Iran: Violence at festival leaves 15 dead
A PROTESTER prepares to hurl a boulder at riot police, cornered on a Tehran street after their motorbikes were set alight in a bloody rebellion that left 15 people dead.
The violence – the worst since the hotly disputed re-election in June of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – erupted at the weekend during the festival of Ashura, when millions of Shia Iranians take to the streets.
Seyed Ali Mousavi, the nephew of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, was one of those killed when police opened fire on protesters, sparking clashes across Iran. Seven of Mr Mousavi’s aides were among 300 detained after the riots.
Yesterday Foreign Secretary David Miliband praised the “courage” of the protesters. “I call on the Iranian government to respect the human rights of its citizens,” he said.