Cities where protests are taking place will be marked.
1500 GMT
As the day ends, a small government rally ends up in violence against the opposition. I will be posting a summary of the events in a few hours, either on @PajamasMedia or elsewhere.
1320 GMT
According to a reliable source in Iran, Sayed Yaser Khomeini, one of Imam Khomeini’s grandsons, visited Mehdi Karroubi today and expressed his condolences over the attacks on his residence. He also denounced Basijis who attack Karroubi’s housing and called them thugs.
1305 GMT
It has now been confirmed that Ayatollah Dastegheyb’s Ghoba Mosque in Shiraz. According to Rahe Sabz, 200-300 Basij entered the mosque and proceeded to attack the cleric’s students. Clashes inside the mosque continue at this point.
The mosque’s door had been sealed by the government even though students had informed the government that they would gather at the mosque. Dastegheyb is a staunch supporter of the opposition.
1302 GMT
Grant Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani called Mehdi Karroubi today and expressed his support for the besieged opposition leader and praised his resilience, according to reliable sources. He also denounced security forces’ attack on his house and hoped that they would cease their activities.
1239 GMT
Unconfirmed reports suggest that clashes have taken place between students of Ayatollah Dastegheyb and security forces outside Ghoba Mosque in Shiraz. The mosque – usually the center of activities both social and political – has been closed for the past two Quds Days by the government. Both last year and this year, the government did not allow gatherings at the mosque – where the cleric leads prayers and holds undisputed leadersship – for ‘security’ reasons.
Dastegheyb has been an avid supporter of the opposition. Yesterday, he called on the government to allow people their right to freedom of speech and not arrest people for chanting anti-government slogans. So far, this has only been reported by one source. As more news of the clash appears, I’ll be able to fully confirm or deny the story.
1125 GMT
As late afternoon arrives, Tehran is yet to notice the opposition in full force in the streets in Tehran and other cities. The security situation through the country, especially in Tehran, is very tense. In the capital, thousands of policemen, Basijis and plainclothesmen have covered the major squares and roads leading to the squares.
They’ve establish check points and are checking metro train cars and have detained at least 5 people so far on suspicion of being members of the opposition. Whether the opposition shows up at all is uncertain.
Karroubi’s house continues to be surrounded by up to 200 security forces. Videos of damage done to the inside of the house from last night and this morning’s attacks are available showing broken windows and gunshot holes in walls.
The security situation is extremely tight. Thousands of policemen, plainclothesmen, riot police and IRGC are inside the city. Most are out on the streets, while IRGC are reportedly still not out on the streets in large numbers. The government seems to be attempting to prevent the opposition from gathering at all cost. So far, I can confirm at least five arrests of people suspected of being Green Movement supporters.
0905 GMT
Rahe Sabz reports that security forces have flooded Hafte Tir and Enghelab Squares. They have also taken over roads leading to Hafte Tir from the north. Already several people can been in police vans and filling out forms giving out their identity. These people were arrested likely for being part of the opposition. One youth was arrested from Hafte Tir because he was wearing a Green bandana.
The report adds that armed security forces carrying batons are also boarding metro cars in Tehran to seek out any Greens traveling to protest. Security forces have also created checkpoints in Tehran and are stopping and searching people, arresting those with any links with Greens.
0835 GMT
Reports from activists partially confirm that Greens will protest in Tehran today. Unconfirmed reports suggests Shiraz as holding a Green protest as well. Thus far, no Greens have been sighted.
0812 GMT
Mir Hossein Mousavi has reportedly called and spoken with Karroubi. (No news as to how this communication took place as phone lines at Karroubi’s house have been cut). He and his wife have both expressed readiness to join Karroubi in his house.
08:10 GMT
You can watch Ahmadinejad’s speech live here with English translation. His message is anti-Zionism, anti-Israel and anti-US as well as insisting that the current peace talks are a failure. (That was just to save some readers time).
0755 GMT
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in Tehran and is being shown on TV addressing crowds of government supporters in Tehran University.
0745 GMT
Karroubi’s house has been completely surrounded by Basijis since early morning. They have now been joined by plainclothesmen on motorcycles. The government it seems is not ready to let Karroubi join the protests.
0705 GMT
Confirmed reports from Tehran suggest that internet in the city is extremely sluggish. It is close to impossible to access Yahoo!, Facebook, Gmail and other vital communication websites. The government claims it is because of technical difficulties, according to Rahe Sabz.
0655 GMT
Unconfirmed reports suggest Green Movement protesters might have started marching in Tehran already. However, the source has not been too reliable in the past so I’ll look for more sources. For now, I cannot confirm any protests or gatherings.
0650 GMT
Reports indicate that Yahoo and Gmail are both inaccessible at least in the central parts of Tehran. This cannot be fully confirmed as of yet. However, during past opposition protests, the government usually either makes key website inaccessible or cuts down the internet entirely to make communication impossible for dissidents.
0645 GMT
It seems the government is desperately trying to isolate opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi to stop him from joining any opposition protests. After last night’s brazen attack on his house, reports now suggest that phone lines to his house have been cut.
Whether this stops him from joining any protests remains to be seen.
0555 GMT
Today is Quds Day, a day marked by the Iranian government by holding huge public rallies to denounce Israel. Last year’s protest was disrupted when the opposition Green Movement held a protest of their own that drew thousands to the street, chanting anti-government slogans.
We have a confirmation from several activists that the Green Movement has planned yet another countrywide today to decry the government’s actions during and after the election. The opposition seems to have chosen to delay the word from spreading for fear of government tightening security days ahead of today’s Quds Day gatherings. So far, people have not started gathering. However, in the next hour or so, people are expected to come to the streets to take part in the government-held protest against Israel. Whether there will be a Green Movement protest or not remains to be seen.
Security across the capital is tight. I will be updating more as news from Tehran comes in.
0530 GMT
I shall be covering the Green Movement protests in Iran here. Updates will start in 15 minutes time.
(If you wish to read my liveblog of June 12′s events, please CLICK HERE)
The people of Iran today yet again proved that intimidation, imprisonment, torture, rapes, shootings and deaths were not going to deter them from continuing to oppose the Islamic Republic’s brutality and unjust policies. In that sense, it was a clear victory for the Green Movement. They managed to land people on the streets on the day that they wanted and the government – even though it employed thousands of security forces – was unable to stop them. This is despite the fact that opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi had canceled the plans for the protest.
The reason behind this is most probably the fact that the protesters caught the government off-guard and showed incredible resilience. Instead of publicizing their intentions of protesting or declaring their routes of procession beforehand. They quietly let the government feel like they were not going to show up – but did.
