Clashes reported at funeral of Iranian dissident cleric
BBC
21-Dec-2009

Iranian reformists have clashed with police after the funeral of a dissident cleric, opposition websites say.

Earlier, tens of thousands took part in a procession for Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri in the holy city of Qom.

Clashes reportedly broke out, but the scale of the confrontation is not clear, says a BBC correspondent.

Montazeri - who died aged 87 of natural causes in Qom on Saturday night - had decried President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election in June as a fraud.

The reformist Jaras website said mourners chanted slogans in support of the cleric and also of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Mr Mousavi took part in the procession, along with fellow opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi.

Another site, Rahesabz.net, said some members of the hardline pro-government faction Ansar Hezbollah tried to stop chanting in the crowd, but left "after clashing with some people".

Many mourners were carrying green banners or wearing green - the colour of Iran's opposition.

 

The ayatollah's son, Saeed Montazeri, said the security forces had surrounded his father's home after the ceremony in the holy city of
Qom.

Opposition website Kaleme.org said that following the funeral, some mourners threw stones at police surrounding the cleric's house and clashes with security forces followed.

Footage broadcast on the internet showed crowds cha... >>>

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