Officials say police detained 109 protestors on Wednesday as the demonstrations marking the 30th anniversary of the storming of the US Embassy and the illegal seizure of American diplomats took place. But the annual demonstration, usually a day the government uses to stir anti-Western sentiment, was hijacked by supporters of the Green Movement. The detained individuals were charged with public order offenses. The BBC has more:
Security spokesman Azizollah Rajabzadeh said 62 are due to face trial while the others were released after questioning.
In recent months the opposition has used officially sanctioned demonstrations to come out in big numbers and publicise its own own messages.
Witnesses told the BBC the security forces had used tear gas and batons on Wednesday. The government defended the response, saying that the protests had been illegal.
Videos on YouTube and other sites that have emerged these past few days have confirmed this but also shown that members of the opposition are fighting back.
November 8, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Any protest other than those directed by the government is illegal.
If the rest of Iran stopped having anything to do with the local junta, families not providing food or shelter, how long would it last? I do not believe this government will leave power until everyone, down to the cooks, parents, mothers and children, simply stop giving them aid and shelter.