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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Some Iranian clerics are suspicious of election 7/9/09   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Monday, July 6, 2009 Reformist to launch new party in Iran Los Angeles Times BEIRUT, Lebanon -- The top figure of Iran's nascent political reform movement, opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, will launch a political party to pursue his goals, a reformist newspaper reported Sunday. Iranian officials, meanwhile, released a jailed British-Greek journalist while the lawyer of an imprisoned employee of the British embassy in Tehran, Iran, said he was confident that his client's case would soon be resolved. Authorities say that many people swept up in the post-election unrest have been released from prison. The pro-government Basiji militia said it had released all but 100 of 1,000 people it had arrested. Iran continues a wide-ranging crackdown on opposition figures and reformists following the June election, on Sunday blocking the Web site of a small reformist clerical bloc in the holy city of Qom. The group sharply criticized the recent vote, which gave President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the win, and subsquent recount effort by the Guardian Council, whose members are appointed directly and indirectly by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who supports Ahmadinejad. "A council, whose jurist and jurisprudent members had disproved their impartiality months ahead of the election, is not competent to rule on the cleanness and accuracy of the vote," said the proclamation by the Qom Assembly of Instructors and Researchers. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Shot ends search for man sought in killing of Seattle police officer 2. Thousands honor slain Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton 3. No charge will be filed in death of Everett pedestrian 4. Rain, thunderstorms forecast for lowlands 5. Bothell steamrolls Stanwood 6. PREP FOOTBALL/SWIMMING ROUNDUP: Halfback pass for touchdown sparks Sultan win 7. More jibba-jabba 8. Obama OK's homebuyer tax credit 9. Suspect identified in Seattle police killing 10. Dana nibbles into Somers’ lead 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

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