Weekend escalation of violence in Iran

The situation in Iran began deteriorating rapidly over the weekend with the death toll rising sharply.

Reform activists took to the streets on Saturday in defiance of a warning in Friday prayers from the country’s Supreme Religious Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni. That raised the stakes significantly, but did not deter Mirhossein Mousavi from urging his followers to stay the course. He called on them to protest peacefully. It is thought around 10 people were killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Scores of others were said to have been injured. Both sides blame the other for the violence. The protesters accuse the police and their allies of opening fire. The authorities laid responsibility with what they called “unknown vandals” who, they claim, had shot at civilians. Heavy reporting restrictions have prevented any independent verification of the claims. Almost all the footage is coming via the internet, from protesters themselves. But this too is now, reportedly, being more tightly controlled.More about: Clashes and riots, Iran, Protest

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