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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran's reformists protest at Quds Day rally |
| 2009-09-19 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Iran security forces clashed with supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and arrested at least 10 of them as they marched at the annual anti-Israel Quds Day rally in Tehran on Friday, witnesses said. "Security forces just arrested over 10 people," a witness said. "They are pushing protesters and beating them." Members of the Basij paramilitary force were deployed to suppress the protests in Tehran's Haft Tir square early in the day as clashes with protesters also had broken out in the holy city of Mashhad, Asfahan and the home town of Mousavi Tebriz, . Hundreds of Iranians, wearing green accessories, shouted slogans in support of opposition leader Mousavi, as they marched at the rally in Tehran. A witness told AFP that the crowds of young men and women, many wearing green wristbands, were shouting "Ya Hossein! Mir Hossein!" and also called for the release of political prisoners detained since the aftermath of the June 12 presidential election. They also chanted "Don't be afraid, we are all together" and "Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, I will sacrifice myself for Iran," the witness said, adding the crowds were marching from the central Vali Asr square towards Tehran university. Meanwhile, reformist sources told Al Arabiya that Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, a candidate also in last June's presidential elections, would be arrested following the protest. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had urged people last Friday to celebrate Quds Day and warned against using the event to stage anti-government protests. Hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose re-election remains hotly contested by the opposition, was due to give a keynote address at the university later. For the first time in decades, the sermon at the Quds Day prayers was not to be given by former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who backed Mousavi in the election but hardline cleric Ahmad Khatami. Rafsanjani has come under strong criticism from hardliners for speaking out against the conduct of the election during a key sermon in July in which he also called for the release of protesters detained in the post-election unrest. Several opposition and reformist websites expressed disbelief at the apparent snub but Rafsanjani himself played it down. "I don't think it is necessary that I always deliver the sermon on this day after 30 years," he said in an interview with state television's al-Alam Arabic-language channel. |
| Posted by:Fred |