[FREE IRAN Project] In The Spirit Of Cyrus The Great

[Pantea]

Violent clashes rock western Iran cities
SMCCDI (Information Service)
Apr 7, 2005


Violent clashes rocked, yesterday, several western Iranian cities, such as, Mahabad, Baneh, Saghez, Marivan Sanandaj and Piranshahr as crowd came into streets in order to call for a democratic change in Iran. Several demonstrators were injured and dozens arrested during some of the clashes happened in Piranshahr, Mahabad and Saghez.

Slogans against the Islamic regime and its leadership were shouted by protesters despite the brutal attack of militiamen using rubber bullets and tear gas.

In retaliation, many protesters inflicted damages to security patrol cars and public buildings. Armed masked protesters took over several security buildings and were able to disarm some of the security forces.

Additional forces were sent, by the regime, from Marivan in order to smash the demonstrations.

Protesters were energized by the events in Iraq and its electoral process having lead to the election of the new Iraqi executive. Few Kurdish independentists tried also to transform these rallies in their favor but their calls were ignored by residents as most Iranian Kurds believe strongly in the territorial integrity of Iran. Most leaders of Iranian Kurdish parties have confirmed their attachment to Iran in various meetings or interviews.

Islamic regime intelligence circles are known for fueling independentist rumors in order to create fear of a split of Iran in case if the theocracy is overthrown.

http://www.daneshjoo.org/publishers/currentnews/article_1926.shtml

[Spenta]

This is apparently serious, groups of masked youth are fighting back, and Mahabad is under martial law.

More in Persian from Peykeiran:
http://web.peykeiran.com/net_iran/irnewsbody.aspx?ID=23001

[Pantea]

13-year-old boy killed by Iran security forces during clashes Sat. 9 Apr 2005



Iran Focus

Tehran, Apr. 09 - The city of Mahabad (western Iranian province of Kurdistan) was placed under de facto martial law after three days of social unrest and numerous clashes between residents and agents of Iran’s State Security Forces, leaving one 13-year-old boy dead.

The 13-year-old boy was killed when an SSF agent hit him on the head with a truncheon, according to eye-witnesses.

Clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in Mahabad erupted on Wednesday evening, but reached their peak on Thursday night.

Thousands of residents took to the streets to chant slogans against the ruling authorities, witnesses reported. SSF agents attacked the crowd but protesters, who were mainly youths, took part in hit-and-run clashes which spread to several districts of the city.

Government buildings and patrol cars were attacked after news spread of the death of the teenage boy. A number of SSF agents were beaten up by demonstrators.

Dozens of protesters were arrested during the unrest or in the house-to-house searches that security forces undertook in several neighbourhoods after midnight. No information is available on their fate.

Protests erupted again in some districts of Mahabad for the third consecutive night on Friday, with young people chanting slogans against the regime and sealing off several streets with burning car tires.

Protests were also reported in the nearby city of Marivan, near the Iran-Iraq border.

Clashes in Marivan occurred yesterday, as young people in the city’s Edareh Bargh Street challenged a SSF officer for accosting a girl. Local people took part in the ensuing fight and chanted anti-regime slogans and smashed the windscreens of several patrol cars.

A number of people there were reportedly arrested.

http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1828