Bloody Ashura in Tehran

On the day the Shiite commemorate Ashura, Tehran was the scene of clashes between protesters and security agents and the police.  The main difference between protests on Ashura and other anti-government protests since the election was that, in some areas in the capital, the regime’s security forces essentially lost control and were forced to retreat.

Security agents attacked people before they had even gathered.  They used extreme violence to disperse them and tried to prevent them from assembling.  Security agents used tear-gas and pepper spray from the initial hours of the day yesterday, but even that amount of violence did not prevent people from banding together to protest and express themselves.

Five “Martyrs” of the Green Movement

While official state-run news agencies repeatedly reported that no one was killed in these clashes, and police officials continuously announced that no one had been killed, five people were reported killed in Tehran yesterday and Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s website announced that the wartime prime minister’s nephew was one of those who had been killed.

Seyyed Ali Habibi Mousavi Khamene, Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s nephew was shot by a bullet yesterday near Azadi avenue and passed away after being taken to Ibn-Sina hospital.  Mehdi Farhadinia, Mohammad Ali Rasekhinia, Amir Arshadi and Shahram Faraji were the other four dead protesters.  

Officials prevented the bodies of these martyrs from being delivered to their families.  One source close to Mir-Hossein Mousavi told Rooz that despite the presence of Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Ali Habibi Mousavi’s parents at Ibn-Sina hospital, Ali Habibi Musavi Khamene’s body was not given to his family but was instead delivered to the coroner’s office.  

After news of the death of Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s nephew broke out, a large number of people marched toward the hospital.  A Rooz correspondent reported in front of the hospital that from about ten thirty pm yesterday more than 5,000 people had gathered in front of the hospital and the local park, while their numbers increased by the minute.  They were chanting hard slogans in front of the hospital, the main one being, “death to Khamenei” and “Mir-Hossein, Mir-Hossein, condolences, condolences.”  Special guards and plain clothes agents suddenly attacked the people and fired tear gas.

According to this report, plain clothes agents and special forces attacked cars around the Ibn-Sina hospital and heavily damages them.  The hospital’s control is in the hands of security forces, and the entrance and exit to the hospital is fully controlled.

Eyewitness Accounts

Almost all the main streets in Tehran were scenes of clashes on Sunday.  One eyewitness who was present at yesterday’s protests told Rooz, “It was around 10:30 when we got out of the bus at the Vali Asr four-way, but as soon as we got out they attacked us with clubs and batons and tear gas.  We were forced to flee and ran up to Bozorgmehr.  There we gathered with people and began resisting the security and Revolutionary Guards forces.  People used sandbags to close the street and create barriers.”  

This eyewitness who was heavily injured by plain clothes agents, added, “Guard and special forces units savagely attacked.  When running away we saw large amounts of rocks which the municipal government had left there to pave a street.  When we saw that women and older men who could not run were being beaten by special guards and plain clothes agents, we were forced to throw rocks to allow them to flee.”  

He emphasized, “When the special guards and plain clothes agents surrounded the area more than 8000 people who were left there were constantly attacked and tear gas and pepper spray were shot at people from very low range.”  

He added, “They attacked people’s cars savagely and beat and destroyed their windshields, hoods and mirrors with batons, but people also were resisting, trying to defend themselves and push back the agents with rocks.  We saw these scenes wherever we went.”  

This eyewitness added, “The climax was when people had gathered under the Hafiz bridge and shots were fired.  People were extremely angry and turned over a police van and set it on fire.  The entire street was under our control, until plain clothes agents came towards us and fired air shots.  They insulted us and attacked the people with electric clubs and batons, but people still stayed and didn’t run away.  They even captured two plain clothes agents.  Throughout our entire route we saw people who were harshly beaten and were walking around with bloody faces and clothes.”

The Rooz correspondent reported that the presence of women and girls was very visible and clearly exceeded that of men.  

Other reports pointed to clashes in front of the state-run radio and television building.  According to those reports, gunshots sounds were audible in the area.