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
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          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)
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