Moussavi wants independent committee to review election results

July 26th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi applied at the interior ministry for permission to hold a mourning ceremony for the victims of the recent protest demonstrations, ILNA news agency reported Sunday. At least 20 demonstrators were killed during protest rallies in the last 40 days against alleged fraud in the June 12 presidential election that led to re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

June 29th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iran's legislative body, the Guardian Council, gave up hopes of representatives of opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi appearing for an election review process and would start a re-count in front of state television cameras, the news network Khabar reported Monday. Khabar quoted council spokesman Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei as saying that the representatives of both Moussavi and fellow presidential contender Mehdi Karroubi were supposed to join the review panel by noon Monday but because of their absence, the council had ordered the start of the recount of 10 percent of the ballots without the two defeated candidates' representatives.

June 28th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on all relevant parties Sunday to end disputes over the outcome of the June 12 presidential election. "I call on both sides not to provoke emotions of the youth, stop putting people against each other and refrain from scratching the nation's unity," Khamenei said in a meeting with judiciary officials.

June 28th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi Saturday refused to support a panel set up by the electoral watchdog Guardian Council to conduct a partial recount of votes in the disputed presidential election, a media report said. Refusing to be cowed by attacks on his party offices, Moussavi again demanded for fresh polls.

June 27th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iran's Guardian Council has offered opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi a deal to settle the dispute over alleged fraud in the June 12 presidential election. Council spokesman Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei said a special committee would be formed to review the disputed election results that gave President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a controversial victory.

June 25th, 2009 TEHRAN/BERLIN - Defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi claimed Thursday via his website that the Tehran authorities had arrested 70 academics he had met with, as the tense post-election standoff continued in the capital. Incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, meanwhile, hit out at criticisms of the police crackdown in Tehran by US President Barack Obama, accusing him of "meddling", according to the state-run Fars news agency.

June 23rd, 2009 TEHRAN - Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi has met senior clergy and discussed the latest developments in the country, including the deaths of protestors during street demonstrations in Tehran, his website said Tuesday. In the meeting which was held Monday, Moussavi discussed the alleged fraud in the June 12 presidential election, people's right to follow up the issue, mass arrests and attacks on protestors which have led to the killings of "innocent people", the website said.

June 21st, 2009 TEHRAN - Iran's opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi called on his supporters Sunday to continue their protests against alleged election fraud, but cautioned them to show restraint against any violence. "Protesting against lies and fraud is your legitimate right but you should constantly show restraint," Moussavi said in a statement carried on his website.

June 20th, 2009 TEHRAN/BERLIN - Eyewitness reports said Saturday that Iranian police have fired gunshots in the air at a demonstration in Tehran to disperse protestors. Witnesses said supporters of defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi clashed with supporters of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

June 18th, 2009 TEHRAN - Hundreds of thousands of supporters of opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi attended a protest gathering Thursday in downtown Tehran against alleged election fraud in last week's presidential election and the killing of demonstrators, witnesses said. The majority of the protestors wore black after Moussavi had declared Thursday a mourning day.

June 18th, 2009 TEHRAN - Protests in favour of opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi and against alleged electoral fraud were scheduled to continue Thursday in Tehran for the sixth consecutive day. The pro-Moussavi network coordinating the demonstrations said that protestors would first gather in front of the UN office and then move to a square in downtown Tehran.

June 17th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iran's opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi indicated Wednesday that his supporters would continue their protests until new presidential elections were held. "We peacefully protest against election fraud and all we want is the annulment of the election and the holding of a new election without cheating," the opposition leader said while calling on his supporters to stay calm and peaceful.

June 16th, 2009 TEHRAN - At least seven people were killed when security forces opened fire during a protest rally organised by the supporters of defeated Iranian leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi in the June 12 presidential elections, TV reports said Tuesday. The protestors tried to attack a security check post near Tehran's Azadi Square Monday when the security forces opened fire.

June 14th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi called on Iran's Guardian Council Sunday to nullify the results of the presidential election. Moussavi said in a statement on his website that he had forwarded an official request to the Guardian Council asking it to nullify the results.

June 13th, 2009 TEHRAN - An influential Iranian clergy group Saturday protested against alleged fraud in the presidential election counting process and called for the nullification of the election. The Islamic Combatant Clergy Association (ICCA), which is close to former president Mohammad Khatami and supported Mir-Hossiein Moussavi in Friday's election, said on its website that the election should be nullified and held again in a calmer, more logical and more just atmosphere.