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Monday 4 January 2010

ABC News: Iran arrests hundreds of dissidents








By correspondent Anne Barker and wires

Iranian forces have broadened their crackdown against opposition protests by arresting hundreds of dissidents, as a senior cleric called for opposition leaders to be put to death.

Security authorities in Tehran have arrested at least 300 people accused of inciting the latest protests against the government.
Security forces are also restricting the movements of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the main opposition leader.

Those arrested include prominent dissidents or their relatives, such as the sister of Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi.

Ms Ebadi said on French radio France Info that Iranian authorities were trying to silence her by arresting her sister.

"This arrest is illegal because my sister is a dentist, she is not in any way active in human rights or politics... and she didn't participate in any protests," Ms Ebadi said.

She said intelligence officials entered her sister's house on Monday night to arrest her without a warrant, rifled through her belongings, and confiscated computers.

Eight people were killed in Sunday's riots.

Yesterday pro-government loyalists staged their own rallies in support of the government and denouncing the opposition.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused the United States and Israel of inciting the latest anti-government protest.

Mr Ahmadinejad joined a chorus of Iranian leaders attacking foreign governments for encouraging the latest violent protests against the Islamic regime.

He accused the US and Israel of staging a "nauseating play" by fomenting the unrest.

Iran's foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki summoned the British ambassador in Tehran and threatened his country with a "slap in the mouth" if it didn't stop
meddling in Iran's affairs.

A representative of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says opposition leaders are "enemies of God" who should be executed under the country's sharia law.

"Those who are behind the current sedition in the country... are mohareb [enemies of God] and the law is very clear about punishment of a mohareb," said cleric Abbas Vaez-Tabasi, who possesses ultimate authority in Iran.

Under Iran's Islamic sharia law the sentence for "mohareb" is execution.


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