Candidate Withdraws Iran Fraud Complaint

State TV Says Conservative Presidential Hopeful Did It For "Sake Of The Country"; But It Advances Regime's Cause

(CBS/AP)  Last Updated 5:50 a.m. EDT.

A conservative candidate in Iran's disputed presidential election said Wednesday that he was withdrawing his complaints about voting fraud for the sake of the country, state television reported.

The announcement by Mohsen Rezaie, a former commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, moved the cleric-led government one step closer to a final declaration of victory for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. State TV reported that Ahmadinejad would be sworn in sometime between July 26 and Aug. 19.

Iran's supreme leader has said that Ahmadinejad won fairly but the government appears to be moving in stages toward a final declaration, perhaps to avoid provoking a resurgence of protests by backers of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Mousavi's supporters claim massive fraud tilted the election and want the vote to be canceled and held again. The final tally gave 62.6 percent of the vote to Ahmadinejad and 33.75 percent to Mousavi, a landslide victory in a race that had been perceived as much closer. Rezaie came in third.

Mousavi has said little and remained out of the public eye as the government flooded the streets of Tehran with police and pro-government militia to deter further protests. It has quietly been arresting reformist activists and others, according to human rights groups outside the country.

Government tallies have shown that at least 627 people have been arrested in Tehran. Some state media have reported 17 protesters killed by security forces. Other state reports give the number as 27, said Hadi Ghaemi, director of the New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

IranWatch: Track the latest on the Iran election upheaval.

Ghaemi said he believes the number of dead is much higher, based on conversations with hospital workers, witnesses and relatives of victims in Iran.

Another opposition figure, reformist presidential candidate Mahdi Karroubi, called for a day of mourning for those killed in protests since the election. Some social networking sites suggested that the mourning would take place Thursday.

Mousavi's informal spokesman outside Iran, filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, said in Rome that even if Ahmadinejad manages to govern for the next four years, "he will not have one day of quietness," with protesters resorting to general strikes and civil resistance.

State-run TV confirmed the arrest of Iason Athanasiadis, a Greek national reporting for the Washington Times. It was the first known arrest of a journalist who did not hold Iranian citizenship, Ghaemi said, calling it a significant escalation of the attempt to repress independent reporting by a government that shied away from arresting foreign journalists in recent years.

A number of journalists have been detained since the protests began, although there have been conflicting accounts. The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders put the figure at 34. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said 13 were in custody, including Newsweek correspondent Maziar Bahari.

The International Women's Media Foundation reported the arrest of Jila Baniyaghoob, editor-in-chief of the journal Focus on Iranian Women and winner of its 2009 IWMF Courage in Journalism Award.

The group said Baniyaghoob was arrested along with her husband, journalist Bahaman Ahamadi Amoee.

There were no reported demonstrations Tuesday and protesters have been resorting to more subtle ways of challenging the outcome of the presidential election: holding up posters, shouting from rooftops and turning on car headlights.

"People are calmly protesting, more symbolically than with their voices," a Tehran resident said in a telephone interview, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of government retribution.

President Obama hardened his rhetoric on the crackdown, saying the world was "appalled and outraged".

"I have made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not interfering in Iran's affairs," Obama said. "But we must also bear witness to the courage and dignity of the Iranian people, and to a remarkable opening within Iranian society."

Obama had been avoiding harsh condemnation of Iran's government, which often labels domestic unrest as the work of foreign agents.

Iran expelled two diplomats from Britain - a nation it bitterly accuses of meddling and spying - and Britain in turn sent two Iranian envoys home. There was no immediate word Wednesday on any Iranian reaction to the speech by Obama, who had been trying to warm relations with the Islamic Republic.

Iran's expulsions came a day after Britain sent home a dozen dependents of diplomatic staff because of the unrest.

About 100 hard-line students protested outside the British Embassy in Tehran, where they burned U.S., British and Israeli flags, pelted the building with tomatoes, and chanted: "Down with Britain!" and "Down with USA!" state TV reported.

Iran also accused U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of interfering in its domestic affairs.

Ban told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the "Iranian government must stop the arrest of these people and protect the civilians, and also protect the freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and freedom of information."

Iran's leaders have ruled out a revote, saying they found no major fraud, even though the Guardian Council has acknowledged irregularities in 50 of 170 districts. The council said the discrepancies were not widespread enough to affect the outcome.

Iran has 46.2 million eligible voters, one-third of them under 30. The huge margin of victory for Ahmadinejad went against the expectation that the record 85 percent turnout would help Mousavi.

Iran's top electoral body, the Guardian Council, has said it would issue a decision by Wednesday on validating the election result. Khamenei said Tuesday that he had agreed to extend the deadline for registering complaints by five days.

[Snerdguy]

Weather or not the complaint is withdrawn, the evidence of misconduct and fraud is clear. Any country that does business with Iran should take note of it's willingness cheat and react violently when accused. Would you really want to invest in this?

[walt1944]

Its the Soviet Union and the Chinese democracy revolt all over again and with ther same outcome! The people discover corruption in their government and take to the streets, the government cracks down and arrests a lot of people and shots a few more, refuses to listen to the people, and things get quiet again because the government teaches the people to march in step again OR ELSE!

We saw that in Hungary in 1965, here with the race riots and peace marches in 1968-1971, in Checkoslavakia in 1974, in Poland in 1978!

When a government won't listen to the will of its own people, it ceases being a democracy and becomes a dictatorship!!!

HAIL OBAMA????

