Iran: Widespread arrests reported on day of protest
Source: Radio Zamaneh
Tehran saw some sparks of protest on February 14, and accounts of scattered
demonstrations in other large cities, like Shiraz and Esfahan, were relayed
through eyewitness reports, since all independent and international coverage of
the protests was prohibited by the authorities.
The Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope, an Iranian opposition
group, had issued a call to rally Green Movement supporters to mark the
anniversary of last year's February 14 protest with a march of silence in the
streets of Tehran and major cities.
State measures against the rally appear to have begun days earlier, as internet
speeds slowed to a crawl and some personal email accounts were reportedly
inaccessible over the past week.
On February 14, several parts of Tehran experienced a serious disruption in
mobile services.
The day began with the heavy deployment of security forces, police and
plainclothes forces all across Tehran.
The sidewalks of major city thoroughfares were reported to be unusually crowded,
but security forces continuously stopped people from coalescing into a group.
Clashes with security forces were reported in some areas, as was the use of
teargas bombs.
Businesses were forced to close down at Haft Tir Square and all around Tehran
University.
After nightfall, the Melli Mazhabi website reported "extensive" arrests in
Tehran and passed along eyewitness accounts of buses full of detainees.
Other reports indicate that security forces were stopping people where crowds
had gathered and checking their mobile phones to see if they were sending
protest-related pictures or messages.
The state media has basically blacked out any report on the events of the day.
However, Iranian Prosecutor General Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei once again used
last year's explanation for the crowds, saying they were shopping for the
Iranian New Year, even though it is still more than a month away.
One year ago, after Iranians responded to the rally call by opposition leaders
Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, the authorities put the leaders and their
wives under house arrest, cutting them off from the outside world. Activists
inside Iran and internationally have denounced their house arrest, maintaining
that such treatment breaks both Islamic Republic and international laws.
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... Payvand News - 02/15/12 ... --
