollah.
State media said the daughter and four other relatives of Hashemi Rafsanjani were later released.
The move appears to be a warning to the former president not to align himself with the opposition movement behind the mass demonstrations across the country.
Last week Ayatollah Khamenei accused foreign powers of being behind the protests, singling out the UK as “the most treacherous”.
Mr Mousavi has warned supporters of danger ahead, and said he would stand by the protesters “at all times”.
admin @ June 22, 2009