Iran - election crisis

Hundreds arrested as protesters killed in the streets

Article published on the 2009-06-22 Latest update 2009-06-22 10:02 TU

An injured man is assisted on the streets of Tehran
(Credit: Reuters/Twitter)

Iranian protesters arrested at least 457 people in the wake of post-election violence on the streets of Tehran, state radio reported. The capital remained tense with reports of candlelight demonstrations to be carried out later on Monday. Some 17 people have been killed, including a young student who was shot in the heart. A brief, graphic video of her death was widely circulated over the internet over the weekend.

Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former prime minister, lost to incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a landslide victory in the 12 June election, sparking protests throughout the country. Mousavi himself has led the protests, calling the elections 'rigged'.

The Guardians Council, Iran's electoral watchdog, has acknowledged voting discrepancies, according to state media. Council spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodai said that defeated candidates reported that the number of ballots cast were more than the number of registered voters.

Mousavi and other former candidates Mehdi Karroubi and Mohsen Rezai have cited 646 irregularities in the elections.

Hundreds of reformists, students, journalists and analysts have been arrested as well. Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of former Iranian president and cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, has been freed after spending two nights in jail, according to state media.

Iranian newspapers reported that Hashemi, a political activist and an ardent supporter of Mousavi, had been arrested with other family members on the way to a rally. The other family members have also been released.

Within Iran, foreign journalists have been expelled, while outside of Iran, any sort of criticism of the regime has had repercussions. The kingdom of Bahrain has shut down Akhbar Al-Khaleej, its oldest daily, after it published a claim that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is of Jewish origin.

The majority of the population of Bahrain are Shiite, like Iran, even though the ruling royal family is Sunni Muslim.