Iran's Violent Week; Farda's Exclusive with Karrubi's Son

The 30th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran this week was marked by opposition protests, some of which turned violent. Over the last two days, there were mass protests and violent crackdowns all over Iran.

Iran -- A photo taken from Tehran University where riot police stand guard on the 30th anniversary of the American Embassy hostage crisis.Tehran, 04Nov2009

Radio Farda has been providing Iranians with up-to-the-minute coverage (in Farsi) of all of the events, including news about the house arrest  of opposition leader and former presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. Farda also has an exclusive interview with the son of opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi (in Farsi). A translated excerpt:

Radio Farda: Was Mehdi Karrubi also injured in the attack by the police forces?

Mohammad Taghi Karrubi: Police forces directly shot tear gas towards Karrubi and his friends. It landed on the head of one of the bodyguards. Two of the guards were injured and were transferred to the hospital, one of whom had his faced burned by chemical gases. Despite that, Karrubi went with his car to other streets and remained with the people.

Radio Farda: So the rumors about Karrubi’s arrest today are incorrect?

Karrubi: It's 12:30 a.m. and such a thing has not happened. But we have always said it, and we say it again, that Karrubi remains firm on his positions - he defends the rights of the people and remains committed to his promises to them. He and his close allies are not afraid of being arrested and are willing to pay any price for their stances.

ALSO: Check out Farda's extensive coverage cited by the New York Times and The Guardian:

-NYTimes: Clashes in Tehran Mark 30^th Anniversary of Embassy Takeover (Nov. 4)

-NYTimes Op-Ed: A Message from the Streets of Tehran (Nov. 5)

-The Guardian: New protests in Iran (Nov. 4)