Iran Protester Slain Amid Massive Rally

Pro-Government Militia Open Fire As Hundreds Of Thousands Protest Election; Mousavi "Ready To Pay Any Price"

(CBS/AP)  Last updated 7:11 p.m. EDT

Gunfire from a pro-government militia killed one man and wounded several others Monday after hundreds of thousands of chanting opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad marched in central Tehran, supporting their pro-reform leader in his first public appearance since disputed elections.

The outpouring in Azadi, or Freedom, Square for reformist leader Mir Hossein Mousavi followed a decision by Iran's most powerful figure for an investigation into the vote-rigging allegations.

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

Later, a group of demonstrators with fuel canisters set a small fire at a compound of a volunteer militia linked to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard as the crowd dispersed from the square. As some tried to storm the building, people on the roof could be seen firing directly at the demonstrators at the northern edge of the square, away from the heart of the rally.

An Associated Press photographer saw one person fatally shot and at least two others who appeared to be seriously wounded.

Witnesses told The Associated Press that protests and some violence had broken out in several cities across Iran, including some traditionally seen as more conservative.

President Barack Obama said Iranian voters have a right to feel their ballots mattered and urged the investigation into vote-rigging allegations to go forward without additional violence.

Mr. Obama said reports of violence that followed Iranian elections trouble him and all Americans. He said peaceful dissent should never be subject to violence that followed weekend elections that gave President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a second term.

"It would be wrong for me to be silent on what we've seen on the television the last few days," Mr. Obama told reporters at the White House.

Gary Sick, an former White House advisor on Iran, says the election results showed total contempt for the voters, reports CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer.

"They announced the election far earlier than they could possibly have known what the outcome really was," Sick said. "The numbers don't add up."

The chanting demonstrators had defied an Interior Ministry ban and streamed into central Tehran - an outpouring for Mousavi that swelled as more poured from buildings and side streets.

The crowd - many wearing the trademark green color of Mousavi's campaign - was more than five miles long, and based on previous demonstrations in the square and surrounding streets, its size was estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.

As his 4-wheel drive inched through the mob, he tried to address them on a loudspeaker, reports Palmer.

"I am ready to pay any price to materialize the ideals of you dear people," he said. "People feel their wisdom has been insulted. We have to pursue legal channels to regain our trampled rights and stop this last lie, and stand up to fraud and this astonishing charade."

Mousavi, wearing a gray striped shirt, said his solution was "canceling the result of this disputed election."

"This will have the least cost for our nation. Otherwise, nothing will remain of people's trust in the government and ruling system."

The crowd roared back: "Long live Mousavi."

Riot police watched, but seemed to have instructions not to interfere; that's a dramatic turnaround from the past two days - when they attacked and beat any opposition demonstrators brave enough to take to the streets, reports Palmer.

They also targeted journalists: CBS News' cameraman had to stay hidden behind a storefront grill to avoid arrest.

One placard said, in English: "This is not election. This is selection." Other marchers held signs proclaiming "We want our vote!" and they 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, who gave only her first name because she feared reprisal from authorities.

As darkness fell, cries of "Allahu akbar!" - "God is great!"

were heard across central Tehran as people gathered on rooftops for a second straight night. On Sunday night, Ahmadinejad opponents shouted "Death to the dictator!" The protest bore deep historic resonance - it was how the leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini asked Iran to unite against the Western-backed shah 30 years earlier.

Elsewhere in Iran, witnesses saw hundreds of Mousavi supporters gathered in the heart of the central city of Esfahan. Some broke windows of police stations and buildings belonging to the government's Revolutionary Courts, tribunals designated for crimes against the principles of the Islamic ruling system.

Thousands gathered at a university in the northeastern city of Mashhad, witnesses told the AP by phone. In other parts of the town, generally seen as more conservative than Tehran, there were scattered gatherings, and police with batons beat demonstrators.

Police in the southern city of Shiraz fired in the air to disperse several pro-Mousavi gatherings. Police Gen. Ali Moayeri of the Fars Province police told reporters that officers had been "authorized to shoot. From now on we will respond harshly."

One of Mousavi's Web sites said a student protester was killed early Monday in clashes with plainclothes hard-liners in Shiraz.

In the heavily Arab city of Ahvaz near the Iraqi border, about 2,000 people chanted, "We don't want a dictator!" Police attacked some of them with batons.

Most media are not allowed to travel beyond Tehran and thus can not independently confirm protests elsewhere.

Earlier Monday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directed one of Iran's most influential bodies, the Guardian Council, to examine the election claims. 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 Friday's election that left parts of Tehran scarred by flames and shattered store fronts.