Through my sources, I could fully confirm protests in the city of Tehran. I had only partial confirmation, however, of protests in Shiraz, Mashhad, Isfahan and Zahedan. There were six other cities where there were reports of protests. These include Tabriz, Sari, Kerman, Sanandaj, Ahvaz and Aryashahr, but I haven’t been able to confirm any of them, yet.
(Scroll down past the map to read the rest of the analysis)
Sari and Aryashahr are not indicated in the map but there locations have been marked in violet as well.
The government – no matter how surprised – did have the manpower to put up a resistance, though.
In Tehran today, people took to streets after 4 in the afternoon and protests were held in different parts of the city. The students of Tehran University staged a gathering and anti-government slogans as well as the popular slogan, “the student dies; but does not accept humiliation!” Security forces clashed with them and arrested at least six students – injuring many more in the process. Tear gas was fired at protesters, and there were unconfirmed reports of shots being fired, but no injuries were reported from gunshot wounds. Students were injured, though, when they were beaten with batons, kicked and punched by riot police and plainclothesmen who had surrounded the campus.
A second group of protesters tried to converge from different parts of Tehran upon the university to try and break the siege, but security forces managed to hold them back by blocking major streets with thousands of policemen, riot police and plainclothesmen.
Other groups formed at Valiasr Square where at least three were arrested and several were injured in clashes with security forces. Tear gas was used here as well as Vanak Square where more protesters had gathered. Clashes took place there too, but no reports of arrests could be confirmed as of yet. People chanted “Death to the Dictator” and “Death to Khamenei”. At the same time, students at Sharif University gathered inside their campus and chanted “Ya Hossein; Mir Hossein” and “Allah o Akbar”, but were prevented from coming out by security forces.
By far the bloodiest clashes took place in Enghelab Square. The square as well as its adjoining streets was filled by at least 5,000 members of Iran’s security forces. At least 12 protesters were detained here. People also managed to gather in Taleghani Square, Palestine Square, Ferdowsi Square, Hafez Bridge, near Laleh Park, Argentine Park and other areas.
There were reports of arrests near Laleh Park and from other areas, but so far, the confirmed number of arrests stands at 21. The number is almost certainly higher than this. Some sources have claimed the number to be over 100.
Due to the small numbers of videos available, the estimated number of protesters is anyone’s guess. However, it looks like today the streets had at least 10,000 security forces patrolling them – this number I can confirm. I cannot confirm any deaths or anyone getting shot. This is a better development since in the past few protests there have been casualties on the protesters’ side.
There were two unconfirmed reports that merit a mention. The first one claimed that shots were heard from the government-owned broadcasting agency IRIB and that several of its staff members were held hostage by security forces inside the building. The second report claimed that some protesters had managed to break into security forces’ vehicles and managed to take their helmets and other equipment. These are yet to be confirmed.
As far as other cities go, reports are few and far between. However, reliable sources in Tehran and these cities managed to smuggle the news of protests out. There are no videos of protests in these cities so far, but in the next few hours, there probably will be.
Considering the fact that the Iranian government had amassed an army of security personnel to stop protesters from gathering, today’s events are a clear sign that the government is failing as it had failed in the past to quell the uprising. Whether the future holds more victories for the government or the Green Movement is as yet uncertain. But protesters returning from gatherings in Tehran were very optimistic and cheerful. Some indicated on blogs that it was a “great day” while others called it; “the day I learned that we really are countless.”
From all this, one thing looks certain, though,: the successful protests despite the government’s pressure is surely going to give a strong morale boost to the Green Movement and likely make another dent in the cracking walls of the Islamic Republic.
(If you are looking for videos of the protest, please CLICK HERE)
As protests slowly end and people go home for the night, chants of Allah of Akbar can be heard from rooftops. I have released an preliminary analysis of today’s events. If you don’t want to read the entire liveblog, then you can CLICK HEREto simply read that.
(In case you are searching for videos, you can find them by clicking HERE)
1820 GMT
People today in Tehran again chanted against Khamenei. The most important one was, “Death to Khamenei!” People are still walking together – hand in hand – on sidewalks and side streets, chanting and holding victory signs. Cars in Tehran are honking everywhere. The government of Islamic Republic of Iran has failed to stop the opposition.
1810 GMT
Headline of the Day goes to Voice of America with their story “Opposition Refuses to Give Up“. Los Angeles Times and CNN as well as many other MSM outlets covered the protest in a surprising twist.
Clashes can now be confirmed to have taken place in Palestine Square.
1750 GMT
Protests continue in Tehran University at least. Police are trying to disperse people, but so far, students have held their ground. Security forces are also on Enghelab Square and have lined Enghelab Avenue. People seem cheerful and happy about today in Tehran.
At the same time, now I can partially confirm protests in Mashhad.
1735 GMT
A new video of clashes in Tehran University showing hundreds fleeing as they are attacked by security forces. Click HERE if you can’t see the video below.
1725 GMT
One protester – back from protesting – writes: “Today was great. It was better than we expected. (Let us revive our slogan of ‘We Are Countless!’”
Another story on Balatarin.com speaks of a young man being rescued between Visal and Enghelab from security forces by the protesters. The story also claims that arrests were made near Laleh Park.
1712 GMT
Reports of Clashes between security forces and Sharif Industrial University students. This cannot be fully confirmed. At the same time, masked plainclothesmen are reportedly entering crowds and arresting protesters. There are clashes ongoing in different parts of Tehran. Traffic is jammed. Shops are being forcibly closed by security forces and people are being forced to go home, but hey turn right back and join more crowds.
How long this might continue is anybody’s guess. I’m sure Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett are working hard on doing some damage control for the Islamic Republic as as you’re reading this.
1655 GMT
Reza Sayah of CNN reporting that he can confirm clashes in several parts of Tehran. He also retold the story of a woman who was saved from arrest by security forces by crowds of people out to protest against the Iranian government.
1650 GMT
People have been beaten again in Tehran – that should be no surprise. However, surprising is the fact that we have not had any deaths so far, even though there were far too many people with guns in their hands. Students in Tehran University have bore the brunt of batons, kicks and tear gas so far.
People… are still out in Iran. The Green Movement it seems is alive and well.
1635 GMT
So far, I can confirm at least 21 arrests in Tehran. 12 people were arrested in Enghelab Square, 6 around Tehran University and 3 at Valiasr square. The number is possibly much higher. Injuries have been reported, however, no deaths so far.
1625 GMT
Security forces are using paintball guns to shoot protesters. This helps them identify and arrest protesters later. This has only been reported from Tehran so far. Large crowds still out. In Valiasr, reports indicate that people have fought back security forces for hours. Several have been arrested and many others have been injured.
Tehran University is still the scene of clashes. Enghelab Square is the same. More reports of arrests from there, but confirmation is not at hand. People sticking to the streets and refusing to go home.
