Iran 16.06.2009
The top legislative body in Iran has said it is willing to hold a recount of votes from the disputed presidential election that put President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad back in office and triggered violent opposition protests.
A state television broadcast said on Tuesday that the Guardian Council was ready to recount, and added that it may lead to changes in candidates’ tallies.
The results of the presidential poll were met with fury by supporters of the main opposition candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi.
On Monday night, hundreds of thousands of Musavi's followers took to the streets to decry what they say was foul play at the ballot box.
Iranian state radio said the 'illegal' rally turned violent towards the end, when a military post was attacked with the intention of looting the weapons inside.
The broadcast said thugs taking part in the "illegal" demonstration in the capital Tehran had "attacked and vandalized a number of public and government buildings," in what it described as an "organized and coordinated" event.
"Unfortunately, seven of our citizens were killed and a number of them injured," the radio broadcast stated.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Riot police chase opposition supporters in Tehran
One source, however, told the AFP news agency that the emergency services claimed eight had been killed and many more injured in the incident. An unnamed nurse at a city hospital said 28 people with bullet wounds had been brought in, and that eight of them had died.
State television has since said that authorities have arrested the "main agents" in the post-election unrest, but it did not say how many had been detained.
Planned protests
Supporters of Ahmadinejad's defeated challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, have already announced plans to hold another rally on Tuesday, this time at the same central Tehran square where President Ahmadinejad celebrated his controversial reelection victory on Sunday.
Hardliners loyal to Ahmadinejad responded to the planned demonstration by calling for a counter protest. An organization affliated with the government was quoted on Iran's Fars news agency as saying a pro-government rally would also be held on Tuesdsay in the same Tehran square where opposition supporters are scheduled to converge.
The news agency said Ahmadinejad followers would meet "in protest against the recent agitation and destruction of public property."
Meanwhile the country’s top dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri has appealed to opposition followers to act peacefully. He issued a statement to the "noble and oppressed Iranian nation," in which he appealed to everyone, but especially the nation’s youth, to pursue their rights with "patience and restraint."
He said protesters should preserve the "calm and security of the country an avoid any violence," adding that their presence at public demonstrations was a clear show of support for defeated presidential candidates in pursuit of the "violated rights."
tkw/AFP/reuters
Editor: Jennifer Abramsohn
The top legislative body in Iran has said it is willing to hold a recount of votes from the disputed presidential election that put President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad back in office and triggered violent opposition protests.
A state television broadcast said on Tuesday that the Guardian Council was ready to recount, and added that it may lead to changes in candidates’ tallies.
The results of the presidential poll were met with fury by supporters of the main opposition candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi.
On Monday night, hundreds of thousands of Musavi's followers took to the streets to decry what they say was foul play at the ballot box.
Iranian state radio said the 'illegal' rally turned violent towards the end, when a military post was attacked with the intention of looting the weapons inside.
The broadcast said thugs taking part in the "illegal" demonstration in the capital Tehran had "attacked and vandalized a number of public and government buildings," in what it described as an "organized and coordinated" event.
"Unfortunately, seven of our citizens were killed and a number of them injured," the radio broadcast stated.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Riot police chase opposition supporters in Tehran
One source, however, told the AFP news agency that the emergency services claimed eight had been killed and many more injured in the incident. An unnamed nurse at a city hospital said 28 people with bullet wounds had been brought in, and that eight of them had died.
State television has since said that authorities have arrested the "main agents" in the post-election unrest, but it did not say how many had been detained.
Planned protests
Supporters of Ahmadinejad's defeated challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, have already announced plans to hold another rally on Tuesday, this time at the same central Tehran square where President Ahmadinejad celebrated his controversial reelection victory on Sunday.
Hardliners loyal to Ahmadinejad responded to the planned demonstration by calling for a counter protest. An organization affliated with the government was quoted on Iran's Fars news agency as saying a pro-government rally would also be held on Tuesdsay in the same Tehran square where opposition supporters are scheduled to converge.
The news agency said Ahmadinejad followers would meet "in protest against the recent agitation and destruction of public property."
Meanwhile the country’s top dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri has appealed to opposition followers to act peacefully. He issued a statement to the "noble and oppressed Iranian nation," in which he appealed to everyone, but especially the nation’s youth, to pursue their rights with "patience and restraint."
He said protesters should preserve the "calm and security of the country an avoid any violence," adding that their presence at public demonstrations was a clear show of support for defeated presidential candidates in pursuit of the "violated rights."
tkw/AFP/reuters
Editor: Jennifer Abramsohn
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