Iran's parliament speaker calls for harshest punishment to protesters

Iran's influential parliament speaker Ali Larijani said Tuesday that authorities should order harshest punishment to protesters who disrupted Ashura observances. Addressing lawmakers, Larijani said that protesters had insulted Imam Hussein, whose death is commemorated during the religious observance. Larijani also slammed Britain and the United States for condemning a government crackdown on the weekend's protesters, and said that government would call Britain's ambassador in Tehran to convey its protest.
The protests were the deadliest since June demonstrations followed the nation's disputed presidential election. The protests took life of eight people though the Iranian government denied its security forces killed anyone. Nephew of opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi was also among dead people. Iranian Police arrested hundreds of people, including prominent figures. Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi  informed that Iranian intelligence officials had detained her sister, dentistry professor Nushin Ebadi. An Iranian media blackout has made it difficult to verify facts of the weekend's violence, but some recorded videos depicted bloodied and, in a few cases, apparently dead protesters.
Human-rights group Amnesty International on Monday requested Iranian authorities to allow relatives of weekend's victims to assemble for their funereal and to ensure that the the process goes one peacefully. Amnesty International said that the supreme leader and government must direct the police to end the use of force and Revolutionary Guard must withdraw the Basij (militia) from demonstrations so that no more loss of life occur.