London condemns Iranian crackdown

LONDON, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- The government of Iran should respect the freedom of its citizens and halt the use of forceful measures to quiet dissent, the British foreign secretary said.

Iranian students took advantage of national commemorations marking Students' Day on Monday to chant anti-clerical slogans and express their frustration with the clerical regime in Tehran.

The Iranian government restricted media access and disrupted Internet traffic ahead of the protests, though amateur reports and video posted online appeared to show Iranian riot police using force to break up the demonstrations.

David Miliband, the British foreign secretary, said he was concerned about reports of force and other human-rights abuses used to silence the opposition in Iran.

"Freedom of speech and freedom of political expression are fundamental values which all governments should respect," he said. "We look to the Iranian authorities to uphold the freedoms of their own citizens, not stifle them."

Iran launched a major crackdown on dissent in the wake of June elections that brought a disputed victory to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Opposition supporters took to the streets following the June vote in some of the most violent demonstrations since the 1979 revolution brought the clerical regime to power.