Attachmen
TEHRAN, Iran
A political fervor has taken over Iran’s cities, a reaction to the June 14th election results which many claim were rigged in favor of the conservative Presidential incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Over the past few days citizens in Iran’s cities have taken to the streets claiming that their votes for reformist candidate Mir Hussein Mossavi were not counted. The election results were announced within one hour of the polls closing, creating skepticism over their legitimacy. According to the publicized results, Mr. Ahmadinejad is the clear victor with over 62.61 percent of the vote, contrasting Moussavi 33.75 percent.
Hundreds of thousands marched on the streets of Tehran on Monday to protest the election results. The political dissent has led to a violent crackdown from the riot police, leading to the death of seven protesters.
Amnesty International has received reports from Iran that plain-clothes security forces unnecessarily used batons to beat and disperse non-violent individuals, injuring many people. At least 170 people were arrested on Saturday during clashes between security forces and hundreds of demonstrators around the Ministry of the Interior and other areas in central Tehran. Those arrested included leading political figures who were accused by the authorities to have ‘orchestrated’
Student World Assembly (SWA) is calling on the Iranian government to show restraint and recognize the right of the Iranian people to peacefully assemble and express themselves. SWA is also urging an independent review of the election results with transparency and the release of prisoners who have been detained for expressing their political differences.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