1600 GMT
And now I have reports of unconfirmed protests in Tabriz, Sanandaj and Ahvaz. I already have unconfirmed reports of protests from Shiraz, Mashhad, Isfahan, Zahedan, Sari, Kerman and Aryashahr and many other places. Tehran is bustling with thousands of protesters and thousands of security forces trying to control them.
There are reports that security forces have entered IRIB and held some of the personnel hostage, yet I cannot confirm this yet.
1550 GMT
Unconfirmed reports are coming from Mashhad now. Reports claim that people have attempted to gather and protest, but have met with stiff resistance from security forces. I cannot confirm this at this point, however, this add another city to the unconfirmed category. Right now, unconfirmed protests are being reported from Shiraz, Mashhad, Isfahan, Sari, Aryashar, Zahedan and Sari.
1540 GMT
Several injuries have been Tehran and can be confirmed. So far, no one has been reported to have been killed during clashes. Hoping this one goes down peacefully. Any doubts about the Green Movement by the mainstream media seem to have been cleared now.
1530 GMT
There are reports that gunshots have been heard from IRIB (Iran’s government–run broadcasting agency) and security forces have surrounded it. There are now reports of clashes from Taleghani and Ferdowsi Squares. Enghelab Avenue has been blocked. Students in Tehran University are asking people to come and help them, but security forces are blocking routes and preventing people from joining students at Tehran University.
1525 GMT
Unconfirmed reports of protests from Sari, Aryashahr and Zahedan. There are reports that in Moalem Square in Sari, in clashes, at least three people have been injured. Awaiting confirmation on all of these so far.
1520 GMT
There are now unconfirmed reports of people in Kerman gathering in the city’s Azadi Square. Waiting for further confirmation.
1515 GMT
There are unconfirmed reports of protests in Isfahan now. Sources claim that people are walking from Enghelab Street to Darvazehye Davlat. I cannot confirm this yet. Protests in Shiraz are also unconfirmed at this point. So far, only protests in Tehran can be unquestionably confirmed.
1510 GMT
Radio Farda reports that at least 5,000 security forces have gathered in and around Enghelab Square. They speak of clashes between people and security forces in different parts of Tehran and confirms that people continue to pour into the streets of Tehran.
The report also confirms the use of tear gas in Tehran University and clashes there.
1500 GMT
More reports are coming in about tear gas use by security forces. Confirmation of tear gas use in Amirabad is now at hand as well. More and more people showing up. Claims of hundreds of people gathering in different areas at a time. Eventual numbers could be in thousands overall, but we’ll have to wait and see. So far, I can confirm that several people have been arrested. Exact number is anybody’s guess right now.
14:50 GMT
Reports indicate that people are trying to get to Tehran University to stop security forces from arresting and torturing students, but have so far been unsuccessful. Throngs of people are marching through Enghelab Street.
14:41 GMT
Several sources are claiming that several gunshots have been heard in Tehran. Other sources claim that central Tehran is at a virtual standstill. In other news from Mashhad City, security forces have filled the streets there too. There are partially confirmed reports of tear gas use on Tehran University students. More in a minute.
1435 GMT
Protesters in Tehran University are chanting “Death to Dictator” and “Allah o Akbar” while protesters in Sharif Industrial University are using “Ya Hossein; Mir Hossein” to encourage each other. There are further reports of clashes in Central Tehran.
At least three people have been arrested from Valiasr Square. Clashes are ongoing there and in Tehran University. Sharif Industrial University has been surrounded by security forces.
Unconfirmed reports of protests in Shiraz are just coming in.
1425 GMT
First video of the day that shows protesters – students of Sharif Industrial University. I cannot confirm the veracity of the footage, at the moment. Click HERE if you cannot see the video below.
1405 GMT
Number of security forces out in Tehran are in the thousands now. Many areas are so crowded with security forces, it looks impossible for anyone to pass through. Enghelab to Azadi Square is filled with security forces who are intimidating people. Others are waiting in mosques and schools.
1400 GMT
Enghelab Square, Azadi Squares and Enghelab Street to Palestine street are being patrolled by security forces, attempting to intimidate people. Clashes continue in Tehran University. Basijis have reportedly been hidden inside mosques so they could be used when needed. Dozens of them are around Tehran University right now and stopping people from gathering. Several people may have been arrested. Vanak Square is also said to be a tense spot where people are attempting to gather.
More sources coming out and confirming more news. Will update shortly on more comprehensive news in 15 minutes. Unconfirmed reports of security forces using tear gas in Amirabad are also coming in.
1350 GMT
So far, the most reliable sources confirm that people have indeed gathered at Tehran University and are protesting and chanting. Security forces are trying to disperse people from the university and attempting to stop others from gathering there.
From there onwards, sources seem to clash on where else there are protests. There are renewed claims that there are people gathering at Hafez Bridge and that people are still coming out.
I can now fully confirm the Tehran University protest at this moment. And no, I cannot at all confirm helicopters flying over Tehran. At the same time, I can fully confirm that there will be protests in Shiraz in over an hour’s time.
1335 GMT
Sharif Industrial University is reportedly surrounded by security forces. Reports also claim that people are gathering in Vanak, Enghelab and Valiasr Squares. Situation in Tehran University is tense as clashes have broken out between greens and the security forces.Security forces are now out and attempting to stop people from gathering.
I still cannot fully confirm this, but my sources have always been reliable. More in a minute.
1328 GMT
Reports from EPersian Radio and other sources indicate that there are clashes in Tehran University. There are Green Movement chants from TU as well as Sharif Industrial University. People have decided to show up! And totally reliable information suggests that protests in Shiraz will begin at 1400 GMT.
1322 GMT
I can now partially confirm that people – mainly students – have gathered in large numbers inside Tehran University. There are also reports of clashes and police trying to disperse students from the university. There are also reports now that people are attempting to gather at Vanak Square and Valiasr Square. Need full confirmation for all of this, but sources are insisting and have been mostly right in the past.
1312 GMT
Reports coming from EPersian Radio – a source in California that has live podcasts and takes calls from inside Iran – and several other sources are claiming that people are slowly coming out of their houses to gather in Tehran to protest. everal callers suggested that they have seen people moving out of their houses in the south of Tehran and saying they are going to protest. At least one caller indicated that they were going out to protest after the call.
Others are calling and speaking of people gathering at Valiasr Square. I cannot fully confirm any of this for the moment.
Supposing this is true, there could be two reasons for the late showing. 1) People waited to get off work and finish school before readying for protests. 2) And a more sensible reason; it is summer in Iran. Tempratures in most of the country are in the 90s (high 30s if you are a Celsius person). Coming out after 4 in the afternoon helps people stay away from the heat. Plus, since its summer, they have at least four hours of daylight. In the winter, it was more sensible to come out at noon to use the heat of the sun.
