Thousands of protesters mourn Iran dead

TEHRAN, June 18 (UPI) -- Iranian protesters, clad in black for mourning, filled Tehran's streets in a post-election rally Thursday that began and ended peacefully, witnesses said.

Tens of thousands of protesters wore black in remembrance of those who died in the violence that followed Friday's elections in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the landslide winner over his nearest challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Iranian media reported at least eight people died since protests began Saturday.

The goal of the marchers was to begin their protest from mosques across Tehran and end at Freedom Square, CNN reported.

Mousavi addressed the throng during the "ceremony of mourning," messages posted on Twitter indicated. The Iranian government banned foreign media, such as CNN, from live coverage of "unauthorized" demonstrations, so accounts are based on Internet postings by witnesses or participants.

"Iran must participate in fair elections, it is a matter of national importance," Internet messages quoted Mousavi as saying.

Another opposition candidate, Mehdi Karrubi, called on demonstrators to march to the location where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, will speak Friday.

The Guardian Council, which oversees Iran's elections, said it was looking into complaints of ballot fraud, and invited opposition candidates to attend a meeting. It agreed to recount votes, but Mousavi is seeking a new election.

Meanwhile, the Iranian government continued its crackdown on prominent opposition figures, political analysts and journalists, The Washington Post said.

Security forces Wednesday detained opposition politician Ibrahim Yazdi and Mohammad Tavasoli, another revolutionary, Iranian news outlets said. Fars News Agency reported two children of former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a critic of Ahmadinejad, were barred from leaving the country.

Mousavi and former President Mohammad Khatami have asked Iran's courts to subdue post-election violence and release protesters who have been arrested, CNN said.

Amnesty International said its monitoring indicated rallies also were staged in Tabriz, Bobol, Shiraz, Mashad and Zahedan.