Iranian police have arrested mourners who gathered at a Tehran cemetery to commemorate victims of the unrest that followed the country's disputed presidential election in June.
"Hundreds have gathered around Neda Agha-Soltan's grave to mourn her death and other victims' death ... police arrested some of them ... dozens of riot police also arrived and are trying to disperse the crowd," a witness said.
Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi was also forced to leave the cemetery by police. "Police forced Mousavi to return to his car and leave the cemetery. Police are also warning mourners to leave the place or face the consequences," a witness said.
When Mr Mousavi arrived at the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, mourners clung to his car, chanting 'Mousavi we support you', the witness said.
Witnesses claimed riot police later used batons and fired tear gas to disperse Mousavi supporters.
The head of Tehran's Revolutionary Guards, Brigadier General Abdollah Araghi, had earlier warned that any gathering would be broken up.
Defeated election candidates Mr Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi had said they would attend the ceremony, accepting the invitation of Neda Agha-Soltan’s mother to mark the 40th day since her death and remember other victims of the unrest at her grave.
Ms Neda, a 26-year-old music student, was shot on June 20th, when supporters of Mousavi clashed with riot police and Basij militiamen in Tehran. Footage of her death has been watched by thousands on the internet. Authorities have said she was not shot by a bullet used by Iranian security forces, suggesting the incident was staged to blacken the image of the clerical establishment.
Iranian media have reported the deaths of several other protesters following the vote. Rights groups say hundreds of people, including senior pro-reform politicians, journalists, activists and lawyers, have been detained since the election.
Iranian authorities turned down a request by opposition leaders to hold a memorial ceremony for the unrest victims today at Tehran's Grand Mosala, a prayer location where tens of thousands can gather.
The presidential vote plunged Iran into its biggest internal crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution and exposed deepening divisions in its ruling elite. Opposition leaders say the June 12th vote was rigged in favour of re-elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Some hardline clerics support Mr Ahmadinejad, but other senior Shia figures, including Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, have attacked the way the authorities have handled the poll and its aftermath. "I am warning the authorities again to act before the current crisis deepens," Ayatollah Montazeri said in a statement published by the Etemad-e Melli website. He has called for national mourning for those killed in the unrest.
Mr Ahmadinejad is under pressure from his hardline supporters over his initial choice of vice-president and his decision to dismiss a hardline intelligence minister who criticised the president for defying Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Ayatollah Khamenei endorsed the election result and sided openly with Mr Ahmadinejad, but ordered him to drop his nomination of Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaie as his deputy. Mr Mashaie had said Iran had no quarrel with Israelis, only their government.
Mr Ahmadinejad ignored the order for a week. The disarray in the hardline camp is likely to complicate Mr Ahmadinejad's job of forming a new cabinet.
Reuters