Tehran, July 04: Up to 35 people have been detained in the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran over their role in the post-election unrest in the country, says an official.
“Twelve of the detainees are among the ringleaders of the unrest. These individuals were carrying out their activities in the guise of students at Mazandran universities,” the chief prosecutor of the provincial capital of Sari, Asadollah Jafari said on Saturday.
According to the Etemad daily, Jafari added that the 35 detainees were among 200 people who were originally arrested and later released.
“We originally arrested 200 who participated in public protests and carried out vile acts such as disrespecting religious sanctities,” he explained.
The prosecutor’s announcement followed a Thursday report, which confirmed the arrest of seven individuals in connection with similar charges in the central city of Qazvin.
Iran became the scene of opposition rallies after the announcement of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the winner of the 10th presidential election with nearly two-thirds of the vote.
At least 20 people were killed and many others were injured when some protests turned violent.
—–Agencies