Iran Detains British Embassy Staff

Four still held as UK decries 'harassment'

(NEWSER) - Four of the nine staff members arrested at the British embassy in Tehran are still "being interrogated," reports the BBC, for what Iranian media described as collusion with the protests. The Iranian regime has condemned Britain throughout the crisis for meddling in the country's affairs. More»

February 11 will test regime, international community

(NEWSER) - Feb. 11, the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, promises to bring tests for all parties with a hand in the nation's fate, writes Gerald Seib. Big marches traditionally herald the anniversary, and members of the opposition movement that has bloomed since last June's election will undoubtedly come out in big numbers. That's the test for Mahmoud "Ahmadinejad and his government, which will have to decide how hard to bring down their iron fist." More»

First official acknowledgment of post-election state violence

(NEWSER) - A man arrested in the upheaval following Iran's presidential election was beaten to death in jail, Iranian media reported yesterday—offering the first official acknowledgment that a detained protester died after the disputed vote. Officials had originally said the man died of an illness, but a coroner's report said he suffered "repeated blows and severe physical injuries." The death took place at the notorious Kahrizak prison, which Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has since ordered closed. More»

(NEWSER) - Dozens of Iranians were arrested today when riot police violently dispersed a protest in Tehran, Reuters reports. Hundreds chanted slogans like “Ahmadinejad—resign, resign,” and “Death to dictators,” witnesses said, before police, some in plainclothes, descended on the demonstration, beating and detaining the protesters. Some witnesses put the number of protesters in the thousands. More»

(NEWSER) - Riot police swarmed around Tehran University today, dispersing anyone attempting to gather in protest with batons, shields, and pepper spray, the Washington Post reports. “There are 300 of us in a small alley, and we are under attack by dozens of security forces,” one witness reported. Others say they saw Baseej militia members beating protesters with clubs, and plainclothes police officers leading people into unmarked vans. More»