Human Rights Watch says rights abuses mounting in Iran
Updated: Thursday, February 11, 2010
11:00GMT—6:00AM/EST
Washington, 11 February (WashingtonTV)—Iran’s crackdown on dissidents since last June’s disputed presidential election is “even broader and the abuses more flagrant than previously reported”, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released on Wednesday.
The 19-page report documents “widespread human rights abuses, including extra-judicial killings; rapes and torture; violations of the rights to freedom of assembly and expression; and thousands of arbitrary arrests and detentions,” the New York-based group said in a statement.
The report was based on extensive phone interviews and e-mail correspondence with protesters, journalists, human rights defenders and the families of detained political figures.
It was released on the eve of celebrations in Iran to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said the Iranian government is trying to use the anniversary celebrations “to deflect attention from its human rights violations.”
“Instead, it should use the occasion to finally hold the abusers accountable,” he said.
An unnamed former detainee at the Kahrizak detention center outside Tehran told the rights group that guards there set up fake executions and beat prisoners who asked for water or to use the toilet.
The prisoner also recounted in detail how he was kicked in the stomach until he threw up blood and then sodomized until he passed out.
The government “has neither ended its crackdown nor held those responsible to account,” said the report.
Still, the “campaigns of intimidation” have not silenced the government’s critics, said Stork.
“It's time for them to end their repressive tactics and guarantee citizens the right to express dissent,” he said.
Source: Human Rights Watch website
Updated: Thursday, February 11, 2010
11:00GMT—6:00AM/EST
Washington, 11 February (WashingtonTV)—Iran’s crackdown on dissidents since last June’s disputed presidential election is “even broader and the abuses more flagrant than previously reported”, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released on Wednesday.
The 19-page report documents “widespread human rights abuses, including extra-judicial killings; rapes and torture; violations of the rights to freedom of assembly and expression; and thousands of arbitrary arrests and detentions,” the New York-based group said in a statement.
The report was based on extensive phone interviews and e-mail correspondence with protesters, journalists, human rights defenders and the families of detained political figures.
It was released on the eve of celebrations in Iran to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said the Iranian government is trying to use the anniversary celebrations “to deflect attention from its human rights violations.”
“Instead, it should use the occasion to finally hold the abusers accountable,” he said.
An unnamed former detainee at the Kahrizak detention center outside Tehran told the rights group that guards there set up fake executions and beat prisoners who asked for water or to use the toilet.
The prisoner also recounted in detail how he was kicked in the stomach until he threw up blood and then sodomized until he passed out.
The government “has neither ended its crackdown nor held those responsible to account,” said the report.
Still, the “campaigns of intimidation” have not silenced the government’s critics, said Stork.
“It's time for them to end their repressive tactics and guarantee citizens the right to express dissent,” he said.
Source: Human Rights Watch website
Letter From Tehran
Feb 11th, 2010 by pedestrian
From one of my friends at Azadi today. [I don't necessarily agree with this, and I will have more accounts of today later, but thought I would share]:
The greens made a stupid miscalculation to want to “take over Azadi” and this illusion was further enforced by individuals abroad [e.g., Sazegara]. State security and supporters had taken over the area, and it was impossible to have a significant impact there. I of course did not see the entire city, but the turnout of the greens felt very low. We needed at least 400,000 to show a significant impact, and thus far, it does not feel that way.
This is disastrous. The only real power the greens have had up to now is by showing their numbers on the streets. Now if with their two week campaign of terror, they’ve actually managed to get everyone to stay home, they will start putting even more pressure on activists and opposition groups … the few who are left out of prison that is.
I feel nauseated, and very scared.
Just got a message from another friend: same story. We were only a small number. Will have more in the next two hours.
Feb 11th, 2010 by pedestrian
The greens made a stupid miscalculation to want to “take over Azadi” and this illusion was further enforced by individuals abroad [e.g., Sazegara]. State security and supporters had taken over the area, and it was impossible to have a significant impact there. I of course did not see the entire city, but the turnout of the greens felt very low. We needed at least 400,000 to show a significant impact, and thus far, it does not feel that way.
This is disastrous. The only real power the greens have had up to now is by showing their numbers on the streets. Now if with their two week campaign of terror, they’ve actually managed to get everyone to stay home, they will start putting even more pressure on activists and opposition groups … the few who are left out of prison that is.
I feel nauseated, and very scared.
Just got a message from another friend: same story. We were only a small number. Will have more in the next two hours.
BBC Persian's call-in program, 'Your Turn', provided some eyewitness accounts of today's events.
