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Associated Press
Iranian police and pro-government militia attacked and scattered hundreds of protesters in a demonstration in Iran's capital Saturday, witnesses said.
The protests were in response to the demonstrations being held around the world calling for the Iranian government to release opposition activists, one of the witnesses told The Associated Press.
Protesters in Vanak and Mirdamad districts chanted "death to the dictator" and "we want our vote back" before they were attacked and beaten by police. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
As night fell, Iranians across the city gathered on their rooftops and chanted "death to the dictator" and "courageous neighbors, thank you for your support," apparently in response to the protests around the world.
While the rooftop chanting had been common feature in the immediate aftermath of the June 12 elections, it had largely disappeared in recent weeks.
The opposition says that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the June 12 elections through fraud, sparking protests across the country.
Hundreds of activists have since been imprisoned in the ensuing crackdown and at least 20 have died.
Protesters across the world call for end to Iran human rights abuses
Protesters across the world on Saturday called on Iran to end its clampdown on opposition activists, demanding the release of those rounded up.
Groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are backing a global day of action, with protests planned in more than 80 cities.
The protesters want Iranian authorities to release what they say are hundreds, or even thousands, of people detained during protests that followed the presidential election last month that returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.
Protesters waved placards and banners outside the Iranian embassy in London, one of a series of events in cities across Europe. In Brussels, Belgium, protesters held placards carrying images of the detained or dead, including Neda Agha Soltan, the 27-year-old whose death - beamed around the world on the Internet - became a rallying cry for opponents of the regime.
In Amsterdam, Iranian Nobel Peace prize laureate Shirin Ebadi urged the international community to reject the outcome of the Iranian election and called for a new vote monitored by the United Nations.
Addressing several hundred people, she said Iran should not be allowed to become another Zimbabwe, apparently referring to the violence surrounding that African country's disputed presidential election.
Hecklers in the crowd, some of them supporters of the monarchy ousted in 1979, shouted slogans of "Death to the Islamic regime."
But the Iranian lawyer and human rights activist urged restraint, saying the protesters should be chanting for life and democracy rather than death to their opponents.
About 80 people wearing headbands, wristbands or bandanas in green - the color of Iran's protest movement - demonstrated in front of the UN's European headquarters in Geneva.
"The young people have had enough," said protester Jacky Carel, a member of a Swiss-Iranian cultural organization. "It cannot go on like this."
In the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, some 20 Iranians - among them refugees, students and others - gathered outside the local press club to protest the Iranian crackdown, yelling "Death to the dictator!"
"Innocent Iranians are being killed," said Hessam Moghimi, 27, who has lived in Pakistan for about eight years. "We want justice for the blood that's been spilled."
In Australia, there were small protests in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and the capital, Canberra.
About 50 people waved flags and banners reading "Stop torture" and "Iran election was a fraud" on the steps of Victorian state parliament in Melbourne.
In Canberra, Ardeshir Gholipour, a 41-year-old refugee from Iran who arrived in Australia in 2000 after spending two years in an Iranian prison for political protests, said Western governments should take a tougher stand against the Ahmadinejad regime.
"The Australian government should reject the Iranian ambassador - send a big signal," he said.
About 80 people gathered in Tokyo, draping green scarves around their necks and lighting candles.
The crowd watched recent news footage of Iran and a slideshow on a screen set up in Miyashita Park in downtown Tokyo to the backdrop of rock music, and applauded speeches calling for a free Iran and fair elections.
In Seoul, South Korea, where about 30 people rallied, Amnesty's Park Jin-ok said the group was calling for immediate and unconditional release of detainees.
The demonstrators also want the UN to investigate alleged rights abuses and say Tehran must allow freedom of expression and assembly.
Source: Associated Press
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