Iran Sends Official Protest to US
VOA News
16 Jun 2003, 11:31 UTC
Iran says it has sent an official protest to the United States over what Tehran calls "blatant interference" in Iran's domestic affairs.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters in Tehran Monday that the protest was sent through the Swiss embassy, which handles U.S. interests in Tehran.
The Iranian government says it objects to Washington's open support for anti-government protests that have been taking place in Tehran. Iran says the United States instigated the unrest, and contends it has the right to take legal action.
Young Iranians demonstrated in the streets of Tehran into the early morning hours today after a sixth consecutive night of protests.
U.S. President George W. Bush spoke out about the Iranian protests on Sunday, saying the demonstrations are a positive step on the road to freedom. Mr. Bush says freedom is a powerful incentive, and the protests in Tehran show there is a yearning for such freedom in Iran.
More than 250 dissidents in Iran - intellectuals, journalists, reformists and religious figures - have signed an emphatic declaration backing the students' right to speak out against the conservative Islamic government.
A strongly-worded open letter, which is seen as unprecedented, says the Iranian people have the right to supervise their rulers and to dismiss them, if necessary. Referring to the Muslim clerics who rule Iran, the statement says it is heresy and an affront to human dignity to allow anyone to sit in a position of divine and absolute power.
Nightly demonstrations near Tehran University in the Iranian capital began Tuesday and grew more intense. The protests eased somewhat, after the government stepped up security when pro-government militants began clashing with demonstrators.
Riot police surrounded the university Sunday night, warning militants not to storm the campus to attack demonstrators. Several gunshots were heard, but there are no reports anyone was hurt.
The student protests spread to at least three other Iranian cities, and have led to at least one death. Iranian media say 109 people have been arrested.
Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AFP.
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