Gunmen fire on Tehran protesters

GUNMEN fired on opposition protesters yesterday, killing at least one person and seriously inuring others, during a mass protest in Tehran against alleged election fraud.

A group of demonstrators with fuel canisters attempted to set fire to the compound of a volunteer militia linked to Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard as the crowd dispersed from Azadi – or Freedom – Square after dark. As some attempted to storm the building, people inside could be seen firing directly at the demonstrators at the northern edge of the square, away from the heart of the protest.

More than 100,000 opponents of newly elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had defied an Interior Ministry ban and streamed into central Tehran to cheer their pro-reform leader Mir Hossein Mousavi in his first public appearance since the elections that he alleges were marred by fraud.

Security forces watched quietly, with shields and batons at their sides.

The outpouring for reformist leader Mousavi followed a decision by Iran’s most powerful figure for an investigation into vote-rigging allegations.

Mousavi paused on the edge of Azadi Square – where Ahmadinejad made his first post-election speech – to address the crowd, which was more than 8km long. They roared back: “Long live Mousavi.”

“This is not election. This is selection,” read one placard. Other marchers held signs proclaiming, “We want our vote!” and raised their fingers in a V-for-victory salute.

“We want our president, not the one who was forced on us,” said 28-year-old Sara.

Hours earlier, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directed one of Iran’s most influential bodies, the Guardian Council, to examine the claims of vote-rigging.

But the move by Khamenei – who had earlier welcomed the election results – had no guarantee it would satisfy those challenging Ahmadinejad’s re-election or quell days of rioting after last Friday’s election that left parts of Tehran scarred by flames and shattered store fronts.

The 12-member council, made up of clerics and experts in Islamic law and closely allied to Khamenei, must certify election results and has the apparent authority to nullify an election. But it would be an unprecedented step. Claims of voting irregularities went before the council after Ahmadinejad’s upset victory in 2005, but there was no official word on the outcome of the probe and the vote stood.

The dramatic intervention by Khatamei could be an attempt to buy time in hopes of reducing anti-Ahmadinejad anger.

The prospect of spiralling protests and clashes is the ultimate nightmare for the Islamic establishment, which could be forced into back-and-forth confrontations and risks having the dissidents move past the elected officials and directly target the ruling theocracy.

The massive display of opposition unity yesterday suggested a possible shift in tactics by authorities after cracking down hard during days of rioting.

Although any rallies were outlawed earlier, security forces were not ordered to move against the sea of protesters.