Iranian Police warned protesters that they
will no longer "be lenient" with dissidents.
A downed street sign in Tehran on Sunday December 27
The street is named after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
Police Commander, Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam told
reporters at a press meeting that protesters have been "taking advantage" of
police "leniency" toward them.
He also cautioned that they will not be "lenient" with the detainees and will
hold them until the end of the investigations.
According to Ahmadi Moghaddam, 120 police
officers were injured on Sunday, the Ashura Day protests and 60 of them have
been hospitalized.
He also claimed 500 people were arrested and added that not all the arrests were
made by the police. Earlier the police had announced that 300 people had been
arrested on Ashura Day.
Green movement has snowballed from just supporters of Mousavi to a broad
grouping of diverse oppositionists.
In reference to the car which had gone around the
city running protesters over, Police Commander claimed it was a "stolen" car
which had been identified. However, he remarked that the car from which Ali
Mousavi, nephew of opposition leader MirHosein Mousavi, was shot has not been
identified yet.
Ali Mousavi was shot to death on Sunday by an unknown assailant. Reformist sites
claim Ali Mousavi was shot from the same car that was running people over.
Commander Moghaddam became defensive when a reporter referred to a video clip
posted on the internet that showed a police car running people over on Ashura
Day.
"There are so such images. Do not lie! You are not allowed to ask false
questions!" the Commander retorted.
A clip was posted on You Tube showing two police
vehicles running people over during Sunday's rallies.
Ahmadreza Radan, Police Chief, has been quoted as saying: "Police has used the
least possible violence in its confrontations" with people.
Officially police have reported that during Ashura Day events, 8 people were
killed and tens were injured. However, reformist website Jaras reports that
according to an IRNA secret bulletin 37 people were killed on Ashura.
