Iran - Regime steals corpse of Mousavi's slain nephew
shyster1
Seven prominent opposition members arrested following clashes that
erupted at weekend
By Ali Akbar Dareini
The Associated Press, in Tehran
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
The body of the nephew of Iran's opposition leader – slain in the
deadliest day of anti-government protests in months – disappeared from
hospital yesterday, and security forces detained at least seven
prominent activists, according to opposition reports.
Iranian state television said that eight people had died in Sunday's
street violence, but independent confirmation of the casualty toll was
virtually impossible because of curbs on media coverage. Tehran
residents say restrictions on internet access were intensified, and
Iranians were unable to see opposition websites. Mobile phone and text-
messaging services were sporadic.
Reza Mousavi said that the body of his brother, Ali Mousavi, was taken
overnight from a Tehran hospital and that nobody had accepted
"responsibility" for removing the corpse. Authorities were possibly
seeking to deter mourners from organising more protests around the
funeral.
The killed man was the nephew of Iran's opposition leader, Mir-Hossein
Mousavi, a presidential contender in a disputed election in June.
Sunday's bloodshed drew harsh condemnation from another opposition
leader, who compared the current Ahmadinejad government to the
dictatorship that was ousted by the Islamic Revolution three decades
ago.
In an online statement, Mehdi Karroubi, another candidate in the June
election, asked how the government could spill its people's blood
during commemorations of Shia Islam's most important observance,
Ashura. He told the opposition Rah-e-Sabz website that even the former
government of the hated Shah Pahlavi, who was overthrown in 1979,
respected the holy day, and described those who confronted the
protesters as "savage individuals".
The government crackdown drew sharp criticism from the West, which is
already locked in a dispute with Iran over its suspected efforts to
develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is for
peaceful purposes.
The US President, Barack Obama, on holiday in Hawaii, strongly
condemned what he said was the "iron fist of brutality" to quell the
protests and demanded the immediate release of those who had been
detained.
The Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, said it was "particularly
disturbing" to hear reports of the crackdown by security forces on the
sacred occasion of Ashura, and urged Iran to respect human rights.
Germany's foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, warned that "the
international community will watch and not look away".
Sunday's violence erupted when security forces fired on stone-throwing
protesters in the centre of Tehran. Opposition activists said security
forces raided a series of opposition offices yesterday, making at
least seven arrests. Among them was Mousavi's top adviser, Alireza
Beheshti, and two other senior aides.
Security forces also stormed a foundation run by the reformist former
president Mohammad Khatami and arrested two people, a foundation
official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of fears of
police reprisal. The Baran Foundation works to promote dialogue
between civilizations.
There were also reports that the former foreign minister Ebrahim Yazdi
and the human rights activist Emad Baghi were detained. The arrests
could not be independently confirmed.
Police said dozens of officers were injured and more than 300
protesters were arrested in the violence.
Sunday's violence marked the bloodiest confrontation since the height
of unrest in the weeks after June's election. The opposition says
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won re-election through massive vote
fraud and that Mousavi was the true winner.
The death on 19 December of the 87-year-old Grand Ayatollah Hossein-
Ali Montazeri, a sharp critic of Iran's leaders, gave a new push to
opposition protests. Opposition leaders have used holidays and other
symbolic days in recent months to stage anti-government rallies.