Amir, Tehran, SMS message to BBC Persian: 'I walked from Enghelab Square to Azadi Square, and then back all the way to Ferdowsi Square. I've never seen such a security presence. Basijis and plainclothesmen were also among the crowd. I was stopped and checked three times.'
Caller to BBC Persian, Hamid, Tehran: 'I attended today's march. There were three types of people. First, around Azadi square, there were the usual 200,000 regime supporters. Second, going north towards Sadeghiyeh Square, there were provincials who had been bused in. I spoke to a few of them and was amazed. There were people from Khorramabad, Zanjan, Hamedan... They had been brought to Tehran from very far away. Usually the regime transports people from the close environs of Tehran for these events. The third group was the greens, who for the most part had unwillingly been mixed up with the official demonstrators. I am a green. But we couldn't do anything. I've never seen so much security, and I've been to every protest except Ashura.'
Caller to BBC Persian, Parsa, Tehran: 'The presence of police and Basijis was overbearing. When we joined the march, we cautiously exchanged looks to see which side we were on. I was just there as a green with grievances and had no desire to engage in violence. But we couldn't express anything. An old man near me showed a V-sign to a helicopter flying over us. A second later, three young people jumped on the old man and took him away. I don't know where they took him. We stayed true to ourselves and were not violent, unlike the regime. Look at what they did to Karroubi. Obviously these people don't think we belong to this nation. This movement was not created in one day, and it will not be destroyed in one day!'
Amir, Tehran, SMS message to BBC Persian: 'I walked from Enghelab Square to Azadi Square, and then back all the way to Ferdowsi Square. I've never seen such a security presence. Basijis and plainclothesmen were also among the crowd. I was stopped and checked three times.'
Caller to BBC Persian, Hamid, Tehran: 'I attended today's march. There were three types of people. First, around Azadi square, there were the usual 200,000 regime supporters. Second, going north towards Sadeghiyeh Square, there were provincials who had been bused in. I spoke to a few of them and was amazed. There were people from Khorramabad, Zanjan, Hamedan... They had been brought to Tehran from very far away. Usually the regime transports people from the close environs of Tehran for these events. The third group was the greens, who for the most part had unwillingly been mixed up with the official demonstrators. I am a green. But we couldn't do anything. I've never seen so much security, and I've been to every protest except Ashura.'
Caller to BBC Persian, Parsa, Tehran: 'The presence of police and Basijis was overbearing. When we joined the march, we cautiously exchanged looks to see which side we were on. I was just there as a green with grievances and had no desire to engage in violence. But we couldn't express anything. An old man near me showed a V-sign to a helicopter flying over us. A second later, three young people jumped on the old man and took him away. I don't know where they took him. We stayed true to ourselves and were not violent, unlike the regime. Look at what they did to Karroubi. Obviously these people don't think we belong to this nation. This movement was not created in one day, and it will not be destroyed in one day!'
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7023684.ece
Iran crushes opposition protests with violence
Times-
Iran’s regime thwarted the opposition’s hopes of turning the 31st anniversary celebrations of the Islamic revolution into another massive protest today.
It out-manoeuvred the so-called Green movement by swamping the official proceedings with huge numbers of its own supporters, preventing the media from covering anything else and blanketing the rest of the capital with security forces who forcefully suppressed the opposition’s relatively muted demonstrations.
President Ahmadinejad also sought to grab the headlines and divert attention from the protests by announcing that Iran had produced its first stock of 20 per cent-enriched uranium. He declared that Iran was now a “nuclear state”.
Opposition websites claimed a young woman named Leila Zareii, was killed and many others were wounded or arrested. The opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mohammed Khatami - a former president - were attacked, as was Zahra Rahnavard, wife of the Green Movement’s other leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Even Zahra Eshraghi, granddaughter of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the 1979 revolution, was briefly arrested. She and her brother, Hassan, are both opposition sympathisers and she is married to Mr Khatami’s brother.
“It's pretty clear that Greens everywhere will feel demoralised... The overall feeling is one of disappointment,” one well-placed source in Tehran told The Times last night. “The opposition miscalculated,” said another.
The regime was determined to prevent the so-called Green Movement from hijacking the biggest day in Iran’s calendar and largely succeeded.
It filled Azadi Square with tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters for the main event - Mr Ahmadinejad’s speech which was broadcast live on state television. Opposition websites posted pictures of the fleets of buses that had brought in the huge crowd and said it was given free food and drinks.
Most foreign journalists are banned from Iran. Those that remain, and their Iranian counterparts, were bussed to and from Azadi Square and barred from reporting on anything else, meaning only the patchiest information emerged from the rest of the city.
