Day 5 of Iran protests: Where do we stand?

As tens of thousands marched in Tehran Wednesday, the government moved to recount ballots and crack down on bloggers and news websites.

By Christa Case Bryant | Middle East editor

from the June 17, 2009 edition

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Even as the Iranian government clamped down harder on dissent, defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi urged his followers on Wednesday to protest en masse again.

Already, tens of thousands have begun to gather in Tehran's Haft-e Tir Square and march silently through the streets.

"We want a peaceful rally to protest the unhealthy trend of the election and realize our goal of annulling the results," said Mr. Mousavi, who has rejected as insufficient Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's move the day before to recount votes in certain contested areas.

And Mousavi is keeping the pressure on: He called for a day of mourning on Thursday.

Though considering a recount, just days after Ayatollah Khamenei called President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection "divine," the regime on Tuesday barred foreign journalists from leaving their offices and arrested prominent reformists.

Here is a rundown of what's happening on various fronts, as reported by different outlets. Click on the news source's name to see the full article.

Crackdown on dissidents

"Iran was braced for a fifth day of unrest today as the government intensified its crackdown on opposition figures with the arrest of dozens of leading critics and issued a further warning against reporting of the protest movement," reported the Guardian in London.

"Iranian intelligence and security forces are using the public protests to engage in what appears to be a major purge of reform-oriented individuals whose situations in detention could be life-threatening," said Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

10 days and counting

"The country's Guardian Council, a 12-man committee that serves to uphold the constitution, announced Tuesday that it had begun a 10-day investigation into allegations of voting irregularities, but also praised the election process and said the reevaluation would be limited to specific areas where alleged infractions took place," reported the Los Angeles Times.

Agence France-Presse quotes Khamenei as saying Wednesday: "If the examination of the problems requires recounting of some ballot boxes, it should be definitely done in the presence of the representatives of candidates so that everybody is assured," he said.

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