Iran Bans Protests Marking 1999 Unrest
VOA News
23 Jun 2003, 21:07 UTC
Iran says it will ban all off-campus protests marking the July 9th anniversary of 1999 clashes between students and security forces that left one student dead.
An Iranian government spokesman, Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, says it will be left to universities to decide if on-campus events will be allowed.
The announcement follows a wave of anti-government protests in Tehran and other Iranian cities over the last 10 days. Following a police crackdown, protests have largely ended, but observers say the July ninth anniversary could spark new demonstrations.
Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States encourages the recent protests against Iran's Islamic clerical regime.
He said people should be able to speak freely and express their concerns. But Mr. Powell stressed that Washington is not backing the demonstrations as a way of fomenting trouble.
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