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IRAN: First images emerge from July 9 protests

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The first shaky amateur videos are emerging from today’s protests in Iran, where thousands of people have taken to the streets in defiance of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has made it clear that further opposition will not be tolerated.

But the protesters are not only marching but also upping the ante with new slogans slamming Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, who, according to analysts, is the leading force behind the violent crackdown.

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In the following clip, protesters can be heard shouting “Mojtaba, we’re not going, we won’t give you the supreme leadership.”

The protest today was intended to coincide with the anniversary of the student uprising of 1999, which was also suppressed, with hundreds of dissidents jailed, injured or killed.

Reports of attacks on protesters by pro-government Basiji militiamen have been difficult to verify because most journalists either have been expelled from the country or severely restricted in their ability to report.

The government began its media crackdown shortly after the disputed presidential elections in June that sparked widespread protests across the country.

The featured videos were posted on YouTube and several Iranian opposition websites, which claim it was shot today, although verification is difficult with cellphone lines cut and Internet access slowed.

-- Meris Lutz in Beirut

Videos: Protesters take to the streets in Tehran.

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