Security Forces and Police Vehicles Increase Monitoring in Tehran

The unusually increased presence of police and security forces on Tehran streets in May 2013. Photo by International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, taken by an eyewitness citizen journalist.

One day after the names of Iranian presidential candidates were announced by the Guardian Council, there was a tense security atmosphere in several areas of Tehran on May 22, following news of the disqualification of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei as candidates, several eyewitnesses told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

According to eyewitnesses, on Tehran’s Vali-e-Asr Square and the streets leading to it, police forces were monitoring vehicles. Eyewitnesses also said that in some city squares and high-traffic spots of Tehran, they observed a larger presence of security forces. “Several times I saw many armed security forces on motor bikes on the main streets. The number of police forces all over the city is higher than on normal days, though nothing is happening. People are looking at the groups of police forces on the streets with surprise,” one eyewitness told the Campaign.