Iran’s bloody Sunday: At least 8 people killed and 300 arrested in yesterday’s protests in Iran

Several people are reported to be killed by the security forces as thousands of Iranians went into the streets to protest against the Iranian regime.

The protests, on the "Ashura" holiday commemorating the death of Hussein, Shiite Islam’s holiest martyr, were the bloodiest and among the largest since the uprisings that followed the presidential election last summer. Besides Tehran, there are reports about protest demonstrations in Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashad, Arak, Najafabad, and several other towns. According to several official and unofficial sources, people chanted slogans against the whole establishment, such as "Death to Khamenei" and "Death to dictator". Iran Human Rights has also received reports about violent attacks by the security forces in several cities. In some places like Tehran the authorities have opened fire on the demonstrators.

According to the Iranian news agency ILNA, Rajabzadeh, head of the security forces in Tehran wrote in a public statement that " five people are killed and more than 300 people have been arrested during yesterday’s demonstrations in Tehran". One of those killed was Seyyed Ali Habibi Mousavi Khameneh (43), the nephew of Mirhossein Mousavi one of the president candidates in the summer’s elections.

According to the opposition web site "Green Movement" the security forces killed four people in Tabriz (northwest of Iran) and one in Shiraz (south) during yesterday’s protest demonstrations.

According to the same site, name of those killed by the security forces in Tehran were: Seyyed Ali Habibi Mousavi Khameneh (Picture above), Mehdi Farhadinia, Mohammad Ali Rasekhinia, Amir Arshadi and Shahram Faraji.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of Iran Human Rights condemned the use of violence by the Iranian authorities and said: "yesterday’s events clearly show that the protests in Iran have entered a new phase. The protests have become continuos and despite use of force and massive crackdown the authorities haven’t managed to retain the control. The Iranian people demand fundamental changes and their demands go far beyond the summer’s presidential elections. The situation yesterday was reminiscent of the 1978 uprising against the Shah" He added: "We are concerned about the escalation of violence in Iran. We are facing a radicalization of the democracy movement which is a natural consequence of the Iranian youth’s legitimit demands being answered by violence and suppression, and the world community not reacting harder towards the Iranian regime."