Fresh protest under way in Tehran

BBC News
Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Tens of thousands of people have again taken to the streets in Iran’s capital Tehran in protest at election results.

It follows a call by presidential challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi for further peaceful demonstrations.

An even larger protest is expected on Thursday, which Mr Mousavi says should be a day of mourning for the eight people killed after Monday’s protest.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected last week with almost two-thirds of votes. The opposition allege widespread fraud.

Protests have grown since his re-election was confirmed on Saturday, with huge demonstrations in Tehran and clashes between protesters and security forces.

(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has sought to calm tensions and called for an end to rioting.

The authorities have also promised a recount of the disputed votes – but the opposition demands a full rerun.

Wearing black

Heavy restrictions have been placed on the BBC and other foreign news organisations. Reporters are not allowed to cover unauthorised gatherings or move around freely in Tehran – but there are no controls over what they can write or say.

Opposition demonstrations gathered in force in central Tehran on Wednesday afternoon.

The BBC’s Jon Leyne in Tehran says it is difficult to verify the numbers attending. Some estimates say between 70,000 and 100,000, others up to 500,000.

Full story here.

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