Iranian opposition leader’s aides arrested

Financial Times: 

The Islamic regime in Tehran on Monday increased pressure on Mir-Hossein Moussavi, the opposition leader, arresting three of his senior aides a day after his nephew was killed

The head of Mr Moussavi’s election campaign, the head of his office and one of his senior advisers were detained. No official reason for their detention was given.

Ibrahim Yazdi, the head of Freedom Movement of Iran, a religious nationalist party, and some reform-minded clerics in the holy city of Qom, have also been arrested.

The latest arrests, numbering at least seven, followed Sunday’s protests, the biggest to take place in Iran in six months, which left five people dead and led to more than 300 detentions. Unofficial reports said 10 people had died.

Ahmad Khatami, a leader of Friday prayers in Tehran who is close to the elite Revolutionary Guards, called on the judiciary on Monday to “deal with” the opposition leaders “as soon as possible”.

Sunday’s protests used the Shia holiday of Ashura to rally hundreds of thousands into the streets to protest against the regime.

State television late on Sunday said Mr Moussavi’s nephew had been killed by “unknown assailants”. But it denied reports that security forces had killed any protesters, according to Reuters.

The marches on Sunday marked the biggest show of strength by the opposition since June 20, when at least 10 people were killed by the security forces.

Reformists seized on the turnout as a sign of a potential turning point in their struggle against the regime.

The “fight against the regime has become part of people’s daily life and Sunday’s rally showed the peaceful protests are getting out of control”, said one reformist. “Even the opposition leaders might not be able to curb these rallies any more,” he added.

The opposition has gained new momentum since the December 20 death of Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, the most senior dissident cleric. His death from natural causes fuelled another round of protests and led to demonstrations in Tehran, the holy city of Qom, Isfahan and Najafabad, his birthplace which is close to Isfahan.

Posted via email from Jim Nichols