Iran says courts will teach protesters a lesson

Iran death sparks outrage
Play Video
By Zahra Hosseinian and Fredrik Dahl
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian authorities said they would teach a lesson to "rioters" held in the worst unrest to befall the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
(EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.)
A moderate cleric defeated in this month's disputed elections called on Iranians to hold ceremonies on Thursday to mourn those killed at protests over the last week.
Trucks and police in riot gear were deployed on the main squares of Tehran on Tuesday, but there were no signs of any protest gatherings in the city by midday.
The Revolutionary Guard, loyal to the country's conservative religious establishment, have declared a crackdown on protests triggered by elections that gave President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a landslide victory. Hundreds have been detained by police using tear gas and batons since results were published on June 13.
"Those arrested in recent events will be dealt with in a way that will teach them a lesson," the official IRNA news agency quoted senior judiciary official Ebrahim Raisi as saying on state television late on Monday.
He said a special court was studying the cases.
"The rioters should be dealt with in an exemplary way and the judiciary will do that," Raisi said.
Two losing candidates, ex-prime minister Mirhossein Mousavi and pro-reform cleric Mehdi Karoubi, accuse authorities of vote rigging and have demanded a rerun. But the top legislative body, the Guardian Council, ruled this out again on Tuesday.
The troubles have produced the first clear evidence of a public split in the clerical establishment between hardliners and those seeking more liberal policies.
An Iranian parliamentarian, Mahmoud Ahmadi, said on Tuesday Tehran would temporarily recall its ambassador to Britain, which the leading oil and gas producer has accused of fomenting trouble. A senior Iranian government source did not confirm the report carried by several Iranian news agencies.
NUCLEAR PROGRAMME
Moderate cleric Mehdi Karoubi maintained pressure on authorities.
"Karoubi calls on Iranians around the country to hold ceremonies on Thursday to remember those (killed) at protests," said aide Issa Saharkhiz.
The troubles have erupted against a background of tension between the West and Iran, a major factor in regional stability. Continued...
Source: Reuters