Iran arrests key opposition figures in bid to end protests
An Iranian protester, left, throws a rock at riot police, as their bikes are set on fire by other pro-reform demonstrators during clashes in Enqelab (Revolution) Street in Tehran. There were reports of up to 15 deaths in the violence
Tuesday December 29 2009
The Iranian authorities made a desperate attempt to cut off the resurgent opposition movement at its roots yesterday, making a string of arrests close to its leadership.
A former foreign minister, three close aides to Mir Hossein Mousavi, the defeated presidential candidate, and two aides to Mohammad Khatami, the former president, were all taken away by security forces, according to the opposition.
The arrests followed Sunday's violence, the worst on the streets of Iran's major cities since the protests immediately after the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June.
State media confirmed eight deaths, though one report put the number at 15.
Both sides accused the other of dishonouring Sunday's Shia festival of Ashura, which commemorates the death of the Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed's grandson.
Overthrown
Mehdi Karroubi, another reformist candidate defeated in the election, compared the regime to that of the Shah, who was overthrown in 1979.
"What has really happened that spilled the blood of people on the day of Ashura and gets a group of savage individuals confronting people?" he asked, accusing the regime of "dipping its hands in people's blood".
But a group of conservative clerics based in the holy city of Qom issued a statement putting the blame on the protesters.
"The association of Qom theologians asks officials to identify those behind yesterday's events and take appropriate measures to firmly encounter and punish them," the statement said.
Dramatic footage emailed around the world showed barricades on fire, a policeman with blood pouring down his face and crowds chanting slogans telling Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, that his time was up.
They also showed what was said to be the shooting of Mr Mousavi's 35-year-old nephew, Seyed Ali Mousavi. Reports of at least seven other deaths, initially denied by the authorities, were later confirmed.
Yesterday, police surrounded Ebnesina hospital, where Mr Mousavi's body had been taken. Opposition websites, and his brother, said his body had vanished -- possibly to prevent his funeral becoming another focus for protest.
Mr Mousavi's supporters who gathered to mourn his death were dispersed by police firing tear gas. But the arrests of seven leading activists may serve as an alternative focus for protest.
The arrests showed the authorities' conviction that senior reformists such as Mr Mousavi and Mr Khatami have the power to control the protests, even if they have been careful not to show themselves. However, they also seemed to demonstrate that the leadership did not have the courage to act decisively against former regime stalwarts.
Mr Mousavi's arrested aides included Alireza Beheshti, who confirmed Seyed Ali Mousavi's death on Sunday.
The former foreign minister, Ebrahim Yazdi, who led a banned opposition group that had previously been tolerated, was also arrested, as was Emad Baghi, a leading human rights activist.
The danger the regime faces remains hard to tell, with foreign news agencies barred from reporting demonstrations. Video clips give an impression of the strength of feeling but reveal little of its depth of support.
The regime reported 300 arrests on Sunday. Hospitals said at least 60 people were injured. The crackdown brought renewed criticism from the West.
"We strongly condemn the violent and unjust suppression of civilians in Iran seeking to exercise their universal rights," Mike Hammer, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, said. (© Daily Telegraph, London)
- Richard Spencer in Sana'a, Yemen
Irish Independent