1250 GMT
So far, I have no news of any protests or gatherings in Tehran or other cities in Iran. Internet was slow for a few hours, but seems to be back to normal in Tehran. Cell phone coverage also seems to be normal. However, the city did see a surge of security forces – which has been ever present since Saturday.
Furthermore, Mir Hossein Mousavi has not been arrested. Kalemeh has published a denial of this. At the same time, there were no protests outside Mousavi’s house. This was all supposedly spread by government-run websites.
I must remind readers that there are several MKO/PMOI accounts online as well as several misleading sources that are claiming that there were protests in Tehran as well as clashes and injuries etc. None of these can be confirmed at all. Overall consensus so far is that the Green Movement has stayed home and not come out to protest. I will be online for two more hours to see if there are protests in Tehran or other cities. If not, then this will be my last update of the day.
1210 GMT
First video of the day has been released. The several second video shot from a vehicle shows over half a dozen police cars and more than a dozens security forces lounging near Karim Khan Bridge in Tehran. Click HERE if you can’t see the video bel0w)
1155 GMT
Unconfirmed reports that there have been clashes in Tehran – under Hafez Bridgge to be exact – abound on Twitter. I and many other of my colleagues with real sources in Tehran cannot confirm this in the least bit. Please check sources to make sure what you’re being passed to is reliable.
More in a minute.
1120 GMT
First protest of the day has been reported – but it’s not the Green Movement. Dozens of retired workers from Pars Wagon company staged a protest in Arak for the 21st time this year. They demanded that the government-owned company give them their dues and ensure that their pensions are paid to them.
More in a minute.
1055 GMT
News from Tehran suggests that internet connection is now back to normal speed. At the same time, Mousavi’s website has denied news that he was arrested yesterday or that people staged demonstrations outside his house. His website Kalameh accused Iranian-government run websites for spreading the false rumor.
More in a minute.
0900 GMT
Internet in Tehran today is as fast as a snail on a warm day. Telephones so far seem to be working – at least in homes and offices. Still, because so many international sites are banned in Iran, it’s hard to hear from ordinary Iranians about their sentiment regarding the anniversary.
0836 GMT
So far, no gatherings – not by protesters, or by security forces. The capital seems calm. But security forces in Tehran are fully prepared to engage protesters, eyewitnesses claim. The city has received several hundred – perhaps thousands – of security forces to handle protests. None of them have been seen to leave the city so they are likely in the city, but waiting to see if protesters come out.
0800 GMT
So far, there is little indication that there are protests in Tehran or anywhere else in Iran. There are unconfirmed reports of people gathering, in the capital at least, but I can’t even partially confirm this. The Iranian government is using the occasion to show pictures of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on national TV to celebrate his ‘victory’ last year.
0744 GMT
Beware of fake videos claiming to be from Tehran today. A couple of ways to tell if videos are fake. 1) Check to see when the video was uploaded. If it says June 11 or before that, it is certainly a fake. 2) Check to see what the protesters are wearing in the video. If they are wearing jackets, jerseys or other warm clothes or if the sky over Tehran is cloudy, than it is certainly a fake. Weather in Tehran is 90 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s 38 degrees celsius) – too hot for warm clothes.
0620 GMT
Two eye witness accounts as the morning progresses in Tehran. The first speaks of tightened security all around the capital. The government is seemingly fully prepared to clamp down on anyone who walks out to protests. Second eye-witness account is of security forces talking to bystanders and people on sidewalks and cautioning them not to gather today or they would be killed.
More in a minute.
0540 GMT
Today is the anniversary of Iran’s presidential election. The election – which was marred in scandal and was claimed to be rigged by the populace – sparked bloody protests that took the lives of hundreds of ordinary Iranians, imprisoned thousands and ended up in atrocities committed against Iranians by the government that is second only in its horror to outright genocide.
There have been candid calls for the Green Movement – comprised of disgruntled Iranians – to come to streets for the anniversary, but will they? I will be liveblogging the day even if there is no protest. Today needs to be marked, even if nothing happens at all. We – the people who actually give a damn about human rights in the world – must stand together, even if Iran’s voice might be silenced by the Mullahs. Let’s go!
I woke up to utter shock today reading about Neda’s ‘fiance’ Caspian Makan’s visit to Israel. Wait, WHAT? Neda’s fiance actually took a trip to Israel and met with the Israeli president? Since when did Israel become chums with the Green Movement? What of his claims of Neda being politically active? Does this matter?
(For those who are unaware of his visit, read the LA Times article on this issue by CLICKING HERE.)
Well, before we address any of those questions, let’s look at some facts.
Neda Aga-Soltan with her then boyfriend, Caspian Makan.
Neda is a dead. Whether she was political – as her ‘fiance’ claims now – or apolitical is very hard to prove. There is no tangible evidence at hand to suggest that she had memberships in any political organizations or was politically active in the underground scene or had written anything that was even remotely political.
No one speaks for her. Neither her mother, no her ‘fiance’, nor her music teacher. She would have spoken for herself if she were alive. What Caspian Makan is saying in Israel or in any other country are his views and his views alone unless we see tangible evidence to support whatever he is claiming about Neda, full stop.
Which brings us to the next question: does Caspian Makan speak for the Green Movement? The answer is again, no. The Green Movement has not designated him as a spokesperson. Neither have they accepted him as one of their leaders or main guys – if you’re going to use common lingo. What he says in Israel or any other country or forum are strictly his views to which he is entitled.
Finally, if Israeli President Shimon Peres – who is by the way also a Nobel Peace Prize-laureate – wants to help the Green Movement, he should speak out against the whole “Israel should attack Iran!” shenanigans. If he is truly a man of peace, that would do much more than meeting a private citizen. The Green Movement gets more support from Israeli human rights activists who are forever unappreciated by the Western media than from a Nobel Peace Prize-laureate president who’s only job these days is to look smug for photos.
The writing says, "Bahman (the eleventh month of the Iranian calendar) - You are the media"
6:40 PM (Tehran Time)
I will stop liveblogging now. There are still reports of small protests in Tehran and other cities, but people are largely returning home. Here’s a brief summary of the day’s events in Iran:
I can so far confirm green protests in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad and Ahvaz. I can partially confirm a protest in Tabriz. I cannot say anything about numbers, but violence broke out in every city where I can confirm a protest. Dozens were arrested in Tehran – possibly hundreds. 100 people were arrested in Mashhad and about two dozen were arrested in Shiraz and Isfahan respectively.
Oppostion leaders:
Mousavi: Attended, but forced to leave.