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

More likely, the dramatic intervention by Khamenei could buy time in hopes of reducing the anti-Ahmadinejad anger. The prospect of spiraling 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.

Government shootings of protesters before the Islamic Revolution set up a cycle of violence in which the shah's forces opened fire on demonstrators massing to mourn "martyrs" at the end of the 40-day Muslim mourning period. Forty days later, demonstrators gathered again, there were new shootings, and the cycle continued.

Monday's massive display of opposition unity suggested a possible shift in tactics by authorities after cracking down hard on days of rioting. Although rallies were outlawed earlier, security forces were not ordered to move against the protesters.

State TV quoted Khamenei as ordering the Guardian Council to "carefully probe" the allegations of fraud, which were contained in a letter Mousavi submitted Sunday.

On Saturday, however, Khamenei urged the nation to unite behind Ahmadinejad and called the result a "divine assessment."

The results touched off three days of the worst unrest in Tehran in a decade. Protesters set fires and battled riot police, including a clash overnight at Tehran University after about 3,000 students gathered to oppose the election results.

Security forces have struck back with targeted arrests of pro-reform activists and by blocking text messaging and pro-Mousavi Web sites used to rally his supporters.

The unrest risked bringing splits among Iran's clerical elite, including some influential Shiite scholars raising concern about possible election irregularities and at least one member of the ruling theocracy, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, openly critical of Ahmadinejad in the campaign.

According to a pro-Mousavi Web site, he sent a letter to senior clerics in Qom, Iran's main center of Islamic learning, to spell out his claims.

The accusations also have brought growing international concern. On Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden raised questions about whether the vote reflected the wishes of the Iranian people.

Britain and Germany joined the calls of alarm over the confrontations. In Paris, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to discuss the allegations of vote tampering and the violence.

Overnight, police and hard-line militia stormed Tehran University, ransacking dormitories and arresting dozens of students. The university was the site of serious clashes against student-led protests in 1999 and is one of the nerve centers of the pro-reform movement.

The gathering at the university started with students chanting "Death to the dictator." But it quickly erupted into clashes as students threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police, who fired tear gas and plastic bullets, a 25-year-old student who witnessed the fighting told the AP. He would only give one name, Akbar, out of fear for his safety.

The students set vehicles afire and hurled stones and bricks at the police, he said. Hard-line militia volunteers loyal to the Revolutionary Guard stormed the dormitories, ransacking student rooms and smashing computers and furniture, Akbar said.

Before leaving around 4 a.m., the police took memory cards and computer software material, Akbar said, adding that dozens of students were arrested.

He said many students suffered bruises, cuts and broken bones in the scuffles.

"Many students are now leaving to go home to their families, they are scared," he said. "But others are staying. The police and militia say they will be back and arrest any students they see."

"I want to stay because they beat us and we won't retreat," he added.

In Moscow, the Iranian Embassy said Ahmadinejad postponed his visit to Russia until Tuesday. Ahmadinejad had been expected to travel to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg and meet on Monday with President Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of a regional summit.

The re-election of Iran's hard-line president, meanwhile, signaled an increasingly difficult road ahead for President Obama's hopes for ending Tehran's nuclear threat.

The accusations also have brought growing international concern. On Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden raised questions about whether the vote reflected the wishes of the Iranian people.

Britain and Germany joined the calls of alarm over the rising confrontations in Iran. In Paris, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to discuss the allegations of vote tampering and the violence.

[TheMasses0003]

The Ayatollah Khomeini's administration is exactly like the current US administration.
Extremism and self-serving.

[Livinontheedge]

It was just announced the panel of Experts which includes Rafsanjani has called an emergency meeting. An expert on Iranian relations says the only time that panel is convened is when they are planning to depose the Ayatollah.
I suspect by the end of the week the Ayatollah Khomeini will be taken out of power and the election nullified. This is beginning to look like the revolution in 1979,when Amadinnerjacket took 379 american hostages.
The best thing that could happen is a total revolution in Iran and Khomeini and ahmendinijad both be taken from power and killed.

[Livinontheedge]

by nofoolling June 15, 2009 4:13 PM PDT
Funny how we see pictures and video of citizens gone wild in foreign countries and we hardly ever see that here, aside from the occasional person who "flips out" and goes on a rampage alone. And then the perpetrator is villified in the news as a whacko.
=============================================
wait until the tea party speakers start inciting the far right to violence you will see it before the end if the year.

[Livinontheedge]

This comment pages are even worse than before when CBS change. The web guy needs to find a new job.

