Tehran, December 25: Iranian police clashed on Friday with mourners of dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, making arrests and injuring some, an opposition website said after Tehran warned of a crackdown.
Rehesabz.net said the incident happened in the northern city of Zanjan after authorities reportedly banned most memorial services for Montazeri, who died aged 87 on Saturday, after his funeral turned into an opposition rally.
“People gathered for Ayatollah Montazeri’s memorial were faced with locked mosque doors and decided to hold the ceremony in the street,” Rahesabz.net said.
“People were mourning in silence and the Koran was being recited but the police sought to disperse them which led to clashes and people were severely beaten as they were running away.
“Many have been arrested and some of the injured have been taken to hospital,” the website added.
The report could not be independently verified as AFP and other foreign media are banned from covering opposition-linked gatherings.
Montazeri was an inspiration to reformists and human rights
activists in Iran and came out in bold support of the opposition movement challenging the disputed June re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
–PTI