Rahnavard: Was attacked, forced to leave.
Karroubi: Attacked, forced to leave.
Khatami: Attacked, forced to leave.
Video of the day:
I will write a more complete report in a few hours. Good night and good luck, until then.
6:33 PM (Tehran Time)
Mir Hossein Mousavi attempted to take part in the protests in Tehran today. He was on Azadi Avenue, headed towards Azadi Square when security forces intercepted and surrounded him near the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs. He was forced to return home.
Dr. Zahra Rahnavard, Mousavi’s wife, was attacked in Tehran today as well as she joined green protesters. She was beaten with batons and kicked by security forces even though pro-green protesters tried to protect her by surrounding her. She left the protest for home soon after.
6:23 PM (Tehran Time)
Protester being beaten in Tehran by riot police:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kSBWG2rBV8
6:12 PM (Tehran Time)
As reports of clashes from Tehran continue to arrive, there are more reports of the number of arrests in the city. According to reliable sources, dozens have been arrested in Tehran, however, the real number might be in the hundreds. So far, people continue to stay on the streets of Tehran and are chanting anti-government slogans.
There are no real number of casualties from the streets in Tehran. There are reports of brutal clashes from many parts of the city, though.
4:41 PM (Tehran Time)
Part of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech in Azadi Square:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Wv1tiaiC4
4:30 PM (Tehran Time)
Another very interesting video from Tehran has arrived. Protesters are shown kicking and tearing a picture of Khamenei and chanting, “Death to the Dictator”:
4:15 PM (Tehran Time)
Two new videos of Greens in Tehran from Jaras:
In the second video, you can hear the loudspeakers broadcasting passionate speeches about the Islamic Revolution:
4:08 PM (Tehran Time)
Reports coming out of Iran are very scarce today indeed. However, it has been reported that the security forces’ treatment of green supporters has been one of the most bloody in the past few months. Enduring America reports that, [In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Hossein Karroubi declared, “I witnessed the most brutal treatment of people in the past eight months today."]
Here is a video of tear gas and smoke in Tehran amidst the protesters:
4:06 PM (Tehran Time)
A reported video from Isfahan of the protests and government rallies:
4:00 PM (Tehran Time)
In Mashhad, security forces have arrested at least 100 people from different parts of the city who were taking part in protests in support of the Green Movement. Clashes were mainly centered around Taghi-abad Square where people wanted to gather. Security forces tried to beat people and prevent them from forming crowds.
3:56 PM (Tehran Time)
In Tehran, clashes have now also been reported from the northern part of the city. According to reliable reports, people were beaten and several were arrested at Vanak Square. This adds to dozens who have already been arrested from Tehran. Clashes were also reported from Kargare Shomali Avenue.
There were also reports that near Laleh Park, security forces shot at people with paint guns so they could later be identified and arrested.
3:44 PM (Tehran Time)
In Shiraz, at least twenty people were arrested after taking part in protests in support of the Green Movement. There were injuries or deaths reported, however, small clashes are said to have taken place between security forces and protesters.
3:34 PM (Tehran Time)
In Ahvaz, people marched through Salman Farsi Avenue towards Abadan Square. People also marched from Hosseiniyae Azam through Taleghani Avenue towards Naderi Square. They are chanting “Death to the Dictator”. Security forces have blocked Behbahani Boulevard and are preventing people’s movement. Scattered groups are also protesting in other parts of the city.
3:30 PM (Tehran Time)
Protests in Isfahan can now be confirmed. Thousands of people reportedly gathered in the city in support of the Green Movement. People mostly gathered on both sides of Si o Se Pol. People chanted ‘Allah o Akbar’ and ‘Ya Hossein; Mir Hossein’. Clashes were reported from Isfahan. Tear gas was also used and security forces fired shots in the air in order to try and disperse the crowds.
At least five people were reportedly arrested.
3:24 PM (Tehran Time)
People throwing stones at Basijis and chanting “Death to the Dictator”:
3:07 PM (Tehran Time)
Video of Basijis attacking people in Tehran:
1:10 PM (Tehran Time)
Another video from the Metro in Tehran:
1:07 PM (Tehran Time)
New video from protests at Vesal Street in Tehran:
1:00 PM (Tehran Time)
Reformist news site Jaras reports that Rafsanjani joined the rallies in Tehran. Likely, he joined the government-sponsored rallies. People reportedly chanted, “Hashemi, Hashemi; insight, insight”.
12:50 PM (Tehran Time)
Another video from today in Tehran in a metro station:
12:47 PM (Tehran Time)
Another video from today in Tehran. This time from inside a bus:
12:33 PM (Tehran Time)
First video of the day from Metro Station in Sadeghie. People are chanting “Referendum, Referendum; this is people’s slogan”:
12:30 PM (Tehran Time)
It has now been confirmed that Karroubi’s son and bodyguards were arrested, but bodyguards were later released by security forces in Tehran. Karroubi’s son Ali has been released too now.
12:22 PM (Tehran Time)
Here is a map of where the protests are taking place in Tehran right now: http://twitpic.com/12jjew
12:18 PM (Tehran Time)
Here’s an impromptu translation of Ahmadinejad’s full speech in Tehran from today. As usual, he just blames the rest of the world for everything: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/8b41g
12:15 PM (Tehran Time)
There are now unconfirmed reports of a protest in clashes in Shiraz.
12:10 PM (Tehran Time)
There are reports that thousands of people have gathered in Isfahan in support of the green movement. This can be confirmed through at least two sources.
12:00 PM (Tehran Time)
Reports confirm that security forces shot at people at Aryashahr/Sadeghie a short while ago. There are no reports on the casualties.
11:54 AM (Tehran Time)
Multiple sources have now confirmed that Reza Khatami and his wife Zahra Ishraghi – who is Imam Khomeini’s grand daughter – were released after a brief detention. Full confirmation is going to come in a short while.
11:30 AM (Tehran Time)
Multiple sources have now confirmed that former President Mohammad Khatami’s brother, Reza Khatami, and Reza’s wife Zahra Isghraghi have been arrested.
11:23 AM (Tehran Time)
Reports now indicate that after the attacks, both Karroubi and Khatami have gone home. However, in disturbing news, several people have been arrested in Tehran. Among the people arrested is Karroubi’s son, Ali Karroubi. This has been confirmed by several sources now.
11:18 AM (Tehran Time)
There are now reports that Khatami’s car was attacked by security forces in Tehran. So far, there is little to confirm this. Details coming in.
11:12 AM (Tehran Time)
Karroubi’s son has confirmed the attack on his father’s car in Sadeghie. In other news, former President Mohammad Khatami also joined the celebrations of 22 Bahman – not the protests – according to Parlemaan News, which is considered close to the reformist leader.
