The Green Brief #76 (December 13 – Azar 22)

(Apologies for the typos. I have been too tired and have had too much to write recently. Need more to write today.)

Protests / Unrest

1. Protests rocked Iran again. Student protests took place across the country, in continuation of the 16 Azar (December 7) protests. The number of cities that had the protests could not be confirmed right away, however, credible reports were available on protests in Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz, Tabriz, Qazvin, Zahedan and Kashan.

Tehran

There were protests at Tehran University, Shahid Beheshti University, Azzahra University and Khaje Nasir Toosi University. There were also reports of protests in other universities which could not be confirmed offhand. There were also protests in several other areas of Tehran. Clashes were also reported at Tehran University and Shahid Beheshti University, but there were no reports on how many people might have been arrested by the security forces or the number of people who were injured.

In Tehran, several professors also joined the students at Tehran University. Some students carried Imam Khomeini’s pictures to reject rumors that students had burned Khomeini’s picture in protests a few days ago.

It is worth mentioning that Tehran is under heavy guard. Security forces are present in different parts of the city in large numbers and Tehran University and other institutions of higher education are under heavy surveillance. Basijis also held a small protest today in Tehran carrying Khomeini’s photos. Compared to the Green Movements protests, the Basiji protest was far smaller, numbering in dozens.

Pictures of Tehran University, showing numbers and Khomeini’s images: http://bit.ly/5zxJZx

Videos from Khaje Nasir University: http://bit.ly/5jTalz

Tabriz

Hundreds of students gathered in Sahand University. The gathering was formed after Basijis entered the university in hopes of intimidating the students on accusations that the Green Movement had desecrated Imam Khomeini’s picture. The students wore green wrist-bands and chanted “Allah o Akbar” and other slogans.

Mashhad

Students gathered here in Khayyam University, chanting “Allaho Akbar” and other slogans in support of the Green Movement.

Shiraz

Students gathered in Shiraz University, carrying placards and images of Imam Khomeini.

Video: http://tinyurl.com/ycxzgel

Qazvin

Scores of students gathered in Qazvin chanting “He who has rigged [the election]; has also torn the picture [of Imam Khomeini]”.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUopyBNJ2Lg

Kashan

Hundreds of Green students gathered in Kashan University as well. They held Green banners and pictures of Imam Khomeini. Reports of violence could not be confirmed right away.

Zahedan

There was a protest at Sistan o Balochistan University here, however, details could not be ascertained.

Babol

Protests were held here in Babol University.

2. Allah o Akbar again rang through Iran at night.

Video: http://bit.ly/87gKf4 (Watch as more people join in with the lone chanter)

3. Basijis held a small sit in at Imam Khomeini’s shrine in Tehran today, too.

4. Reports from Tehran indicate that starting Monday, internet service will be disrupted or limited.

5. Siemens is being probed by the German government for selling technology to Iran that has been used to censor reformist websites and jail protesters. More news in the next brief.

Here’s a detailed map of where the confirmed protests took place:

Opposition

6. Kalemeh News, one of the official websites affiliated with Mousavi’s campaign released this letter today:

“Following the planned scenario for disgracing Imam Khomeini and accusing the Green movement and the students of this act, since yesterday official pro-Ahmadinejad media have started a heavy propaganda with a hidden agenda and based on the information available it seems that they are preparing for some harsher crack downs.
All supporters of the Green movement are strongly advised to be extremely vigilant and make sure to stay on top of the latest news.

Because of the extreme restrictions on informing people, Kalemeh (Mousavi’s official website) is advising other news media to warn their users about the necessity of being watchful!”

There are also reports that the government may have readied itself to arrest Mousavi and possibly Karroubi before the Moharram protests in a few days. Mousavi’s campaign has already announced that in case he or any other of the top-ranking Green Movement leaders were arrested, protests should continue.

7.  Khatami today announced that the Green Movement respect Imam Khomeini and his picture had not been desecrated by Green Movement supporters. He added that protests were the Islamic responsibility of people and the government should listen to people’s demands. He added that the people of Iran had been forever determined to support the cause of freedom and opposition to oppression and dictatorship.

8. The Combatants Clerics Association – a group of clerics somewhat allied to the reformists – asked the government to grant them a permit to protest. The protest will be held in denunciation of the desecration of Imam Khomeini’s image.

9. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani also denounced the desecration of Imam Khomeini’s image today. In light of continued opposition against him and the campaign inside Iran to discredit his achievements, he has already said that he would stay if the people wanted him to stay and leave if they told him to. Currently, the state media has been told to use the title of Hojjatoleslam instead of Ayatollah for Rafsanjani, which is a lower rank. As he holds two official positions in the state, the state media has also been ordered to use the lower position before his name instead of the higher one.

10. Grand Ayatollah Sane’i today expressed dismay over the desecration of Imam Khomeini’s image on December 7. He accused ‘oppressors’ of staging the act to set students up. He also expressed concern over violence against students and said that nothing could be achieved through violence.

11. Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani also released a statement denouncing the desecration of Imam Khomeini’s image, but he said that the media should be denounced even more strongly for provoking people’s emotions by airing the images. He rejected the idea that students had done the act and said that they had always been the defender of Khomeini’s ideas. He also accused ‘certain people’ of now crying foul over the desecration but mistreating Khomeini’s family.

12. The Assembly of Qom Seminary Scholars and Researchers also accused the state media of provoking people’s emotions against students. The Assembly accused the IRIB of airing news clips that portrayed student protests in a negative light in order to tarnish their image. It went on to say that the student protests were orderly and peaceful and that people should not buy the media’s propaganda.

13. Ayatollah Dastegheyb today also condemned the desecration of Khomeini’s image. However, he also rejected that Mousavi or his followers had been responsible for the act. Accordign to Dastegheyb, he had studied all of Mousavi’s writings and speeches and had not found a single word that was against the teachings of Imam Khomeini. He yet again denounced the arrests, torture of prisoners and violence against protesters.

14. The office of the Organization for the Preservation and Publishing of Imam Khomeini’s Writings and Teachings also strongly criticized the IRIB for provoking people by broadcasting the desecration of Imam Khomeini’s image.

15. Zahra Rahnavard was attacked again today as she was approaching her car on Visal Avenue in Tehran. Her attackers used pepper spray on her face, temporarily blinding her and causing irritation. The attackers dispersed as shop-keepers rushed to her help. This is the third time in a week that she has been attacked in this manner.

Government / International

16. SL Khamenei today announced that the Green Movement were law-breakers and had disrespected Imam Khomeini. He added that they would be now harshly dealt with and destroyed. He also accused the Green leadership of getting support from communists, monarchists and foreign countries. He asked the Green Movement to immediately cease protests and blamed the movement’s leadership of causing the desecration of Imam Khomeini’s image with their actions.

In a surprise move, he also claimed that Mousavi and Karroubi are his former friends.

17. Today, a letter was sent to the Judiciary, signed by 232 members of the parliament, denouncing the desecration of Imam Khomeini’s image and accusing the Green Movement’s leaders of instigating the act. They asked the Judiciary to take stern actions against the perpetrators of this act. It is worth mentioning that some reformist MPs have called into question the authenticity of the videos showing the desecration.

18. Hardline cleric Hojjatoleslam Jafar Shojouni today called on the government to take immediate and stern action against the desecration of Imam Khomeini’s image. He said that if Khamenei gave permission, the opposition movement should be torn apart.

19. The IRGC – Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – today called for the punishment of those behind the desecration. “Khomeini’s followers will not tolerate silence and faltering in exposing, putting on trial and quick punishment of those who committed this outrageous act, which undoubtedly stems from foreign enemies’ think-tanks and internal plotters,” the Guards said in a statement reported by AFP.

20. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today yet again reiterated his support for Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas. The group’s leader Khaled Mash’al is on a visit to Tehran. Today, Ahmadinejad also held a meeting with Judiciary Chief Sadegh Larijani and his brother, Ali Larijani, the speaker of Parliament.

Arrested / Released / Killed / Torture

21. Reports of new arrests have emerged. Those arrested are journalist Payam Jahangiri and reporter Ehsan Badaghi. So far, according to BBC sources, at least five people have been received death sentences and 81 have been sentenced to lengthy jail terms in connection with the protests.

22. Tehran University students Reza Yari, Reza Rahimi and Ali Tasmini were released today.

23. The trial of 7 Baha’i leaders has been postponed again to January 12. The leaders have been imprisoned for more than a year now and there is no end in sight to their suffering.