Opposition websites said Revolutionary Guards and basiji militiamen were stationed everywhere and that they moved swiftly and violently to break up opposition demonstrations.
They claimed the security forces used live ammunition, knives, teargas and paintballs that would enable them to identify protesters later and that they were beating and arresting women as well as men. They were backed up by water canon, new Chinese anti-riot vehicles and helicopters. Some, wearing plain clothes, infiltrated the protesters. The mobile telephone, internet and text messaging systems were seriously disrupted.
Mr Karroubi’s son, Hussein, said his father had to get out of his car and walk towards Sadeghieh Square, where thousands of supporters had gathered, because the roads were blocked. He was joined by other protestors, but they found their way blocked by plainclothes security forces who attacked them with knives, batons and tear gas.
Mr Karroubi’s bodyguards had to bundle him into a passing car which managed to drive him away, but not before the security forces smashed its windscreen. One of the bodyguards was seriously injured. Mr Karroubi’s other son, Ali, was arrested.
Film clips taken with mobile telephones showed opposition supporters chanting “Death to the dictator” on streets and in subway trains and ripping down a poster of Ayatollah Khomeini. Unrest was also reported in Shiraz, Isfahan, Mashad and other Iranian cities, but it was impossible to verify the reports.
It was also impossible to calculate how many opposition supporters turned out as their demonstrations were scattered. However the numbers appeared to be significantly smaller than on December 27, the holy day of Ashura, even though the Green movement’s three leaders had, unusually, urged their supporters to protest.
One protester insisted the opposition had come out in significant numbers, but “the problem was that we were not able to gather in one place because (the security forces) were very violent”.
Another said: “It means they won and we lost. They defeated us. They were able to gather so many people. But this doesn’t mean we have been defeated for good. It’s a defeat for now, today. We need time to regroup.”
Major General Gholam-Ali Rashid, deputy chief of staff of the armed forces, was quoted as saying: "The massive turnout of the nation shocked the central command of the arrogant front, including the US, England and the Zionist regime.”
Iran crushes opposition protests with violence
Times-
Iran’s regime thwarted the opposition’s hopes of turning the 31st anniversary celebrations of the Islamic revolution into another massive protest today.
It out-manoeuvred the so-called Green movement by swamping the official proceedings with huge numbers of its own supporters, preventing the media from covering anything else and blanketing the rest of the capital with security forces who forcefully suppressed the opposition’s relatively muted demonstrations.
President Ahmadinejad also sought to grab the headlines and divert attention from the protests by announcing that Iran had produced its first stock of 20 per cent-enriched uranium. He declared that Iran was now a “nuclear state”.
Opposition websites claimed a young woman named Leila Zareii, was killed and many others were wounded or arrested. The opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mohammed Khatami - a former president - were attacked, as was Zahra Rahnavard, wife of the Green Movement’s other leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Even Zahra Eshraghi, granddaughter of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the 1979 revolution, was briefly arrested. She and her brother, Hassan, are both opposition sympathisers and she is married to Mr Khatami’s brother.
“It's pretty clear that Greens everywhere will feel demoralised... The overall feeling is one of disappointment,” one well-placed source in Tehran told The Times last night. “The opposition miscalculated,” said another.
The regime was determined to prevent the so-called Green Movement from hijacking the biggest day in Iran’s calendar and largely succeeded.
It filled Azadi Square with tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters for the main event - Mr Ahmadinejad’s speech which was broadcast live on state television. Opposition websites posted pictures of the fleets of buses that had brought in the huge crowd and said it was given free food and drinks.
Most foreign journalists are banned from Iran. Those that remain, and their Iranian counterparts, were bussed to and from Azadi Square and barred from reporting on anything else, meaning only the patchiest information emerged from the rest of the city.
Opposition websites said Revolutionary Guards and basiji militiamen were stationed everywhere and that they moved swiftly and violently to break up opposition demonstrations.
They claimed the security forces used live ammunition, knives, teargas and paintballs that would enable them to identify protesters later and that they were beating and arresting women as well as men. They were backed up by water canon, new Chinese anti-riot vehicles and helicopters. Some, wearing plain clothes, infiltrated the protesters. The mobile telephone, internet and text messaging systems were seriously disrupted.
Mr Karroubi’s son, Hussein, said his father had to get out of his car and walk towards Sadeghieh Square, where thousands of supporters had gathered, because the roads were blocked. He was joined by other protestors, but they found their way blocked by plainclothes security forces who attacked them with knives, batons and tear gas.
Mr Karroubi’s bodyguards had to bundle him into a passing car which managed to drive him away, but not before the security forces smashed its windscreen. One of the bodyguards was seriously injured. Mr Karroubi’s other son, Ali, was arrested.
