Iran opposition figures under arrest
Updated on 28 December 2009
Several high-profile opposition figures have been arrested in Iran, one day after eight people were killed in anti-government protests in Tehran. Samira Ahmed reports.
Those detained are thought to include aides to opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi, whose nephew was killed in violent clashes yesterday.
Reports claim police fired teargas to disperse supporters of Mr Moussavi who had gathered to pay their condolences, but there were no repeats of yesterday's bloodshed.
State-run Press TV announced that prominent opposition figures are among the 300 people arrested in Tehran over yesterday's violent demonstrations.
They included three advisers to the former presidential candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi, according to one opposition website. And the authorities were also keen to show the scale of destruction wrought on public buildings.
While opposition figures, some in exile, have condemned the heavy-handed police response that saw at least eight protesters killed, an officially sanctioned march saw other Iranians condemn yesterday's widespread anti-government protests.
The only protests today appear to have focussed on the Tehran hospital, where the authorities have apparently refused to release the body of Mr Mousavi's nephew.
The police fired teargas on the crowds gathered outside. International reaction has been limited, with the British, German and US governments criticising the suppression of free speech and peaceful demonstrations.
