Tens of thousands stage mass opposition protest in Tehran

Tens of thousands of supporters for Iranian reformist leader Mir Hossein Mousavi met his calls for a mass rally and flooded the streets of downtown Tehran on Thursday.

Mousavi called on his supporters to gather in a peaceful rally that began in mosques and flooded onto the streets, protesting Friday's presidential election that produced a landslide victory for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

All three of Ahmadinejad's challengers have alleged fraud after results showed the president winning by a 2-to-1 margin, and supporters from both sides have mounted massive rallies every day since Monday.

The opposition rally was also meant to mourn the seven people killed in the election protests on Monday.

"Where are our brothers?" read a banner in the crowd of people who marched silently to Imam Khomeini Square wearing black and bearing green wristbands. Many also carried flowers and candles.

Demonstrators marched silently until they arrived at the square, where some chanted "Death to the Dictator!" and "Where are our votes?"

While the protesters openly defied Iranian authorities Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged them to pursue their allegations of election fraud within the limits of the cleric-led system.

The street protests have presented one of the gravest threats to Iran's complex blend of democracy and religious authority since the system emerged out of the Islamic Revolution.

But the chances of bringing down the government appear remote. The ruling clerics still command deep public support and are defended by Iran's most powerful military force — the Revolutionary Guard — as well as a vast network of militias.

Hundreds detained

Western-based human rights organizations said Thursday that crackdowns in the country have led to the arrests of many prominent activists and politicians.

At least 200 people have been arrested or have disappeared since protests began.

Hadi Ghaemi, director of the New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights, said he has spoken with family members and colleagues of people who have been arrested or disappeared.

Amnesty International said it has also heard that hundreds of demonstrators are being detained.

They include activists, journalists, politicians, students and members of the reform movement, Ghaemi said.

There have also been widespread accusations of nighttime attacks on Mousavi supporters by pro-government militiamen.

The reports could not be independently confirmed due to government restrictions on reporting inside the country.

The Iranian government has said that it has arrested a relatively small number of people responsible for violence and other crimes.

Clampdown on websites

The Revolutionary Guard issued a statement on the state news service Wednesday ordering any material that "creates tension" and encourages public disturbance and street riots be removed from Iranian websites and blogs.

Journalists working for foreign media have been restricted from first-hand reporting on the streets in an attempt to block images and eyewitness accounts from the rallies.

The government has blocked certain websites, such as BBC Farsi, Facebook, Twitter and several pro-Mousavi sites and blogs that are being used by Iranians to release pictures, videos and accounts of the protests and violence occurring in the country.

Many other sites, including Gmail and Yahoo, were reported as operating unusually slow or not connecting at all.

Meeting on Saturday

Mousavi has condemned the blocking of websites, saying the government does not tolerate the voice of the opposition.

On his official website, Mousavi said he and former reformist President Mohammad Khatami have sent a joint letter to Iran's head of judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, asking him to take measures to stop violence against protesters by police and help to release detained demonstrators.

State radio reported Thursday the Guardian Council has invited Mousavi and two other candidates who ran against Ahmadinejad to a meeting on Saturday.

The unelected 12-member panel announced Tuesday that it will conduct a partial recount of ballots at voting sites where candidates claim irregularities occurred.

According to government officials, Ahmadinejad won 62.6 per cent of the vote, while Mousavi garnered 33.75 per cent in a contest that appeared to divide urban and rural voters.

The council has received 646 complaints regarding the election results, spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei said Thursday.

The complaints include a shortage of ballots, people on site trying to force citizens to vote for a particular candidate and expelling candidates' representatives from polling stations, Kadkhodaei said.

Mousavi alleges the Guardian Council is not neutral and has already indicated it supports Ahmadinejad. He wants an independent investigation.