Jun 14, 2009 4:06 pm US/Central
Iranian-Americans Take To Streets To Protest Vote
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Iranian-American and expatriates demonstrated in downtown Dallas Sunday, calling Friday's election in Iran a fraud and claiming the winner, hard-line president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stole the election.
About 75 demonstrators, mostly supporters of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, chanted, "Where's our vote?" they claimed numerous voter irregularities in 30-polling locations here in the United States, including Dallas. They say the number of ballots was limited and that polling places were closed early.
Aydin Nazmi organized the event. "Most of us are Iranian-American and we would like to support the movement that is going for a real democracy."
Many have been following the demonstrations in Iran minute by minute. One protester says many over there have been reluctant to protest the election's outcome. "People are resistant to demonstrate in the streets, because they don't just come after you, they come after your parents, they come after your brothers and sisters, they come after your whole family."
The protesters say authorities cut off internet and text messaging access in the country to confuse young people. They say many of Iran's citizens want democracy. "Really, the people of Iran---they just want the same freedoms we have here, they want to be able to walk the streets hand-in-hand, they want to be able to vote and have their vote recognized, they want freedom."
Anna, A protester who has relatives in Iran, says North Texans should care about the vote because it's a human rights issue. "Over there people don't hae those rights, they don't have those rights that we here every day take for granted. And I think it's important to realize that not everybody can have what we have here."
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