Timeline of the 2009 Iranian election protests punished under Islamic law." Several scattered protests broke out throughout the country on the anniversary of the election, despite warnings from the government and security forces against protesting. However, there were no major widespread protests. Minor sporadic protest took place at Tehran's Azadi Square and at some universities throughout Iran. Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi both cancelled planned protests fearing violence. Pro-government mobs attacked the home of Mahdi Karroubi. Hamid Mohseni, the head of Mir Hossein Mousavi's office was arrested by Iranian security forces. Hossein Alizadeh, the Charge d'affaires and number 2 diplomat at the Iranian Embassy in Helsinki, Finland,
2009 Iranian presidential election movement attempted to unite behind a single candidate; former President Mohammad Khatami was the leading opponent to Ahmadinejad in some opinion polls, until he withdrew and endorsed former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Former Speaker of the Majlis Mehdi Karroubi, another Reformist, was also running; as was the former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Mohsen Rezaee, a conservative with a reputation for political pragmatism. The election marked a return to public spotlight for Mousavi, who had not received much attention since he served as Prime Minister in the 1980s. Reformist opinions galvanized around him as the election grew nearer. He