Middle East News

Protest rally starts despite official ban (Extra)

Jun 15, 2009, 12:10 GMT

   Tehran - Thousands of supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi on Monday started a protest rally against alleged fraud in the recent presidential election despite a ban by the Interior Ministry.

   Moussavi had called on his supporters not to stage the protest rally to avoid clashes with police.

   The protestors shouted slogans in favour of Moussavi and against the alleged fraud which led to the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

   Large numbers of police and anti-riot officers were deployed at Enqelab square and nearby streets.

   The Interior Ministry had warned Moussavi about the consequences if the ban was ignored and the police chief told state television that his forces would decisively confront any group trying to cause public disorder.

   Ahmadinejad won Friday's election by an unexpectedly large margin, a result that many Moussavi supporters refused to accept.