10:53 AM (Tehran Time)
Reliable sources confirm that opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi has been injured. Reportedly, his head was bleeding as he was rushed out of Azadi Square by his entourage. (Read below for further information regarding the attack on Karroubi.)
10:50 AM (Tehran Time)
A reliable source reports that there are now clashes in both Sadeghie and Enghelab Squares. According to the source, tear gas has been liberally used by the security forces at Enghelab Square in Tehran. The air around that part of the city is still filled with the gas and protesters have been beaten.
10:44 AM (Tehran Time)
Confirmation of a very important development is at hand. Reportedly, Mehdi Karroubi’s car was attacked as he arrived in Sadeghie in Tehran. The windows of his car were broken, he was beaten and had to flee. Several reliable sources have confirmed this. In other reports, people are chanting “Marg bar Dictator” (Down with the Dictator) in Azadi Square, Tehran.
10:34 AM (Tehran Time)
IRIB shows supposed video of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Azadi Square. Notice how the audio has been turned off:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0P629e7vGk
10:28 AM (Tehran Time)
It has now been confirmed by several reliable sources that Ahmadinejad is at Azadi Square in Tehran indeed. Although, there is no footage available showing Iran’s president there.
10:21 AM (Tehran Time)
Apparently the government-run media in Iran is showing doctored from previous public gatherings in order to block out green protesters from the TV screen. Here’s a purported video from IRIB:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLJ8eMFyxHs
10:03 AM (Tehran Time)
There are reports that clashes have begun between security forces and protesters in Central Tehran – mainly in Sadeghie, where Mehdi Karroubi is expected to arrive within a short while. This could not be confirmed through other sources yet. There are now also reports that there have been clashes at Azadi Square in Central Tehran.
9:54 AM (Tehran Time)
Balatarin.com reports that internet access in Tehran has become extremely slow. So far there are no videos, pictures or audio of protests inside Iran. There are new reports that people have started chanting at Azadi Square.
9:36 AM (Tehran Time)
Opposition websites report that Basijis have gathered in different parts of Tehran to stop protesters and disperse them. Reports add that hundreds have gathered in Kargare Shomali Avenue, Amirabad Avenue and in front of the IRIB – the main government-run broadcasting service. PressTV also confirms riot trucks being deployed in Tehran.
9:24 AM (Tehran Time)
There are more reports that protesters have gathered in Tabriz. I can so far not confirm this fully. There are also unconfirmed reports that the Iranian government-run media is not showing live footage of today’s commemoration of the revolution ceremonies. This is possibly because there are too many protesters and the government does not wish to show that to the general populace, especially in the villages. Also reports that some protesters have started taking down loudspeakers installed on street lights poles to broadcast government speeches. This could not be confirmed yet.
A video of those loudspeakers in Tehran:
9:20 AM (Tehran Time)
More sources are confirming now that people have started to converge upon the central part of Tehran. The numbers are as expected much higher than the expectation of the government. In some areas, there are already more people than security available to control or disperse them. Crowds have already gathered at Azadi Square and more are supposedly headed towards the other main squares in the city.
9:17 AM (Tehran Time)
Crowds in Tehran are slowly coming out. People are generally headed in the direction of the central part of the city which has seen protests in the past. People are reportedly also gathering at Sadeghie Square where opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi has said he will join the crowds. So far, there is no news whether he will indeed join the protesters. There is also no confirmation whether Mir Hossein Mousavi – the main opposition leader – or former President Mohammad Khatami will be joining the protesters.
9:12 AM (Tehran Time)
Tehran – especially the central part of the city – is slowly being packed by security forces. According to partially confirmed reports, riot trucks have also started to arrive in the central part of the city where most of the protesters are expected to gather.
9:07 AM (Tehran Time)
EPersian Radio, a private radio operating from the United States, has the first substantial news of the day. According to EPersian, people have already started to gather on the streets of Central Tabriz. This could not be immediately confirmed through our other sources. According to EPersian, people are chanting, “Today is the day of blood; Yazid will be overthrown”.
7:00 AM (Tehran Time)
Iran is commemorating the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that changed the shape of the country and brought in an oppressive theocratic regime – headed by conservative Shi’ite clerics. The opposition Green Movement has planned massive protests for today throughout the country. I’ll be liveblogging the events starting in a little over an hour from now.
The only news coming in at this point is that Tehran and other parts of the country are currently under tight security by the police and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. People have not showed up yet because it is too early in the morning. Protesters should start coming out onto streets in a couple of hours. I will be updating and tweeting simultaneously as the protests happen through the day.
(For my latest response to Will Heaven’s response to this article, please check this link: http://tinyurl.com/yljnan5)
Waking up every day and being a journalist is a very conflicting job. Sometimes, you read the work of other journalists who’ve written responsibly and with full knowledge of the subject matter and you feel proud of who you are. Other times, people write things that make you want to just sit there and mourn the fact that he or she belongs to the same profession as you. When I read such things, I understand why people have lost their respect for and trust in modern-day journalists.
One such piece was Will Heaven’s critique of the people on Twitter who have been active for the cause of Iran for almost 200 days now in a blog for the print and online edition of Britain’s Daily Telegraph under the headline, “Iran and Twitter: the fatal folly of the online revolutionaries”. Don’t get me wrong, he has freedom of speech on his side. But every now and then, I take the liberty to use the same right to point out fellow journalists for filling the internet with junk that is not only misrepresenting the truth, but also blatantly insults not only our intelligence, but also ourselves. I thought Will Heaven fits that bill quite neatly.
I’m simply going to use my old method of replying to his paragraphs one by one in order. I have not changed any of his words and for the sake of simplicity, I will address him directly.
“As young men and women took to the streets of Tehran on Sunday to confront the Revolutionary Guard, another very different protest sprang to life all over the world. This one didn’t face tear-gas or gunfire. And its participants didn’t risk prison, torture or death. It took place on 2009′s most trendy website: Twitter.com.”
Well, how is the risk of having your family imprisoned, tortured or killed? Did you know that dozens of social media activists have families in Iran and dozens more have received emails from the Iranian government telling them to stop or else their families would face serious harm? Did you know that Fereshteh Ghazi, another activist who writes about prisoners, also has her family in Iran as well? Did you know that one of the most active of the Twitterati, Mehdi Saharkhiz’ father Isa Saharkhiz is in prison and being tried in connection with the protests?
I think everyone would agree that even if people aren’t personally facing imprisonment, torture and death, their families facing the same peril is scary enough to force one to give them a huge round of applause for having the courage to stick to what they’re doing. The fact that you didn’t know this or chose to ignore it is something that I’m not going comment on. Next time, make sure you include these facts before you try to belittle them.
