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Iran opposition says 72 died in post-poll unrest
Iran opposiüon says 72 died in post•pol l unrest Reuters.com lttp://www.reuters.con 'Vartic lePrint?artic leld=USTRE5820WZ20090903 : t REUTERS Print I Close this window Iran opposition says 72 died in post-poll unrest Thu Sep 3, 2009 12:57am EDT TEHRAN (Reuters) - An ally of Iranian opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi has said 72 people were killed in the street protests that erupted after the disputed June presidential election, a reformist website reported on Thursday. The death toll provided by Jireza Hosseini Beheshti showed an increase of three compared to an estimate he gave on August 11. The authorities, who have blamed the opposition for the bloodshed, say at least 26 people were killed in the unrest. They say several members of the pro-government Islamic Basij militia were among those killed. The latest number of victims in the street protests reached 72,” Beheshti was quoted as saying by the Mosharekat website. The election, which was followed by huge opposition protests, plunged Iran into its deepest internal crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution. The moderate opposition says the ballot was rigged to secure hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election. Officials deny this. Beheshti is a member of a committee set up by the opposition to investigate the fate of people caught up in the unrest. Human rights groups say thousands of people, including senior opposition figures, were arrested after the election. Many remain in jail. Iran has begun mass trials of leading moderates accused of fomenting protests in a bid to undermine the Islamic Republic's clerical leadership. The authorities have blamed the post-election violence on “rioters,” accusing them of attacking government buildings and destroying public property. (Writing by Fredrik DahI) © Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarlG of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. 1 of 1 10/20/2009 4:51 PM