Iran's Green Movement
Dubbed the "Green Movement" after the symbol of opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the 2009 post-election protests became a symbol of unity for opponents of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Claimed by many as the largest protests since the Iranian Revolution of 1978-1979, they were violently suppressed by security forces, who proceeded to purge the political scene of reform-oriented leaders.
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A demonstrator wears a mask in the party's color of green, due to fears of being identified, as hundreds of thousands of supporters of leading opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims there was voting fraud in Friday's election, turn out to protest the result of the election at a mass rally in Azadi (Freedom) square in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 15, 2009. Writing in Farsi reads "Only Mousavi, Oh Hussein (referring to the 3rd Shiite Imam), Mir Hossein (referring to opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi), and Only Mousavi". (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A female supporter displays a poster of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi to passing motorists on Valiasr street in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 8, 2009. At a massive pro-Mousavi street rally in Tehran, supporters decked out in green ribbons, bandanas, and headscarfs lined one of the main streets in Tehran, creating a human chain in some parts by holding hands and tying green ribbons together. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of leading opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims there was voting fraud in Friday's election, turn out to protest the result of the election at a mass rally in Azadi (Freedom) square in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Young supporters of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, seen reflected in a wall mirror being transported down the street in a wheelbarrow, cruise down Valiasr street on motorcycles in celebratory mood in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 8, 2009. At a massive pro-Mousavi street rally in Tehran, supporters decked out in green ribbons, bandanas, and headscarfs lined one of the main streets in Tehran, creating a human chain in some parts by holding hands and tying green ribbons together. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A supporter of main challenger and reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, not wanting to be photographed, hides her face using a poster of him as she waits in the stands at an election rally at the Heidarnia stadium in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Supporters of main challenger and reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi flash the victory sign and hold flowers above their heads amidst a festive atmosphere at an election rally at the Heidarnia stadium in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A supporter of main challenger and reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi shouts from the crowd amidst a festive atmosphere at an election rally at the Heidarnia stadium in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gestures to thousands of supporters as he gives his final election campaign rally, on Azadi street in western Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, June 10, 2009. Iranians go to the polls on Friday, June 12, 2009 after a hotly contested election campaign pitting Ahmadinejad against leading challenger and reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, amongst others. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A female supporter of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad displays her hand painted with the Iranian flag, also used as a sign for his party, at his final election campaign rally, on Azadi street in western Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, June 10, 2009. Iranians go to the polls on Friday, June 12, 2009 after a hotly contested election campaign pitting Ahmadinejad against leading challenger and reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, amongst others. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A supporter of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, arms tied with ribbons in the colors of the Iranian flag - also used as the party's symbol, flashes the victory sign as thousands of supporters from both political groupings roam the streets at night amidst a festive atmosphere, in Valiasr square in central Tehran, Iran, late at night on Wednesday, June 10, 2009. Iranians go to the polls on Friday, June 12, 2009 after a hotly contested election campaign pitting Ahmadinejad against leading challenger and reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, amongst others. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Iranian women wait in line to cast their votes for the presidential election, inside the Ershad mosque in northeastern Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 12, 2009. Iranians packed polling stations from boutique-lined streets in north Tehran to conservative bastions in the countryside Friday, with a choice that's left the nation divided and on edge: keeping hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power or electing a reformist who favors greater freedoms and improved ties with the United States. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Tens of thousands of supporters of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cheer him speaking at a rally in Vali Asr square in Tehran, Iran Sunday, June 14, 2009. Protesters set fires and smashed store windows Sunday in a second day of violence as groups challenging President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election tried to keep pressure on authorities but Ahmadinejad dismissed the unrest, the worst in a decade in Tehran, as "not important." (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)