(Washington Post) Thomas Erdbrink and William Branigin - Hundreds of thousands of government supporters massed Thursday in central Tehran to mark the 31st anniversary of Iran's Islamic revolution, while a heavy deployment of security forces largely prevented protesters from using the occasion to stage opposition rallies. Protesters were met by unusually large security forces who used tear gas to disperse crowds. International media representatives were prevented from freely covering the rally and were placed in a special area surrounded by government supporters holding up posters showing Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the Ahmadinejad government has attempted to choke off the flow of information, adding, "It is clear...the Iranian government fears its own people."
2010-02-12 07:32:03Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive