Posted on 06/11/2003 7:39:33 AM PDT by jazzyjen97
TEHRAN - Iranians demanding reform staged their biggest protest in months Wednesday, chanting slogans against powerful Muslim clerics they accuse of limiting freedoms and the reformist government for failing to rein them in.
Political prisoners must be freed," the crowd shouted in a square near Tehran University, the scene nearly four years ago of the biggest pro-reform unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Several motorcycles were torched and windows of some shops and a state bank were smashed as protesters dispersed. Uniformed and plainclothes police with batons broke up the protest without major clashes. A handful of people were arrested.
Many in Iran have lost faith in moderate President Mohammad Khatami and his lack of progress in reforming the 24-year-old Islamic Republic in the face of strong opposition from conservatives in powerful positions.
Analysts predicted more unrest in the run-up to the anniversary of the 1999 student riots early next month.
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