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Iranian Opposition Leader Shot At as Unrest Continues

PAUL BRAMMER

NEWS & OPINION EDITOR

The fallout from the disputed Iranian presidential election continues more than six months after the vote.

There were more examples of violence against anti-government protesters last week, as "pro-government demonstrators shot at the armored car of the country's most outspoken opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi" on Jan 7, according to The New York Times.

The attack took place in the northern city of Qazdan, The New York Times reported, as Karroubi was preparing to attend "a mourning ceremony for eight protesters killed during a demonstration on Dec28." "The news agency Fars, which is linked to the government's Revolutionary Guards - the group that has orchestrated much of the postelection crackdown - reported Mr. I<arroubi's whereabouts shortly after his arrival."

Karroubi's website clairned that "Around 500 basiji (militia] and residents of nearby villages surrounded the place where [Karroubi] was and attacked the building with stones, breaking windows." The BBC reported that "after sev• era! hours, Mr. Karroubi was able to leave with the help of police, but his car was attacked with gunfire as it pulled away."

Armed attacks on members of the opposition are rare in Iran. According to The Guardian, the last example happened in 1999, when "pro-reform politician Saeed Hajjarian was shot in the face, paralysing him," and that the most recent attack on Karroubi "is an indication of the political turmoil rocking the country and possibly slipping out of control of the government."

However, the nephew of defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi - Seyyed Ali Mousavi • was killed last December. The BBC reported "According to Mr. Mousavi's website, Seyed Ali Mousavi was shot in the back ... as security forces fired on demonstrators in Tehran.''

The attack on Karroubi is part of the wider picture of unrest in Iran. The Guardian reported "the opposition says more than 80 protesters have been killed in the crackdown, but the government puts the number at fewer than 40."

On Jan 12, a senior Iranian physics professor, Masoud Ali Mohammadi, was killed by a bomb that was attached to the a motorcycle that was parked outside Mohammadi's home.

According to the Associated Press, "It was unclear why the professor was targeted. The vie• tim was a 50-year-old researcher with no prominent political voice, no published work with military relevance and no declared links to Iran's nuclear program." The article went on to say that "the government blamed the U.S. and Israel for the attack." The US State Department dismissed this as "absurd."

One of the most high-profile murders since the disputed election was that of Neda Agha Soltan, a 26-year-old Iranian student who was shot and killed as she stood on the sidelines of a protest and watched on Jun 20, 2009. Soltan's death was captured on video phone and has since been seen across the world. She has become "a worldwide symbol of the opposition," according to The Times.

Pro-government supporters last week defaced Soltan's grave for the second time in six months. The Times reported that "the black marble slab on which her face is engraved has been pockmarked by bullets even though security agents guard the grave around the clock to prevent it from becoming a martyr's shrine." The new headstone had been in place for less than a month after the last attack.

Sol tan's fianc~e, Caspian Makan, said: "They didn't just shoot her once. They continue to shoot at Neda to this day by desecrating her grave."

The Iranian government claims that Soltan was not killed by one of the Basij militia, but was instead killed "by agents of Iran's Western enemies." A documentary produced by the Iranian government cla'ims that Soltan was "an agent of the US and Britain and that her death was a hoax. [The documentary] suggests that she squeezed fake blood over herself as she lay on the pavement but was then shot dead by her fellow conspirators in the car that took her away - presumably to silence her," The Times reported. ''(The documentary] goes on to name Arash Hejazi, the doctor who tried to save her and has since fled to Britain, as one of her killers."

Mahmoud Ahmedinejad's government has come under fire from other countries. President Obama said on Dec 29 that "The United States joins with the international community in strongly condemning the violent and unjust suppression of innocent Iranian citizens."

Despite this condemnation, there seems to be no easing of tension within the country. On Jan 15, police chief Ismail AhmadhiMoghaddam warned protesters: "Our tolerance has come to an end, and both the police force and the Judiciary will be confronting [anti-government protesters] with full force."

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