Film clips taken with mobile telephones showed opposition supporters chanting “Death to the dictator” on streets and in subway trains and ripping down a poster of Ayatollah Khomeini. Unrest was also reported in Shiraz, Isfahan, Mashad and other Iranian cities, but it was impossible to verify the reports.
It was also impossible to calculate how many opposition supporters turned out as their demonstrations were scattered. However the numbers appeared to be significantly smaller than on December 27, the holy day of Ashura, even though the Green movement’s three leaders had, unusually, urged their supporters to protest.
One protester insisted the opposition had come out in significant numbers, but “the problem was that we were not able to gather in one place because (the security forces) were very violent”.
Another said: “It means they won and we lost. They defeated us. They were able to gather so many people. But this doesn’t mean we have been defeated for good. It’s a defeat for now, today. We need time to regroup.”
Major General Gholam-Ali Rashid, deputy chief of staff of the armed forces, was quoted as saying: "The massive turnout of the nation shocked the central command of the arrogant front, including the US, England and the Zionist regime.”
wow extensive report of today's incident.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/11/AR2010021101947.html
Huge rally and protests mark Iran revolution
TEHRAN, Iran -- Hundreds of thousands of Iranians massed Thursday in central Tehran to mark the anniversary of the revolution that created the country's Islamic republic, while a heavy security force fanned out across the city and moved quickly to snuff out opposition counterprotests.
Police clashed with protesters in several sites around Tehran, firing tear gas to disperse them and paintballs to mark them for arrest. Gangs of hard-liners also attacked senior opposition figures as they tried to attend the rallies - including the wife of the head of the reform movement.
Plainclothes Basiji militiamen beat 65-year-old Zahra Rahnavard with clubs on her head and back until her supporters formed a human ring around her and whisked her away, according to the Web site of her husband, Mir Hossein Mousavi.
The celebrations marking the revolution's 31st anniversary were an opportunity for Iran's clerical regime to tout its power in the face of the opposition movement, which has managed to keep up periodic street protests since the disputed June presidential elections despite a fierce crackdown.
The opposition turnout was dwarfed by the huge crowd at the state-run celebrations. Many were bused in to central Azadi, or Freedom, Square to hear an address by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who proclaimed a new success in Iran's uranium enrichment program and dismissed new U.S. sanctions.
And the massive security clampdown appeared to succeed in preventing protesters from converging into a cohesive demonstrations. Large numbers of riot police, members of the Revolutionary Guard and Basij militiamen, some on motorcycles, deployed in back streets near key squares and major avenues in the capital to move against protesters.
Opposition Web sites spoke of groups of protesters in the hundreds, compared to much larger crowds in past demonstrations
One protester told The Associated Press she had tried to join the demonstrations but soon left in disappointment. "There were 300 of us, maximum 500. Against 10,000 people," she told an AP reporter outside Iran. She said there were few clashes.
"It means they won and we lost. They defeated us. They were able to gather so many people," she said. "But this doesn't mean we have been defeated for good. It's a defeat for now, today. We need time to regroup."
Another protester insisted the opposition had come out in significant numbers, but "the problem was that we were not able to gather in one place because they (security forces) were very violent."
Both spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation by authorities, who have jailed protesters for talking to foreign media.
Authorities banned foreign media in Iran from covering the pro-reform protests, while allowing them to cover the official anniversary ceremonies, including Ahmadinejad's speech, but there is a ban on covering opposition protests. Tehran residents also reported Internet speeds dropping dramatically and e-mail services such as Gmail being blocked in a common government tactic to foil opposition attempts to organize.
Thousands upon thousands marched along the city's broad avenues toward Azadi Square to celebrate the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to footage on state TV. There, the massive crowds waved Iranian flags and carried pictures of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic state, and his successor as supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
State buses ferried many to the square. State media touted the turnout as a show of support for the government - though to an extent, celebrations for the revolution cross partisan lines, and many Iranians who oppose Ahmadinejad but support the clerical leadership turn out annually. Among those attending was influential former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, an opposition supporter.
In his nationally televised address in the square, Ahmadinejad proclaimed that Iran has produced its first batch of uranium enriched to a higher level, 20 percent - and boasted that Iranian scientists are capable of going even further, to 80 percent. "But we don't ... because we don't need it," he said.
A day after Washington announced new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, Ahmadinejad vowed "the Iranian nation will never give in to bullying and illogical remarks.
He repeated Iran's stance that it is not building a nuclear weapon and does not intend to do so, adding, "If we wanted to manufacture a bomb, we would announce it."
Iran's move to further enrich uranium - from around 3 percent purity to 20 percent - has drawn sharp criticism from the United States and its allies, which accuse Tehran of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb. Uranium enriched to 90 percent can be used to build a warhead.
Ahmadinejad made no mention in his speech of Iran's political turmoil.
For days ahead of the anniversary celebrations, anti-government Web sites and blogs have called for a major turnout in counterprotests. Groups of opposition protesters gathered Thursday in several locations around Tehran, wearing green clothes and waving green balloons - the opposition's signature color.
Security forces fired tear gas to disperse a group of protesters who were trying to march toward Azadi Square as they chanted "death to the dictator," the opposition Web site Kaleme said, reporting an unknown number of arrests. Police and Basijis on motorbikes swept toward central Tehran, where protesters and security forces clashed in several locations, it reported.
The heaviest violence appeared to be in Sadeqieh Square, about a half-mile (one kilometer) from the anniversary rally, where riot police fired paint-filled balls at hundreds of protesters chanting opposition slogans, witnesses said. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from authorities.
The assault on Mousavi's wife took place in the square, and government supporters also blocked Mousavi himself from joining the protests, his Web site said.
Hard-liners also attacked the convoy of another senior opposition leader, Mahdi Karroubi, as he headed to the square, his son Hossein Karroubi told The Associated Press. The attackers smashed the windows of his car, forcing him to turn back from joining the protests, he said.
Security forces also briefly detained Khomeini's granddaughter and her husband, who are both senior pro-reform politicians, according to the couple's son, Ali.
The granddaughter, Zahra Eshraghi, and her husband Mohammad Reza Khatami, who is the brother of a former pro-reform president, were held for less than an hour before being released, their son told the AP.
The opposition claims that Ahmadinejad's victory in the June 12 election was fraudulent and that the true winner was pro-reform leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. Hundreds of thousands marched in the streets against the government in the weeks after the vote, prompting a massive wave of arrests.
Nevertheless, the opposition has succeeded in continuing to hold regular protests, often timing them to coincide with days of important political or religious significance in attempts to embarrass authorities. The tone of the rallies has shifted from outrage over Ahmadinejad's re-election to wider calls against the entire Islamic system, including Khamenei.
Tensions have mounted further since the last large-scale marches, in late December, which brought the most violent battles with security riots in months. At least eight people were killed in clashes between protesters and police, and security forces have intensified arrests in the weeks since.
In January, two people who were put on trial alongside opposition politicians and protesters were executed for allegedly plotting to overthrow the state. Authorities have announced that 10 other opposition supporters have also been sentenced to death - a move many believe was aimed at intimidating protesters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/11/AR2010021101947.html
Huge rally and protests mark Iran revolution
TEHRAN, Iran -- Hundreds of thousands of Iranians massed Thursday in central Tehran to mark the anniversary of the revolution that created the country's Islamic republic, while a heavy security force fanned out across the city and moved quickly to snuff out opposition counterprotests.
Police clashed with protesters in several sites around Tehran, firing tear gas to disperse them and paintballs to mark them for arrest. Gangs of hard-liners also attacked senior opposition figures as they tried to attend the rallies - including the wife of the head of the reform movement.
Plainclothes Basiji militiamen beat 65-year-old Zahra Rahnavard with clubs on her head and back until her supporters formed a human ring around her and whisked her away, according to the Web site of her husband, Mir Hossein Mousavi.
The celebrations marking the revolution's 31st anniversary were an opportunity for Iran's clerical regime to tout its power in the face of the opposition movement, which has managed to keep up periodic street protests since the disputed June presidential elections despite a fierce crackdown.
The opposition turnout was dwarfed by the huge crowd at the state-run celebrations. Many were bused in to central Azadi, or Freedom, Square to hear an address by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who proclaimed a new success in Iran's uranium enrichment program and dismissed new U.S. sanctions.
And the massive security clampdown appeared to succeed in preventing protesters from converging into a cohesive demonstrations. Large numbers of riot police, members of the Revolutionary Guard and Basij militiamen, some on motorcycles, deployed in back streets near key squares and major avenues in the capital to move against protesters.
Opposition Web sites spoke of groups of protesters in the hundreds, compared to much larger crowds in past demonstrations
One protester told The Associated Press she had tried to join the demonstrations but soon left in disappointment. "There were 300 of us, maximum 500. Against 10,000 people," she told an AP reporter outside Iran. She said there were few clashes.
"It means they won and we lost. They defeated us. They were able to gather so many people," she said. "But this doesn't mean we have been defeated for good. It's a defeat for now, today. We need time to regroup."
