Iran: Protests In Tehran

The situation in Iran remains confused, following anti-government protests in Tehran, which were the most violent since those that took place in the aftermath of the June 2009 disputed Presidential election.

Iranian state television has been giving contradictory figures for the number of people killed in the clashes, ranging from eight to 15.

Speaking on Iranian state television on Sunday 27 December, the Deputy Police Chief, Ahmad Reza Radan, claimed that the police "(were not) firing at the crowds" and that those who died were killed in "absolutely suspicious" circumstances.

Early on Monday 28 December, opposition politician Ebrahim Yazdi was detained by the authorities. Mr Yazdi's son, Khalil - who lives in the US - says the Iranian authorities want to silence their political opponents, including his father's Iran Freedom Movement party.

Kasra Naji, a special correspondent at BBC Persian TV, talked to World Update's James Coomarasamy about how continued unrest could mark the beginning of the end of the regime.

First broadcast 28 December 2009

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2009/12/091228_iran_protests.shtml

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