Iran Authorities Say 91 People Detained On Election Anniversary

Iranian authorities detained 91 people yesterday as the nation marked the first anniversary of the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karrubi, who both ran against Ahmadinejad in the June 12 vote, scrapped plans to hold mass anniversary protests "to protect the lives and property of people," according to a joint statement on their websites. Videos posted on the opposition website Iran- Free.org showed security forces in downtown Tehran, the capital. The authorities also sent threatening text messages to people, opposition website Rahesabz reported June 11.

Mass demonstrations sparked last year by the announced victory of Ahmadinejad, which the opposition says was fraudulent, posed the biggest challenge to the Islamic establishment since the country's 1979 revolution. The government says 44 people died in the unrest, while Amnesty International says the number is at least double that figure.

CNN reported some minor clashes yesterday in Tehran on its website. The disturbances started at about 6 p.m. local time near the Vali-Asr Square, CNN said, citing witnesses. Clashes took place at Tehran's Azadi Square between a few dozen protesters and anti-riot police swinging batons, Associated Press reported citing witnesses.

Intimidation

The Intelligence Ministry sent random text-messages to intimidate people, Rahesabz reported. "Dear citizen, you have been deceived by the foreign media and are cooperating with them. If repeated, you will be dealt with according to the Islamic punishment law," the messages read, according to the website.

Known as the Green Movement, the opposition group born out of last year's protests initially requested a recount of votes and has since gone on to criticize the government's crackdown and call for changes to aspects of Iran's religion-based political system.

"We may back down in one area but we will continue our presence in another," Mousavi, a former prime minister, said last week in comments published June 11 on his website.

Opposition supporters are "each members of social networks and will keep the green idea alive," he said.

--Editors: Digby Lidstone, Louis Meixler.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ladane Nasseri in Tehran at lnasseri@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Maher Chmaytelli at mchmaytelli@bloomberg.net