Opposition supporters reportedly persisted in the streets of Tehran until 11
pm on Monday night and in various locations shouts of "Allah-o-Akbar" were heard
from rooftops in protest to the hardline government until late hours of the
night.
State news agencies reported one person killed
and several others injured in Monday's protests. Fars and Mehr news agencies
claimed the victims were "rioters" linked to the exiled dissident group,
People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran.
Monday's protests in Tehran and other major Iranian cities were held despite a
ban on the rally which was proposed by opposition leaders as a mark of
solidarity with the people of Egypt and Tunisia.
Despite heavy security deployment, people took to the streets in tens of
thousands expressing anti-government sentiments.
The opposition leaders who had proposed the rally were held under house arrest
by the authorities and were unable to participate in the demonstrations.
Kaleme website reported "a significant presence of people from different social
strata, especially workers and the oppressed, both old and young."
The mass presence recalled the summer of 2009
when Iranians took to the streets in mass demonstrations to protest against the
controversial re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidential elections
which they alleged were rigged. The mass demonstrations were fiercely crushed by
violent security clampdown on protesters.
Monday's protests were the first time in the past year that the people have
achieved to show another significant street presence in defiance of state claims
that their movement is over.
Opposition websites congratulated the people for their extreme self-restraint
and ability to maintain the protests civil and peaceful despite pressure from
pro-government forces.
The opposition has claimed Monday as a clear victory. Emphasizing the need to
restrict actions to non-violent strategies, they have urged the establishment to
heed their demands for free elections and respect for civil rights.
