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Iran opposition says 69 dead in unrest
[August 11, 2009] TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- At least 69 people have died in Iran's post-election unrest based on accounts from the victims' families and the number is still growing, said an aide to Iran's opposition leader on Tuesday.
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The government says only 30 people died in demonstrations following accusations that the June 12 presidential elections had been rigged, but human rights groups say the number could be much higher. "We submitted names of 69 killed and some 220 detainees to the special committee of the parliament during a meeting in the parliament on Monday," Ali Reza Beheshti told the Associated Press, adding that the names came from the relatives of the victims. "What we submitted to the parliament was the verified list after double-checking with the families," he said, adding that the number is still rising and included people from the capital Tehran as well as across the country. The list was presented on the behalf of opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi and fellow reformist Mahdi Karroubi. Iranian authorities have pressured the families of slain protesters not to mourn publicly out of fear the gatherings could spark demonstrations, according to the opposition. Hundreds of thousands of Mousavi supporters took to the streets following the June 12 election to protest hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed victory, prompting a violent crackdown by security forces. Also on Tuesday, the spokesman of Iran's judiciary, Ali Reza Jamshidi, told reporters that while some 4,000 people were initially detained, only 300 remain in custody. Iranian parliament and judiciary have each formed committees to investigate the unrest and the government's response. |
