Iran opposition say one shot dead in Tehran demonstrations - Summary

Sun, 20 Feb 2011

Berlin - One person was killed in demonstrations on Sunday in Tehran, opposition websites reported.

The demonstrator was hit by shotgun fire in the Haft Tir square in central Tehran and died almost instantly, the websites said, as police used tear gas on the crowds in the capital.

Foreign media in Tehran were again prohibited from covering Sunday's protests, making it impossible to verify the reports by the opposition websites and witnesses.

Iran's police called the demonstrations were failed "efforts by counter-revolutionaries and agents of the United States and Britain to fuel tensions in the country".

By late Sunday police and anti-riot forces had reportedly succeeded in dispersing the crowd, with the demonstration ending.

Meanwhile, official news agency IRNA reported that Faezeh Hashemi, daughter of ex-president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, was temporarily arrested at the demonstrations but later released.

The former legislator and women sports chief Hashemi is a high-profile opponent of the government and has several times been arrested since the outbreak of the so-called "Green" opposition movement protests in 2009.

Opposition demonstrators against the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were met with tear gas fired by police, according to opposition websites.

Demonstrators had begun the day by gathering in at least four separate places in the capital and shouted Allah'o Akbar (God is Great).

Hundreds had reportedly also protested in front of the state-run television network IRIB in northern Tehran. IRIB is considered as the main propaganda outlet of the establishment.

The main site of the protests is the Vali-Asr square in central Tehran where anti-riot police forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The opposition websites reported that the square had been occupied by thousands of protesters during the day who sporadically were forced to flee into nearby sidestreets to escape the tear gas.

The demonstrators had also marked the death of two demonstrators killed during last week's protests, the websites said.

As the two main opposition leaders Mir-Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi are under de facto house arrest and all their communication means reportedly cut, the latest protests were arranged by their supporters.

More than 200 legislators, several clerical groups and government supporters have called for the arrest and execution of Moussavi and Karroubi for allegedly undermining the Islamic system and collaborating with foreigners.

The government and judiciary have distanced themselves from the calls - but in addition to putting the pair under house arrest have cut their their telephone and internet links to the outside world.

Moussavi's website reported that the government plans to build an "iron wall" around the former prime minister's residence in central Tehran.

Karroubi in the meantime wrote a letter to the country's judiciary power chief, saying he was ready to stand in an open trial.

The clergy told Sadeq Amli-Larijani in the letter that he would not leave the scene and stand besides the people until the end.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/368302,tehran-demonstrations-summary.html.