[mcintoshlou]

they seem to have learned how to run an election

from Americas republi''CON'' party

[CMancos]

Iran doesn't care what anyone thinks about their fake voting. When you have a liar who says the holocaust never happened, what do you expect. Bush should have invaded Iran when he invade Iraq. He probably wanted to but the sniveling liberals would rather let the people stay oppressed because after all, it isn't them.

[artorus]

This shows that Iranians have more backbone than Americans.

[cbsantispin]

There were over 40 million paper ballots used in the Iranian Election. 2 hours after the Voting ended and the Polls closed, all 40 million paper ballots were counted by hand in a 2 hour time span and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the Landslide winner with 63% of the Vote. Even though Islam prefers to keep its women uneducated, even an uneducated Islamic women is not falling for this Fraud. Iran can't count 40 million paper voting ballots and produce a result in just 2 hours and this does not even include the absentee Voting Ballots from Iranians living outside the country. Iran got caught with its pants down on this one! It will be interesting to see how it turns out. There should be a re-Vote with outside U.N. observers.

[johninpennsyl]

Why can't every country have honest elections,like the United States has?

[melchg07]

It is likely that this was a sham of an election which brings up the question....why wouldn't they have made the results look more plausible? If perhaps they just went with a lower like 51% perhaps they may have gotten a way with it.....maybe.

[armyoftwelve]

As darkness fell, cries of "Allahu akbar!" - "God is great!"

Vain repitition. Is the issue here whether or not God is great?? No, the issue is who won the frikken election.

God is greater than "great"....

[curiously1]

The thugs have released the hounds on peaceful people. May God punish these ruling thugs in Iran individually.

[sogaman]

Whoa nofoolling a little hard on us citizens. In less than 1 1/2 years we all (who can and SHOULD vote) get a chance to do our protest. All of the House members, 1/3 of the Senate, 1/2 of the governors, countless state reps, mayors, counsel members, etc must run for reelection. Maybe you need to run, sound like you have the passion to change things, if not running, help a person who is you agree with get elected. we are not in the streets because we vote, as for all the calls of fraud in past elections if you lost too bad-the process went through as best as it could, what can you do, help run a voting place and watch over the vote yourself, volunteers are needed every election. I voted this past election and feel MY vote counted and several folks I voted for lost. So get off the blog and run yourself or help, you can do that in this country without getting shot at and that should not be forgotten. God be with those in Iran fighting for the rights we take way too granted.

[boatdocster]

How could "Ahwannajihad" have won when they didn't even count the votes??

Posted by demongirl60 at 4:09 PM : Jun 15, 2009

I wonder the same thing about Bush in Florida in 2000, and again in Ohio in 2004. When will Americans start getting this passionate about their elections and the cheap frauds that manipulate vote counts?

[nofoolling]

Funny how we see pictures and video of citizens gone wild in foreign countries and we hardly ever see that here, aside from the occasional person who "flips out" and goes on a rampage alone. And then the perpetrator is villified in the news as a whacko.

So when is it patriotic to "go wild?" Will there ever come a time when American citizens take to the streets to end the tyrrany and corruption that our government has denigrated into? When is enough corruption enough?

Or does that mean we're so asleep at the wheel we don't even bother to "raise hell" when our leaders repeatedly and thoroughly rob us till we bleed?

Or maybe it's because we're civilized and are taught to accept the will of the whoever has the most money to buy our leaders?

When will the American people ever stand up and say enough? Or will most folks simply live with the totally ineffective system of voting to change masters, who are then bought and paid for, until we are little more than caged animals?

When do we get to vote on the issues and not on a lying con-artist politician who'll sell us out to the highest bidder?

Or will we be law-abiding peaceful citizens no matter what evil, no matter what treachery, no matter what raiding of the Treasury and our pocketbooks, the government perpetrates upon us?

Recently our leaders were bribed into voting for a bill bailing out the ultra-rich bankers, even when most polls showed 70-90% of the people were adamantly against it.

We'll probably end up in camps waiting in line for whatever food they offer, because we've been taught to be civilized.

[mcintoshlou]

keep going to church and you too can become a mindless sheep

[demongirl60]

How could "Ahwannajihad" have won when they didn't even count the votes??

[DefendLiberty]

Because the religious extremists that run Iran had already decided "who won". The mistake they made was to be so clumsy about it. You don't have the "election council" announce all the votes before there was even time to count them! You also don't announce that the results of all the regions had almost exactly the same percentage. You don't declare that the the opposition massively lost in regions which have strong cultural and political affinity with the opposition.

The Iranian mullahs are amateurs at fixing and stealing elections. Their people were so compliant before that they thought they did not have to try. OOPS!