2009 Mir-Hossein Mousavi presidential campaign freedoms in Iran and criticised the ban on private television channels", but "refused to back down from the country's disputed nuclear programme, saying it is "for peaceful purposes". On May 30, Mousavi pledged that if elected he would amend "discriminatory and unjust regulations" against women, and take other measures in favour of women's rights and equality. On May 23, 2009, the Iranian government blocked access to Facebook across the country but lifted the blockage after protests from the public. "Gulfnews.com" reported that the former move had been a response to the use of Facebook by the candidates running against the
2009 Iranian presidential election protests joining the Iranian global hunger strike reached over fifty with Toronto, Vancouver, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, as well as Italy, Australia, and Ireland. The hunger strikes are for freedom of all Iranian political prisoners and for "not" recognizing the presidential elections and its president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009. Robert Redford joined and supported the hunger strike in Washington on 20 July. BBC News has described the overall reaction by the international community to the 2009 Iranian presidential election as "muted". Mir-Hossein Mousavi has not asked for any kind of foreign assistance or called on other leaders to comment.