“For Twitter enthusiasts, this has been a bumper year. With a new online tool at their chubby fingertips, they’ve helped to change the world. Or at least, that’s what they think: the so-called Iranian Twitter Revolution recently won a Webby award for being “one of the top 10 internet moments of the decade”.”
Chubby fingertips? Nice use of the common stereotype that portrays all geeks as being overweight. This here is just a direct insult. I’m not sure how you manage to call yourself a journalist and use such degrading language to get your fictitious points across. As for the Iranian Twitter Revolution, that’s just a creation of the mainstream media who are ignorant of what is going on inside and outside Iran.
The protests in Iran are turning into a revolution, however, social networking websites had very little to do with it. The reason why they are getting kudos is because they helped people bypass the failure of the mainstream media to cover the events in Iran and get informed about what was really happening on the streets of Tehran as well as shore up outside support for the cause.
Get this straight; it was your failure to provide timely and accurate news regarding the events in Iran that forced the citizens of the world to step up and help educate people about the courage and perseverance of the Iranian people and the brutality and inhumanity of the Iranian government. You can whine all you want, but you have failed. And the fact that you failed does not give you the right to attempt and devalue the work of others.
“Let me tell you why I find that deeply troubling. There has been no revolution in Iran. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has held on to power after a rigged election. Meanwhile, protests continue to be violently suppressed by government forces and unregulated militias, with human rights groups saying that at least 400 demonstrators have been killed since June. Dozens of those arrested remain unaccounted for, and many of those set free tell of rape and vicious beatings in Iran’s most notorious prisons.
So don’t tell me that Twitter and other online networks have improved the situation in Iran. It’s deluded to think that “hashtags”, “Tweets” and “Twibbons” have threatened the regime for a second. If all the internet could muster in a decade was smug armchair activists and pontificating techies, we may as well all log off in the New Year.”
Again, Twitter has not improved the situation in Iran; it has improved the flow of news about that situation to the outside world. And, it has helped mobilize activists outside Iran into protesting across the world to pressure the international community into taking action against the Iranian government. The only one claiming that is you and your compatriots in mainstream media.
If you’d followed the news or understood what you’ve read, you would have known about the July 25th protests where thousands of people gathered in more than 100 cities across the globe in support of the Iranian people’s struggle for human rights. There have been dozens of protests in dozens of other cities since. I attended one just a week ago. These protests have served to both inform the public and to pressure governments to deal with Iran’s repression of its citizens more harshly then they might have otherwise would have.
This would not have been possible if social networking websites had not connected people and informed them about what was going on inside Iran; because frankly, all I see the mainstream media being interested in is Iran’s nuclear energy program. So again, your ignorance does not change the facts on the ground. Your rants against geeks only highlight your own prejudice. It does not downplay their massive role in achieving the goals I just mentioned.
“Here’s the other thing “social media experts” will forget to tell you: dictatorships across the world now use their own tools to hunt down online protesters. In Iran, for instance, the government controls the internet with a nationalised communications company. Using a state-of-the-art method called “Deep Packet Inspection”, data packages sent between protesters are now automatically broken down, checked for keywords, and reconstructed within milliseconds. Every Tweet and Facebook message, in other words, is firmly on the regime’s radar.
As a result, the crackdown in Iran has been easier than ever before. Once the Revolutionary Guard intercept a suspect message, they are able to pinpoint the location of a guilty protester using their computer’s IP address. Then it’s just a question of knocking on doors – and confiscating laptops and PCs for hard evidence.
Sadly, when this happens, those outside Iran cannot always absolve themselves of responsibility. If you’re an internet user in Britain who communicates with an Iranian protester online, or encourages them to send anti-regime messages over the internet, you could be putting their life in danger.”
Here’s a bit of education in anti-filtering software. There’s a software called Tor – similar to Freegate – that allows people to connect to the internet without fear of Deep Packet Inspection tools. You can figure out that someone is using Tor with DPI, but you can never find out what they’re sending. Our ‘chubby-fingered’ friends were intelligent and passionate enough to get that into Iranian hands as early as June. And that’s not it. Net activists have already created several new anti-DPI softwares that have already reached Iranians and are being skillfully used by a select few to get information out. With these, the government can’t even figure out if someone is using anti-filtering software or is connected straight up.
If that were not true, you wouldn’t get all these videos, pictures and other information about Iran so readily available within minutes of protests from Iran. Just because you don’t know about these things, does not mean they don’t exist or they don’t work.
And contrary to what you claim, no one actually has to encourage Iranians to communicate information about Iran to the outside world. They do it themselves. They feel a need to help the world understand what is going on in their country and not just have to read fear-mongering articles on the mainstream media about how Iran is going to bomb Israel and there’d be World War III and such. What the techies have done is help them access the software that allows them to do it without fear of getting arrested.
“There’s nothing wrong with spreading awareness outside Iran, but it’s horribly naive to think that supporting illegal activity in a foreign country has no ethical dimension. It’s equally foolish, of course, to kid yourself that you’re on the front line.
For the Iranian authorities, the detective work often doesn’t have to be remotely hi-tech. As Evgeny Morozov recently noted, it is now possible to calculate a person’s sexual orientation by analysing who their Facebook friends are. Sure, it’s a quirky news story in Britain, but terrifying for gay people living in countries such as Iran, where homosexuality is outlawed.”
Illegal activity? What illegal activity? Iranians are granted the right to take to streets and peacefully protest by the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Just because the government is overstepping Iranian law does not mean you have to go out of your way to accommodate their will in order to hammer home your fallacious arguments. As for your assertion that helping them spread the word about the situation is wrong, then you should know that freedom of expression is a universal human right. No country’s laws can infringe upon that – and I mean none.
I’m not sure you know that Facebook and Twitter are officially banned in Iran right now. People in Iran who are using the two applications have created accounts specifically to disseminate news and information – not for dating. Even if the government finds those accounts, it won’t be able to trace them back to their owners because of the softwares I mentioned above.
“Perhaps Barack Obama was one of the first world leaders to realise that social media have their limits. In March, on the feast of Nowruz (the Farsi New Year), he posted an online video in which he addressed the Iranian people and their leaders directly.
It signaled the launch of “YouTube diplomacy”, one commentator gushed. But, like the Twitter Revolution, it has achieved very little – Iran remains determined to become a nuclear power, and America is still described by the regime as “the Great Satan”.”
As explained before, the Twitter Revolution is strictly about reporting and activist event planning. As for the YouTube diplomacy jab, that was another creation of the same fickle media that knows little about what’s going on during protests out on the streets in daylight with video evidence at hand, but is more than ready to scare the hell out of everyone by proclaiming that Iran will get the ability to make a nuke soon even though all of Iran’s nuclear energy installations are deep underground with scarcely anyone allowed to inspect what happens there.