[Sloughfoot]

Get a life folks, that the "Old Goats" in this regime were in a spitting match and that was evident from the beginning. That they would kiss and make up was to be expected.....Each now is finding his own rock to craw under.... That the young people were led astray believing there were "Winds of Change" in the air is really unfortunate. They will suffer for the rest of their lives.

No one in Iran with the Power, political or financial, ever stepped forward and declared or implied that a change in the "Old Guard" system was the "Order of the Day".

End of story.

PS Same-Same World Wide, Politcians seldom stick their necks out far enough to get them chopped off.

[HiTor15]

Look I see poems, dialogues...rants raves..complaints...media segments...suzane malveux asking the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES ON THE LAST QUESTION OF THE NIGHT WHAT HE THINKS OF SOME GIRL WHO GOT SHOT IN A POST ELECTION SCUFFLE IN IRAN!!! THIS IS WHAT WAS UPPERMOST IN HER MIND AND IN THE MIND'S OF HER EDITORS!!!! IN THE MIDDLE OF A GLOBAL DEPRESSION!!! THIS IS WHAT SUZANE MALVEUX AND CNN COULD THINK OF ASKING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!!!!! NOw I would like to ask WHERE IS THE SMOKING GUN!!!! WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE OF VOTER FRAUD!!!!!! OR IS THIS ABOUT HEY IRAN WE DONT LIKE YOUR GOVERNMENT SO CHANGE IT AND WE DONT CARE WHAT YOUR PEOPLE REALLY WANT!!!!! Let me tell you this is disgusting..those of you who have some knowledge of what I am getting at pretty much understand where I'm coming from!!! WHEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA GOES AROUND TELLING PEOPLE THAT THEIR CHOICE IN AN ELECTION IS NOT THE RIGHT CHOICE THE TIME OF THE UNITED STATES AS THE LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD MAY HAVE COME TO AN END...DEMOCRACY ITSELF MAY HAVE COME TO AN END....P.S. I COULDNT GIVE A F WHAT HAPPENS IN IRAN..THIS IS NOT ABOUT IRAN...THIS IS ABOUT YOU AND ME AND WHATS HAPPENING IN OUR OWN NATION!!!! DEMOCRACY IS GOING TO BE SEVERELY CHALLENGED IN THE COMING DECADES...THE FACT IS THE LEADERS ARE FAILING AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS IT DOES NOT BODE WELL FOR THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE.

[hungry1968-15]

by IThoughtItWasFunnyAsIs June 24, 2009 4:28 AM PDT
Your arabic/muslim president just legitamized this THUGROCRACY, in the most pitiful show of leadership ever presented by a US president.

Leadership is not reconciliation or conciliation. It is something inside that guides you, suppported by a belief system and, in the case of President of the United States, requires a steady and passionate love of the United States. Does this sound like Obama? Of course not. Dumbama obviously does not believe in freedom, or that it's worth standing up and engaging those who would oppress and suppress their people. He makes a mockery of this country because he's made of the same ILK as these THUGS!

Anything those Iranian protestors accomplish now will be on their own nickel and their own blood while Obama stood and sucked his thumb like a coward JUST LIKE THE IRANIAN THUGS who brought in Hamas and Hizbollah THUGS to beat and murder and imprison their people. Obama should go on another Date Night.







When and where did Obama ever "legitimize" this election?

Leadership IS NOT "supported by a belief system". Only the very, very weak need the crutch of organized religion to get them through their day(s).

Are you seriously claiming that Obama doesn't love the United States, because he didn't openly denounce Iran's elections?

What makes you think that Obama has any sort of obligation or requirement to make sure the people of Iran have "freedom or liberty"? Last I checked, he was the president of the US, obligated to upholding the US constitution. Show me on the constitution where he's required to uphold the UN charter or enforce the US constitution on a global, worldwide level.

[docpeter1953]

by tunaatlast June 24, 2009 4:17 AM PDT

I withdraw my complaint about election fraud, now can I have my family back.
________________________________

More likely: "I withdraw my complaint of election fraud so I am not hanged for treason."

[longtree-2009]

the U.S. is not the world's police force and if it is that would be huge news. when the U.S. interferes in the internal affairs of another nation it is often criticized and it is equally criticized when it does not interfere. if the U.S. is to be the world's police force, world nations should provide a budget and a standing army equal to that of the U.S. but under the direct command of the U.S. can't see where the U.S. can do much without starting up the military draft. we can't even manage the limited wars in iraq and afghanistan, there is no total victory to date in either war. the U.S. is not a world police force or enforcer. where was the world when iranians took the U.S. Embassy and held American hostages? where were the iranians, none of which protested against their government for the takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran. Iranians should fight their own battles there in iran and those living abroad should return home to fight for their homeland. the U.S. should not interfere in any nation's elections, it is up to the nation's population to do what has to be done per their view.

[tunaatlast]

I withdraw my complaint about election fraud, now can I have my family back.

[iowa0319]

They might just let him and his family live...

[mnbrant]

Poem about the Statue of Liberty

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

[dragyn30]

This no longer applies, thanks to those who have abused it....

We have opened the USA up to parasites and freeloaders who come here seeking a "better life" yet they refuse to work for it and earn it like the rest of us! My ancestors came here from different countries and learned English, they did not demand that we translate everything for them, they worked to pay for their homes, food, clothing and medical care. Unlike those who are here illegally and get everything handed to them while real citizens (natural born or those who worked to become citizens)go without and watch our money disappear to pay for these lazy good-for-nothings. This is not what the Statue of liberty stands for!

This is a new day I agree with Robin Williams - replace the torch with a Baseball Bat and change the inscription to read "YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME!!!!!"