Tear gas fired as demonstrators protest at graveside memorial

IRANIAN police fired tear gas and beat protesters with batons to disperse thousands at a graveside memorial yesterday for victims of post-election violence.

Demonstrations later spread to other parts of Tehran. Witnesses said police fired tear gas at demonstrators who set tires and trash cans ablaze in response.

Police barred opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi from joining the crowd around the grave of Neda Agha Soltan, a young woman shot to death at a June 20 rally to protest the disputed presidential election. The 27-year-old student’s dying moments on the pavement were filmed and circulated widely on the internet, and her name became a rallying cry for the opposition.