Police use tear gas to disperse fresh protestors in Iran

Jul 9, 2009, 14:44 GMT

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.