Orumieh city is under curfew, following protests to save Lake Orumieh
06:30 - 23 May 2012
Kurdpa: Following the mass protests against the authorities\' indifference to the fate of drying out ‘Lake Orumieh’, many protestors were arrested and major parts of the city are under strict curfew.
According to reports sent to Kurdpa from Orumieh city, major parts of the city such as ‘Jiran’ square and Samadzadeh Street are under tight control and surveillance of regime security forces.
The latest reports obtained indicate that a number of protestors were arrested on Monday and they were transferred to the detention center in the military compound of ‘9 Pila’ in the city.
The protests reached Tabriz city as well, ‘Savalan Port’ website reported and many people joined the protest in solidarity with the dying lake.
Regime’s anti-riot forces have used tear gas and paint guns to disperse and identify the protestors.
Our on-the-ground reporter from the city of Orumieh stated that those arrested on Monday afternoon were transferred to the Intelligence Ministry’s detention center in ‘Shahr Chai’.
Security forces have also been stationed in major blocks to prevent any gathering of more than a few people.
Also, to intimidate the public further, some of the shop owners who were warned in the wake of last year’s similar protests were summoned to the intelligence ministry, and according to the statement of one of the family members of those detained, there is no news about their whereabouts.
For its part, regime’s Fars News Agency, quoting the governor of the city of Orumieh reported “we have not issued any permits for any gatherings, and we will take strong measures against any elements of unrest.”
In the last couple of days, many environmental, student and civil society activists had issued a statement calling on people to join protests on Monday at 6:00 pm in major cities in the vicinity of the Lake.
Similar protests took place in the cities around the lake last year. Then too, along with a few killed, hundreds of activists were also arrested and persecuted.
The long popular Lake Orumieh in north-west Iran, home to migrating flamingos, pelicans and gulls, has shrunken by 60 percent and could disappear entirely in just a few years, a Washington Post report confirmed; experts say drained by drought, misguided irrigation policies, development and the damming of rivers that feed it are the leading cause of this environmental plague.
Lake Orumieh is situated at the heart of the region, home to the country\'s Kurdish and Turkish-Azeri national minorities, predominantly in the lake’s western and eastern frontiers respectively.
According to reports sent to Kurdpa from Orumieh city, major parts of the city such as ‘Jiran’ square and Samadzadeh Street are under tight control and surveillance of regime security forces.
The latest reports obtained indicate that a number of protestors were arrested on Monday and they were transferred to the detention center in the military compound of ‘9 Pila’ in the city.
The protests reached Tabriz city as well, ‘Savalan Port’ website reported and many people joined the protest in solidarity with the dying lake.
Regime’s anti-riot forces have used tear gas and paint guns to disperse and identify the protestors.
Our on-the-ground reporter from the city of Orumieh stated that those arrested on Monday afternoon were transferred to the Intelligence Ministry’s detention center in ‘Shahr Chai’.
Security forces have also been stationed in major blocks to prevent any gathering of more than a few people.
Also, to intimidate the public further, some of the shop owners who were warned in the wake of last year’s similar protests were summoned to the intelligence ministry, and according to the statement of one of the family members of those detained, there is no news about their whereabouts.
For its part, regime’s Fars News Agency, quoting the governor of the city of Orumieh reported “we have not issued any permits for any gatherings, and we will take strong measures against any elements of unrest.”
In the last couple of days, many environmental, student and civil society activists had issued a statement calling on people to join protests on Monday at 6:00 pm in major cities in the vicinity of the Lake.
Similar protests took place in the cities around the lake last year. Then too, along with a few killed, hundreds of activists were also arrested and persecuted.
The long popular Lake Orumieh in north-west Iran, home to migrating flamingos, pelicans and gulls, has shrunken by 60 percent and could disappear entirely in just a few years, a Washington Post report confirmed; experts say drained by drought, misguided irrigation policies, development and the damming of rivers that feed it are the leading cause of this environmental plague.
Lake Orumieh is situated at the heart of the region, home to the country\'s Kurdish and Turkish-Azeri national minorities, predominantly in the lake’s western and eastern frontiers respectively.
