By David Connett and agencies
The Independent/UK, Sunday, June 21, 2009
ap
Supporters of defeated opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi battled with the police in Tehran yesterday
Iranian security forces used water cannon, batons and tear gas in clashes with protesters in Tehran yesterday after crowds demanding fresh presidential elections gathered in defiance of government and police warnings. Eyewitnesses described fierce clashes near Revolution Square in central Tehran after some 3,000 protesters chanted “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to Khamenei”.
Running battles erupted in Tehran’s streets after security forces sought to prevent demonstrators from gathering in large numbers. One witness said supporters of the defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi set on fire a building in southern Tehran used by backers of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The witness also said police fired into the air to disperse rival supporters in Tehran’s South Karegar street.
Elsewhere in Tehran, several witnesses reported live ammunition being fired. Last night growing evidence was emerging that scores of demonstrators had been killed or wounded. Eyewitness reports and graphic video and phone camera footage captured killings and carnage on Tehran’s streets as protesters and security forces clashed. Reporting restrictions made it difficult to independently confirm many of the claims but the weight and detail of many of the accounts on internet sites such as Twitter or YouTube lent credibility to the claims.
Tags: firing at protersters, Iran, killed and wounded, Mir Hossein Mousavi, President Ahmadinejad, protests, security forces
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