Another protester insisted the opposition had come out in significant numbers, but "the problem was that we were not able to gather in one place because they (security forces) were very violent."
Both spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation by authorities, who have jailed protesters for talking to foreign media.
Authorities banned foreign media in Iran from covering the pro-reform protests, while allowing them to cover the official anniversary ceremonies, including Ahmadinejad's speech, but there is a ban on covering opposition protests. Tehran residents also reported Internet speeds dropping dramatically and e-mail services such as Gmail being blocked in a common government tactic to foil opposition attempts to organize.
Thousands upon thousands marched along the city's broad avenues toward Azadi Square to celebrate the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to footage on state TV. There, the massive crowds waved Iranian flags and carried pictures of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic state, and his successor as supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
State buses ferried many to the square. State media touted the turnout as a show of support for the government - though to an extent, celebrations for the revolution cross partisan lines, and many Iranians who oppose Ahmadinejad but support the clerical leadership turn out annually. Among those attending was influential former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, an opposition supporter.
In his nationally televised address in the square, Ahmadinejad proclaimed that Iran has produced its first batch of uranium enriched to a higher level, 20 percent - and boasted that Iranian scientists are capable of going even further, to 80 percent. "But we don't ... because we don't need it," he said.
A day after Washington announced new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, Ahmadinejad vowed "the Iranian nation will never give in to bullying and illogical remarks.
He repeated Iran's stance that it is not building a nuclear weapon and does not intend to do so, adding, "If we wanted to manufacture a bomb, we would announce it."
Iran's move to further enrich uranium - from around 3 percent purity to 20 percent - has drawn sharp criticism from the United States and its allies, which accuse Tehran of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb. Uranium enriched to 90 percent can be used to build a warhead.
Ahmadinejad made no mention in his speech of Iran's political turmoil.
For days ahead of the anniversary celebrations, anti-government Web sites and blogs have called for a major turnout in counterprotests. Groups of opposition protesters gathered Thursday in several locations around Tehran, wearing green clothes and waving green balloons - the opposition's signature color.
Security forces fired tear gas to disperse a group of protesters who were trying to march toward Azadi Square as they chanted "death to the dictator," the opposition Web site Kaleme said, reporting an unknown number of arrests. Police and Basijis on motorbikes swept toward central Tehran, where protesters and security forces clashed in several locations, it reported.
The heaviest violence appeared to be in Sadeqieh Square, about a half-mile (one kilometer) from the anniversary rally, where riot police fired paint-filled balls at hundreds of protesters chanting opposition slogans, witnesses said. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from authorities.
The assault on Mousavi's wife took place in the square, and government supporters also blocked Mousavi himself from joining the protests, his Web site said.
Hard-liners also attacked the convoy of another senior opposition leader, Mahdi Karroubi, as he headed to the square, his son Hossein Karroubi told The Associated Press. The attackers smashed the windows of his car, forcing him to turn back from joining the protests, he said.
Security forces also briefly detained Khomeini's granddaughter and her husband, who are both senior pro-reform politicians, according to the couple's son, Ali.
The granddaughter, Zahra Eshraghi, and her husband Mohammad Reza Khatami, who is the brother of a former pro-reform president, were held for less than an hour before being released, their son told the AP.
The opposition claims that Ahmadinejad's victory in the June 12 election was fraudulent and that the true winner was pro-reform leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. Hundreds of thousands marched in the streets against the government in the weeks after the vote, prompting a massive wave of arrests.
Nevertheless, the opposition has succeeded in continuing to hold regular protests, often timing them to coincide with days of important political or religious significance in attempts to embarrass authorities. The tone of the rallies has shifted from outrage over Ahmadinejad's re-election to wider calls against the entire Islamic system, including Khamenei.
Tensions have mounted further since the last large-scale marches, in late December, which brought the most violent battles with security riots in months. At least eight people were killed in clashes between protesters and police, and security forces have intensified arrests in the weeks since.
In January, two people who were put on trial alongside opposition politicians and protesters were executed for allegedly plotting to overthrow the state. Authorities have announced that 10 other opposition supporters have also been sentenced to death - a move many believe was aimed at intimidating protesters.
6:50 PM Tehran time - 3:20 PM GMT
Tehran
Security forces continue to clash with opposition demonstrators in various parts of Tehran, including Arya Shahr and Ferdows Boulevard. Basijis and police who have been stationed in the city since last night are reportedly exhausted and have been compelled to retreat on several occasions.
6:45 PM Tehran time - 3:15 PM GMT
Shiraz
Protesters continue to demonstrate in Chamran and Namazi streets.
