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Mousavi addresses huge rally in Tehran

TEHRAN: Defying ban orders, more than a 1,00,000 supporters of Mir-Hosain Mousavi, who lost to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran’s controversial presidential elections on Friday, converged at a prominent Tehran square on Monday.

Mr. Mousavi, who was not seen in public since Friday, made an appearance and briefly addressed the mammoth crowds, which stretched before him to a distance of nearly 9 km. “Long live Mousavi” his supporters chanted as the embattled leader spoke.

Crowds sporting the trademark green insignia of the Mousavi campaign held placards, one of which read: “This is not election. This is selection.” Another asked: “Where is my vote?” in reference to allegations by Mr. Mousavi’s campaign managers that nearly a million ballots supporting their candidate had not been counted.

The rally followed a statement by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordering the supervisory Guardian Council to probe Mr. Mousavi’s written allegation that the elections had been fraudulent.

The rally is seen by many as a befitting response to massive gathering of Mr. Ahamdinejad’s supporters at a prominent square on Sunday. The two rallies are also seen as an expression of the deep divisions which exist among Iran’s citizenry.

The anti-riot police which was present in strength at the rally stood by calmly and did not interfere. Earlier, Iran’s police Chief Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam warned that the march by Mr. Mousavi’s supporters would be considered illegal.

In the wake of the threat, Mr. Mousavi’s backers were also considering staging a sit in at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic revolution.

AP reports from Tehran:

Gunmen have fired on opposition protesters at a massive march over alleged election fraud, killing at least one person.

An Associated Press photographer saw one person shot dead and several others who appear seriously wounded in Tehran’s Azadi Square. The shooting came from a compound for volunteer militia linked to Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard.

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