Voices of Ordinary Iranians

Here is what they have to say:

Meshkat Nourahmadi, 45, nurse

"I have seen patients with bullets in their chests, bullets in their legs, bullets in their heads. Everybody is talking about the violence, whether you are at work, in a taxi or at a family gathering. Something has changed in this country. I don't think this is just about fraud in the election. It's about the blood that has been spilled and people who have been raped or tortured or harassed by this government."

Babak Esfandiari, 40, journalist at reformist paper

"There have been significant changes since the election inside the opposition movement. The election fraud is still in the spotlight but the demands have changed. The supreme leader, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has become the main target of criticism. I don't have anything to lose. I have worked for five different papers, all of them banned, since Ahmadinejad took office in 2005."

Hoori Ghasemi, 35, lawyer

"In Tehran, even if you have not been beaten by the riot police personally, at least you have a friend or relative who has."

Faranak Yousefi, 55, housewife

"I go out to protest with my son. It's shameful that state-run TV tries to pretend that nothing has happened but hopefully we can get our information from the internet or via satellite TV."

Mohammadreza Kakavand, 62, retired accountant

"I was out in the streets 30 years ago protesting against the Shah because that regime was brutal and savage and today I'm out again, this time older, again seeking justice and standing against dictatorship. I might not see a free Iran in my lifetime, but I'm proud of the battle of today's youth against injustice and dictatorship. It would be an honour to be killed in a fight for freedom."

Kianoush Torabi, 33, travel agency employee

"The government provokes us in different ways. Sometimes they crack down more on the internet, another time they put more basiji [volunteer militia] in the streets. I think the government don't know how to deal with these protests."

Bahram Ebrahimian, 30, businessman

"If you are going out today in protest, it means that you are ready to be arrested, it means that you are ready to be tortured or even sentenced to years of prison, but thousands of students are still protesting and I as a normal citizen want to join them despite all the fears."

Reyhaneh Aboutorabi, 23, Tehran University student

"Many students are no longer thinking about their exams, their education or their future, they are still thinking about their stolen vote. These demonstrations are going to continue until we can get back our votes and have our classmates freed from Evin prison."

Siamak Pournejati, 31, Tehran shopkeeper

"I'm ready to risk everything to get back my vote. You can smell the blood of innocent and peaceful protesters in the streets of Tehran, the blood of Neda Agha Soltan [killed during election protests], the blood of Sohrab Aarabi [who disappeared and was killed]. This city is no longer like it was last year. It's different and we will change it finally."