Over 50 people were arrested during an illegal protest in the northeastern city of Mashhad against recent rises in some commodity prices, a local judiciary official said. Thursday's gathering had been organized "without a permit", Press TV quoted Hassan Heidari as saying on the same day. He noted that police responded to the unlawful gathering and took 52 people into custody. "Peaceful protests are the right of every citizen, but the law will never allow opportunists to materialize their vested interests at the cost of social security." Meanwhile, ISNA quoted Mashhad Governor Mohammad Rahim Norouzian as saying that police dealt with people with tolerance. He said a number of arrests were made among those who tried to "damage public property". President Hassan Rouhani began his second term in August, with the country's economic issues high on his agenda. Rouhani's administration has managed to reduce the inflation rate, but it still faces many economic challenges.
