Tehran Police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of
protestors who tried on Thursday to gather near Tehran
University, sources within student circles said.
The renewed demonstrations had been called to mark the 10th
anniversary of the 1999 student unrest. The protestors were initially
dispersed but regrouped and again gathered shouting Death to
Dictator.' There were no major clashes.
A large member of police and anti-riot forces are deployed in all
streets leading to the university and the nearby Revolution Square,
in centre of the capital. They prevented people from congregating,
even in small groups, a witness said.
Pedestrians were urged by police using loudspeakers to leave the
area and warned they would be beaten with batons if they did not
comply, the witnesses said.
The Tehran governor's office had earlier warned that any protest
demonstration or gathering would be decisively confronted as the
Interior Ministry had not given permission for such meetings on
Thursday.
Iran's opposition groups had planned to Thursday begin a new form
of protest demonstration which was supposed to neither provoke police
nor supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In various internet messages the opposition supporters, mainly
those backing opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi, wanted to hold
silent protests throughout the country on the 10th anniversary of the
student protests.
They wanted to gather at several areas to make it difficult for
both police and pro-Ahmadinejad Basij militia to trace them.
Protest organizers called on the people to just silently walk in
several districts, make no slogans, not wear anything green which
would symbolize their support for Moussavi and just from time to time
show a victory sign.
Moussavi has several times said that his supporters should
continue their protests over alleged election fraud but not violate
legal boundaries in order to prevent further casualties.
According to official statistics, 20 demonstrators and eight pro-
Ahmadinejad militia have been killed since the protests which started
following the June 12 presidential election.
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