Tehran, July 26 (DPA) Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi applied at the interior ministry for permission to hold a mourning ceremony for the victims of the recent protest demonstrations, ILNA news agency reported Sunday.

At least 20 demonstrators were killed during protest rallies in the last 40 days against alleged fraud in the June 12 presidential election that led to re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi, the head of the Etemad Melli party, requested a simple 90 minute gathering to commemorate the 40th day of the protesters deaths in a public venue in northern Tehran Thursday.

The two promised the ministry that there would be no slogans, no speeches but only recitation from the holy Islamic book the Koran.

Without the ministry approval, any gatherings are considered as illegal and police are authorized to intervene.

So far the interior ministry has rejected all requests by Moussavi and other opposition figures to hold such gatherings.

Despite the ministry's rejection, a large number of Moussavi supporters have regularly attended protest gatherings and are expected to do so next Thursday as well.