The protesters, most of them university students, also condemned the deaths of seven fellow Iranian opposition supporters who were shot dead during a massive anti-government demonstration in Tehran on Monday.
Organizers said the demonstration was part of worldwide street protests staged by Iranian expatriates supporting Mir Hossein Musavi, the main opposition presidential candidate. The small crowd chanted slogans and held banners accusing the Iranian government of rigging the vote. An Armenian police unit kept it from getting too close to the embassy building.
“Between 2,000 and 2,500 of our citizens voted here [in Armenia] and 70-80 percent of them voted for Musavi,” one young man told RFE/RL. “The same happened all over Iran.”
Armenia -- Iranian opposition supporters demonstrate outside the Iranian embassy in Yerevan on June 16, 2009.In contrast to Monday’s rally, many protesters wore dark sunglasses and medical facemasks. “We want to make sure they don’t recognize us by face,” one of them explained. “Why? Because our state is such that we may get in trouble. And we, the students living here, don’t want to have problems.”
Other protesters claimed that Iranian embassy officials phoned Iranians living in Armenia the previous night and warned them against attending further protests against their government. “But we still decided to come here because young people in Iran have been killed,” said one young woman.
Meanwhile, Iran's top legislative body, the Guardian Council, ruled out annulling Friday’s election on Tuesday as Musavi supporters planned to hold another big rally in the capital. According to Reuters news agency, the council said it is only prepared to order a partial recount of votes.
Armenia, which maintains close political and economic ties with the Islamic Republic, has recognized the vote results, with President Serzh Sarkisian sending a congratulatory message to Ahmadinejad at the weekend.
Organizers said the demonstration was part of worldwide street protests staged by Iranian expatriates supporting Mir Hossein Musavi, the main opposition presidential candidate. The small crowd chanted slogans and held banners accusing the Iranian government of rigging the vote. An Armenian police unit kept it from getting too close to the embassy building.
“Between 2,000 and 2,500 of our citizens voted here [in Armenia] and 70-80 percent of them voted for Musavi,” one young man told RFE/RL. “The same happened all over Iran.”
Other protesters claimed that Iranian embassy officials phoned Iranians living in Armenia the previous night and warned them against attending further protests against their government. “But we still decided to come here because young people in Iran have been killed,” said one young woman.
Meanwhile, Iran's top legislative body, the Guardian Council, ruled out annulling Friday’s election on Tuesday as Musavi supporters planned to hold another big rally in the capital. According to Reuters news agency, the council said it is only prepared to order a partial recount of votes.
Armenia, which maintains close political and economic ties with the Islamic Republic, has recognized the vote results, with President Serzh Sarkisian sending a congratulatory message to Ahmadinejad at the weekend.