Tehran
Security forces continue to clash with opposition demonstrators in various parts of Tehran, including Arya Shahr and Ferdows Boulevard. Basijis and police who have been stationed in the city since last night are reportedly exhausted and have been compelled to retreat on several occasions.
6:45 PM Tehran time - 3:15 PM GMT
Shiraz
Protesters continue to demonstrate in Chamran and Namazi streets.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/opposition_leader_wife_attacked_NrDf8kP3g4t0Nsf6w9npSP
Opposition leader's wife attacked by militia in Iran
The wife of Iran's main opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi was attacked by government militia Thursday, according to a report on his official Facebook page.
Dr. Zahra Rahnavard was on her way to join an opposition demonstration in Sadeghieh Square, Tehran, when she was reportedly surrounded and physically assaulted by plain-clothed agents.
"The plain clothes militia physically assaulted her and beat her with batons at her head and back," the Facebook message read.
It said Dr. Rahnavard was able to escape the attack after a large crowd of protesters formed a human shield to protect her, allowing her to leave the area.
AP
In this Monday, photo, Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi speaks during a campaign gathering in downtown Tehran.
IRAN NOW A NUCLEAR STATE
Opposition website Kaleme.org corroborated reports of the attack on Mousavi's wife, adding that Mousavi himself was prevented from joining the opposition rally by security forces.
Cars carrying opposition leaders Mohammad Khatami and Mehdi Karroubi were also reported to have been ambushed by police and plainclothes security guards in Tehran Thursday, although neither man was hurt.
The reports cannot be independently confirmed due to a foreign media blackout in the country.
Former presidential candidate Mousavi earlier urged anti-regime supporters to take to streets Thursday, on the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
Protests spread across the country, with reports of hundreds of people chanting anti-government slogans in the cities of Mashhad, Isfahan and Gachsaran, as well as Tehran.
However, Iran's state-run media organization Press TV contended that only "a few hundred" anti-government protesters rallied in Tehran, next to the "millions" of pro-government Iranians on the streets.
"An extraordinarily high number of people from all walks of life marched across the city and gathered at Azadi (Freedom) Square to take part in the festivities," a statement on its website read.
"They were carrying banners denouncing the enemies of the country. A few hundred of supporters of Iran's defeated presidential candidates also rallied in Tehran."
Opposition protesters accused security forces of using live ammunition, knives and teargas against them, as well as paint-filled balls that would identify those opposed to the regime later.
More mobile phone footage from the protests posted on Facebook showed an Iranian protester apparently being viciously beaten by a militia man in full armor.
Unconfirmed reports on Twitter suggested a woman was killed in opposition protests in Tehran, as Iranian dissidents claimed two female protesters were "severely beaten" by police.
Celebrations to mark Iran's revolution anniversary have traditionally been festive, and an opportunity for Iranian leaders to showcase popular support for the establishment.
But this year opposition supporters used the occasion to stage anti-government rallies, amid increased tension following last year's disputed presidential election.
- Sky News, The Times of London and AFP contributed to this report
Opposition leader's wife attacked by militia in Iran
The wife of Iran's main opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi was attacked by government militia Thursday, according to a report on his official Facebook page.
Dr. Zahra Rahnavard was on her way to join an opposition demonstration in Sadeghieh Square, Tehran, when she was reportedly surrounded and physically assaulted by plain-clothed agents.
"The plain clothes militia physically assaulted her and beat her with batons at her head and back," the Facebook message read.
It said Dr. Rahnavard was able to escape the attack after a large crowd of protesters formed a human shield to protect her, allowing her to leave the area.
In this Monday, photo, Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi speaks during a campaign gathering in downtown Tehran.
IRAN NOW A NUCLEAR STATE
Opposition website Kaleme.org corroborated reports of the attack on Mousavi's wife, adding that Mousavi himself was prevented from joining the opposition rally by security forces.
Cars carrying opposition leaders Mohammad Khatami and Mehdi Karroubi were also reported to have been ambushed by police and plainclothes security guards in Tehran Thursday, although neither man was hurt.
The reports cannot be independently confirmed due to a foreign media blackout in the country.
Former presidential candidate Mousavi earlier urged anti-regime supporters to take to streets Thursday, on the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
Protests spread across the country, with reports of hundreds of people chanting anti-government slogans in the cities of Mashhad, Isfahan and Gachsaran, as well as Tehran.
However, Iran's state-run media organization Press TV contended that only "a few hundred" anti-government protesters rallied in Tehran, next to the "millions" of pro-government Iranians on the streets.
"An extraordinarily high number of people from all walks of life marched across the city and gathered at Azadi (Freedom) Square to take part in the festivities," a statement on its website read.
