Former president 'hurt' in Iran protests
Former president reported to have been hurt in Iran protests that defy warnings
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By Richard James. |  |
Friday, 18, Sep 2009 05:30
By Sarah Garrod.
A former president, Mohammad Khatami, is reported to have been involved in a 'scuffle' during protests in Iran over the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Eye-witnesses using the microblogging website Twitter have said the former president was involved in a scuffle, and may have been assaulted, when thousands of protestors turned out in support of key opponents of the Iranian president.
News leaked of people taking to the streets of Tehran wearing green, the signature colour of opposition, shouting in support of defeated opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi during the annual Quds Day rally, which included pro-government protestors.
A number of reports from Twitter have said: "Heavy attack on Esfahan University. Students need help. Esfahan Uni campus undr attack."
Police were deployed in the city for the official protests, warning against opposition protests. The Reuters news agency in Tehran has reported some clashes between protestors and police, and Twitter has been inundated with reports of violence.
Mr Ahmadinejad was been sworn in for a second term as president of Iran, following an eight-week period since the election that witnessed the country's biggest political crisis since the Islamic revolution.
The controversy of his re-election has seen a chaotic and deeply unsettled environment ensue in the country since it was announced, with protestors and opposition supporters challenging the legitimacy of his election and demanding a new election.