Iran’s “people reporting” praised

21/06/09 12:03 CET

world news

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News organisations are relying heavily on amateur video and photographs coming out of Tehran. The New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has praised what it calls the power of people reporting.

The group’s director, Hadi Ghaemi, says ordinary citizens are providing “powerful testimonies” about what is going on inside Iran. On the protests on Saturday, he said: “The people we talk to in Tehran today described a very consistent picture that tens of thousand of people approached the Revolution Square in Tehran trying to start a march.“At the same time the march route was taken over by security forces and there was a heavy presence of armed militia of the Basij who mercilessly attacked them.” Ghaemi says the Iranian government is trying its best to cut the country off from the outside world.More about: Internet, Iran

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Mali: Rebel groups agree to creation of Islamic state

Two Rebel groups have agreed to merge and create an independent Islamic state in Northern Mali. After seizing Azawad – an area larger than France – two months ago, the groups had initially disagreed, with the secular Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA)…