Opposition Demonstrations in Iran Mark 10 Yrs. Since Student Protests

10 July 2009 :: staff

Thousands of opposition demonstrators gathered today in Tehran to mark the 10th anniversary of student pro-democracy demonstrations. Anecdotal reports cited widespread chants of “God is great”, “Death to the dictator” and “Down with Khamene’i”, a sign that the supreme leader has been stained by his actions in the disputed election. Security forces fired tear gas at demonstrators who joined the march to Tehran University.

After weeks of decreased visibility of strong opposition demonstrations, today’s rally appeared more heated and more determined. Demonstrators were reported to have called on the government to step down, accusing them of effecting a coup by rigging the vote last month. Defiance appears to have re-emerged, and supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi have reportedly called for new demonstrations around Tehran and in other cities.

There are fears of more violence against unarmed civilians, as the governor of Tehran has said any new opposition protests will be crushed, implying the use of military force. Morteza Tamaddon has said security forces will “smash” any renewed anti-government demonstrations, and accused pro-democracy groups complaining of electoral fraud of being part of a foreign plot in league with “notorious” counter-revolutionaries.

In fact, force was used today to put down the most serious new round of demonstrations seen in 11 days, since the crackdown turned bloody. According to the New York Times:

As tear gas canisters cracked and hissed in the middle of crowds, and baton-wielding police officers chased up and down sidewalks, young people, some bloodied, ran for cover, and there was an almost festive feeling on the streets of Tehran, witnesses reported.

A young woman, her clothing covered in blood, ran up Kagar Street, paused for a minute and said, “I am not scared because we are in this together.”

Tensions between Tehran and Paris are escalating, as Paris demands the release of Clotilde Reiss, a 23-year-old teaching assistant, detained by Iranian authorities and accused of espionage. The French president and foreign minister have demanded her release, in no uncertain terms, and the French ambassador to Tehran was permitted to visit Ms. Reiss at the Evin prison, where she’s being held.

The case is reminiscent of the detention of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, who was detained on charges of possession of wine, then accused of reporting without a license and finally tried and convicted in secret on charges of espionage. She was held at the same prison where Ms. Reiss is now being held. US officials, including Pres. Obama and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, demanded her release; Swiss embassy officials sought to mediate.

Ms. Saberi was eventually released, after Pres. Ahmedinejad ordered the court to review the process by which Saberi was tried and to hear her full defense argument. Some have alleged that Saberi’s detention and the detention of Ms. Reiss have been part of a deliberate strategy to shift blame for the opposition to the government to an alleged foreign plot.

There are fears authorities may be planning not only more rounds of mass detention, but the disappearance and/or execution of opposition figures. Numerous backers of the Ahmedinejad-Khamene’i camp have accused opposition leaders of crimes against the state for openly criticizing the official results of the election, and Iran is said to execute more prisoners than any nation other than China, which has a population 18 times greater than Iran’s.

The burning of trash cans and other strategies used by demonstrators today in Tehran showed an attempt to prevent security forces from getting close enough to use force. But security forces were quick to intervene and moved aggressively to disperse demonstrators before anything resembling flaming barricades could be erected. There were reports of shots fired, but some reporters said the sounds could also be the report of teargas canisters being fired.

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