Hundreds of thousands of Iranians attended a mass parade in Tehran on Thursday to mourn the protestors who died in clashes during earlier protests. Defeated opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi also attended the rally and showed his support to the crowd.
The reformist candidate had asked his supporters, in a statement the previous day, to wear dark clothing and gather around mosques on Thursday to commemorate the eight people who were killed during the rally on Monday.
Though the Iranian regime has banned all protests, hundreds of thousands of enraged Iranian citizens have taken to the streets each day since the announcement of incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadejad’s supposed election victory.
The reformist candidate had asked his supporters, in a statement the previous day, to wear dark clothing and gather around mosques on Thursday to commemorate the eight people who were killed during the rally on Monday.
Though the Iranian regime has banned all protests, hundreds of thousands of enraged Iranian citizens have taken to the streets each day since the announcement of incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadejad’s supposed election victory.
Unlike the previous protests, Iran’s state media has shown footage of the mass gatherings, but followed by interviews with people who say the protests have disrupted their business or caused some other inconvenience.
In his opening remarks to the government assembly on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad thanked people for attending the presidential election on a large scale and said he considers the election a sign of people’s trust in his administration.
The protests in Tehran have also spread to other cities, and many dormitories around the country have been attacked. Witnesses say that following the quiet protest trend in Tehran to avoid violent confrontations, other cities are also more or less following suit.
One woman from Iran’s Northern city of Rasht says there were many clashes around Gilan University during early protests and many of her friends were beaten with batons. She says it is widely talked about that a woman was killed after being hit with a baton and consequently fell and hit her head against an object, causing a concussion. She says the protests continue but are quieter.
In his opening remarks to the government assembly on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad thanked people for attending the presidential election on a large scale and said he considers the election a sign of people’s trust in his administration.
The protests in Tehran have also spread to other cities, and many dormitories around the country have been attacked. Witnesses say that following the quiet protest trend in Tehran to avoid violent confrontations, other cities are also more or less following suit.
One woman from Iran’s Northern city of Rasht says there were many clashes around Gilan University during early protests and many of her friends were beaten with batons. She says it is widely talked about that a woman was killed after being hit with a baton and consequently fell and hit her head against an object, causing a concussion. She says the protests continue but are quieter.
The government has imposed heavy restrictions on foreign media, effectively preventing them from covering the protests. Many media are forced to rely on eyewitness accounts and photographs taken by Iranian citizens to cover events in Iran.
Iran state media have confirmed seven deaths following the clashes during Monday’s protest rally. Later reports have confirmed this number to be eight. Many activists claim that there have been at least seven other deaths following the university dormitory attacks; this has been denied by the government, however.
Despite having the trappings of a democracy, Iran is ruled by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a council of clerics and jurists known as the Guardian Council. The Guardian Council approves all presidential candidates and all laws passed by the Iranian Parliament; the Guardian Council has the final say in all political matters in Iran.
The Council also oversees elections, and is responsible for both the announcement of Ahmadinejad’s victory, and the recount of some of the votes currently underway.
Defeated reformist candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi have called for the annulment of the election.
Karoubi has called on people to wear dark clothing (mourning the killed protesters) and attend this week’s Friday Prayer in which Khamenei will be delivering a sermon.
Defeated reformist candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi have called for the annulment of the election.
Karoubi has called on people to wear dark clothing (mourning the killed protesters) and attend this week’s Friday Prayer in which Khamenei will be delivering a sermon.
Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, one of the founding figures of the Islamic Republic who is now a sharp critic of the ruling regime, posted on his official Web site that “No one in their right mind can believe” that Ahmadinejad won the election, as officially announced only a few hours after voting ended on Friday.
“A government not respecting people’s vote has no religious or political legitimacy,” he posted.
Ayatollah Montazeri was next in line to be Supreme Leader after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who came to power in the 1979 revolution. Montazeri fell out of favor for not supporting the revolution wholeheartedly.
“A government not respecting people’s vote has no religious or political legitimacy,” he posted.
Ayatollah Montazeri was next in line to be Supreme Leader after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who came to power in the 1979 revolution. Montazeri fell out of favor for not supporting the revolution wholeheartedly.
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