The Iranian regime, desperate to restore order after massive protests, arrested more than 1,000 people Monday in an increasingly doubtful bid to suppress an opposition movement that appears to be growing stronger by the day. Among those arrested were a septuagenarian former foreign minister and top aides to defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi and [...]
When does an uprising become a revolution? Throughout history, demonstrations, strikes and riots have brought crowds out on to the streets and threatened governments. In most countries a swift crackdown coupled with political concessions have usually contained popular unrest. But when violence is extreme, anger long pent up and regimes lose their nerve, a tipping [...]
US President Barack Obama on Monday condemned the crackdown by Iranian security forces against protesters and called on Tehran to immediately free those “unjustly detained”. Speaking in Hawaii, where he is on vacation, Obama said that the United States stood with protesters in Iran, whose bid for justice had been met with the “iron fist [...]
Reporters Without Borders on Monday blasted the arrests of pro-reform figures and journalists in Iran, following yesterday’s violent crackdown on protesters. Rights campaigner and journalist, Emadeddin Baghi, was among those arrested today in Tehran. He was taken to an unknown location. Two aides to former President Mohammad Khatami and three aides to Mir Hossein Mousavi, [...]
Amnesty International on Monday condemned what it called the “wholly avoidable” deaths of up to 15 people in Iran during protests yesterday. Protesters used the Shiite Muslim holy day of Ashura to stage fresh anti-government protests, which were the most violent since those following June’s disputed presidential election. Iran’s state-funded Press TV put the death [...]
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday condemned the violent crackdown by Iranian security forces against protesters and called on Iran to respect civil rights. At least eight people were killed and hundreds wounded in protests throughout Iran, which took place on the Shiite holy day of Ashura. “I condemn the recent violent clashes in Iran, [...]
Mehdi Karroubi, one of Iran’s top opposition leaders and a defeated presidential candidate, was attacked upon leaving a mosque in eastern Tehran, his party’s website reported Monday. “Mehdi Karroubi, who was with his family attending a mourning ceremony… in a mosque in eastern Tehran, was attacked by some rogue assailants,” his Etemademelli party said on [...]
The Russian Foreign Ministry has voiced concern over the recent anti-government protests in Iran and said Russia is not meddling in Iran’s internal affairs. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Monday, after protests in Iran on Sunday during the Shia Muslim ceremonies for Ashura, which is the anniversary of the martyrdom of the [...]
(CNN) — Iranian intelligence officials have detained the sister of Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian lawyer and human rights activist said. Ebadi said Monday that three men and a woman arrived at the Tehran home she shared with her sister, searched the house and seized Nushin Ebadi, 47, and her computer. “They have detained [...]
Scores of Iranian reformist political figures have been arrested following yesterday’s protests. Reformist websites report that the arrests have commenced from the early hours of today Monday. Ebrahim Yazdi, head of Nehzat-e Azadi was arrested at 3 a.m. this morning. Emadeddin Baghi, journalist and human rights activist, was also arrested some time later. Reportedly Hosein [...]