"They were carrying banners denouncing the enemies of the country. A few hundred of supporters of Iran's defeated presidential candidates also rallied in Tehran."
Opposition protesters accused security forces of using live ammunition, knives and teargas against them, as well as paint-filled balls that would identify those opposed to the regime later.
More mobile phone footage from the protests posted on Facebook showed an Iranian protester apparently being viciously beaten by a militia man in full armor.
Unconfirmed reports on Twitter suggested a woman was killed in opposition protests in Tehran, as Iranian dissidents claimed two female protesters were "severely beaten" by police.
Celebrations to mark Iran's revolution anniversary have traditionally been festive, and an opportunity for Iranian leaders to showcase popular support for the establishment.
But this year opposition supporters used the occasion to stage anti-government rallies, amid increased tension following last year's disputed presidential election.
- Sky News, The Times of London and AFP contributed to this report
Obama White House eyes celebration in Iran
http://content.usatoday.com/communi.../obama-white-house-eyes-celebration-in-iran/1
USA Today-
The Obama administration is keeping a close eye today on Iran, where celebration of the Islamic Revolution's 31st anniversary spotlights two developing stories.One is Iran's nuclear program.
The other is internal opposition to the Islamic regime.
In a televised address, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared Iran "a nuclear state" and said it has managed to enrich uranium at its highest level yet. He added that the nation seeks only nuclear energy, not nuclear weapons.
"If we wanted to manufacture a bomb, we would announce it," Ahmadinejad said.
He also denounced new U.S. sanctions: "The Iranian nation will never give in to bullying and illogical remarks."
In the meantime, Iranian security moved to snuff out any protests against the restrictive regime.
http://content.usatoday.com/communi.../obama-white-house-eyes-celebration-in-iran/1
USA Today-
The Obama administration is keeping a close eye today on Iran, where celebration of the Islamic Revolution's 31st anniversary spotlights two developing stories.One is Iran's nuclear program.
The other is internal opposition to the Islamic regime.
In a televised address, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared Iran "a nuclear state" and said it has managed to enrich uranium at its highest level yet. He added that the nation seeks only nuclear energy, not nuclear weapons.
"If we wanted to manufacture a bomb, we would announce it," Ahmadinejad said.
He also denounced new U.S. sanctions: "The Iranian nation will never give in to bullying and illogical remarks."
In the meantime, Iranian security moved to snuff out any protests against the restrictive regime.
Nilou this shows how scared the government was of this event, since it was advertised since this movement started really ... so IR had pulled every stop to prevent a downfall but I guess the people "disappointed" them by not showing up in masses ... I don't want to be a constant pessimistic voice in here and I'm sure IR will go down eventually, just maybe not as soon as some of us thought ... what a waste of my vacation day
so true well said spanx jan.
oh u are on vacation?!ouch!!lol yeah not the best way to spend it!
Im actually glad today didnt turn out to be the Final day..we still dont know whom we want to represent us in future govt, so any other fanatic group could invade Iran if today would be the last day of IR.
oh u are on vacation?!ouch!!lol yeah not the best way to spend it!
Im actually glad today didnt turn out to be the Final day..we still dont know whom we want to represent us in future govt, so any other fanatic group could invade Iran if today would be the last day of IR.
6:40 PM (Tehran Time)
I will stop liveblogging now. There are still reports of small protests in Tehran and other cities, but people are largely returning home. Here’s a brief summary of the day’s events in Iran:
I can so far confirm green protests in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad and Ahvaz. I can partially confirm a protest in Tabriz. I cannot say anything about numbers, but violence broke out in every city where I can confirm a protest. Dozens were arrested in Tehran – possibly hundreds. 100 people were arrested in Mashhad and about two dozen were arrested in Shiraz and Isfahan respectively.
Oppostion leaders:
Mousavi: Attended, but forced to leave.
Rahnavard: Was attacked, forced to leave.
Karroubi: Attacked, forced to leave.
Khatami: Attacked, forced to leave.
I will stop liveblogging now. There are still reports of small protests in Tehran and other cities, but people are largely returning home. Here’s a brief summary of the day’s events in Iran:
I can so far confirm green protests in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad and Ahvaz. I can partially confirm a protest in Tabriz. I cannot say anything about numbers, but violence broke out in every city where I can confirm a protest. Dozens were arrested in Tehran – possibly hundreds. 100 people were arrested in Mashhad and about two dozen were arrested in Shiraz and Isfahan respectively.
Oppostion leaders:
Mousavi: Attended, but forced to leave.
Rahnavard: Was attacked, forced to leave.
Karroubi: Attacked, forced to leave.
Khatami: Attacked, forced to leave.