Please, write up a piece chronicling the failures of the same industry you are associated with before coming up with ludicrous and unfounded accusations against others.
“So what can we do? Well, perhaps that’s a question for 2010, because the internet, combined with “offline” networks, probably can encourage openness in dictatorships. But before we work out how, let’s first drop the self-congratulation.”
That final assertion is just laughable. What can you do? You can actually report after researching the subject you are about to write on. You can find sources inside Iran to get some real news out. And you can stop hurling insults at will. Finally, we don’t need to self-congratulate ourselves. The media does it for us quite neatly. I will point you to just one article about the Twitter Revolution published a few days ago in one of Sweden’s largest tabloid newspapers, Expressen:
“Today Mousavis Facebook page [a page run by activists from outside Iran] is a more secure source of news than Al-Jazeera and the BBC, while micro-blogs and websites like the dailyniteowl.com and rahesabz.net [both websites that use direct information from tweets and Facebook] offer sympathizers as well as media consumers, fast, reliable news [about Iran] that traditional newsrooms cannot provide.”
That is just one out of hundreds of articles that have been published about the worldwide effort to help get the reality on Iran’s streets to people around the globe through social networking websites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and through microblogs. I understand your frustration at having to keep up with citizen reporting. But that does not give you the right to so flagrantly distort facts and insult a mass of people that have devoted their own time without any monetary compensation to helping their brothers and sisters in Iran.
Next time, if you’re going to write on this subject, please, inform yourself about the many terms you used and try to show the real picture. Your failure at complying with journalistic standards is not going to go unanswered anymore.
Amir Abbas Fakhravar is a US-based Iranian student leader, activist and former political prisoner.
36 parliamentarians in Iran today proposed a bill that would ensure that anyone designated by the courts as a ‘combatant’ be executed within five days. The bill seeks to amend an existing law that states that anyone who ‘tampers’ with public opinion [mostly used these days to indicate calling for protests or joining them] can be designated as a combatant. If passed, this won’t be the first time the government would be taking harsh actions against the Green Movement. Iranian protesters are being accused of treason and for attempting to stage a ‘velvet revolution’ even though all they’re asking for is their rights granted to them by the constitution.
But while observers inside and outside the Iran are baffled by the claims of such a revolution, the Iranian government has some reasons to claim so. Not that any of those reasons are based on facts but because certain foreigners and Iranians outside the country not only know little about what is going on inside Iran, but are also giving the regime what it needs to prosecute peaceful protesters who demand nothing but their rights by making harmful claims.
One such individual is Amir Abbas Fakhravar – a US-based Iranian student activist – who has lately been making the rounds in the Western media and is being credited as one of the insiders of the Green Movement – if not one of the leaders. Here, I don’t wish to doubt his story of how he was arrested multiple times in Iran, nor do I wish to question his credentials as a bona fide activist fighting for human rights in Iran or his status as a student leader. What I do wish to point out here is that not only are the statements he is making hurting the Green Movement’s cause in Iran, but are also spreading disinformation and ignoring key facts.
Noting 72 percent of Iranians are under 30 years of age, Fakhravar contends many young people are prepared to join the opposition. “We have the ability inside,” he said. “This is the silent army inside Iran, and we need the media to encourage them. American policy should trust us. We could do it.”
His most recent article published in the New York Daily News is more of the same:
Months before the 2009 presidential elections, they decided to use the mullahs’ own tactics against them – and to seize and own all of the icons of the Islamic Republic and give them a new identity… So when there was massive fraud in Ahmadinejad’s reelection, the people were ready.
The planning of all those years planted the seeds; the brutality provided the spark. The Green Movement finally gained a complete identity with powerful symbols – even with its own martyrs.
If you haven’t followed the news from Iran, these statements don’t really stand out as dangerous. But they are fuel for the inferno that the Iranian regime is stoking for the Green Movement. Consider the first statement, regarding the ‘silent army’ from 2007. There is little evidence to suggest that three years ago, Iranians were readying up to take to streets for anything. This simply allows the Islamic regime to gather people up for planning protests from as far back as 2007. Hey, they have the evidence. Here’s a student leader saying they were. This is conclusive evidence to a regime that kills people for committing crimes when they are under the age of 16.
The second statement is even more damning. So month before the election, people were ready to take onto streets. For what exactly? Did people know that there would be fraud in the election? The protests didn’t start as a backlash against the oppression of the regime, but because of perceived fraud in the election. How could one know for sure there would be fraud during an election and prepare for millions to march to overthrow a regime?
So far what we have seen is anything but that. Almost no one really expected the Iranians to take to the streets in protest. People knew there might be fraud, but almost no one expected it to be this wide-spread and barely anyone expected such mass protests. So in the face of all of that, Fakhravar steps in and claims that this was the plan all along. And that it was imminent that Iranians would take to streets to overthrow the regime.
In the New York Daily News article, he gives further credence to the government’s claims of a ‘velvet revolution’ against the regime.
What we are witnessing on the streets of Tehran and other cities is nothing short of a revolution – a carefully orchestrated, years-in-the-making attempt to overthrow a corrupt and repressive regime and replace it with something fundamentally more free, democratic and secular.
That’s just perfect. So yes, there was a ‘velvet revolution’, according to Fakhravar. The Green Movement’s current de-fact leader Mir Hossein Mousavi continues to chant that they only want reform and here is Fakhravar claiming that this is a ‘revolution’. The problem is, this can very well turn into a revolution, but at the moment, it is a movement for reform. Wishful thinking is not going to change that.
And we still blame the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for claiming that there is a ‘velvet revolution’. How could we when we have someone like Fakhravar claiming that Iranians had indeed planned for a revolution?
But his final two statements that I’ll quote here really prove how misinformed he is of the circumstances inside Iran.
Amir Abbas Fakhravar, 35, a former student leader who spent several years in prison in Iran and now lives in the Washington area, said contacts are taking place on Facebook and Skype and that activists plan to create a “revolutionary council” of about 15 people inside and outside Iran to lead the “Iranian Green Revolution.”
Fakhravar: This movement doesn’t have a leader, but things like Facebook help. We use social media to help organize events inside Iran. For instance, we are planning a demonstration in February to coincide with the 31st anniversary of the Iranian revolution. Earlier this year, I was giving a speech before Congress and I said, “Iranians don’t want a war. All we need are cell phones, cameras and computers.” Some of the Senators laughed at that. But it has happened. We are close to a cyber revolution in Iran.
The first important point is, whether the West likes it or not, Mir Hossein Mousavi and to a large extent Mehdi Karroubi are the leaders of the Green Movement. Yes, I agree completely that these men have a dirty past. I also agree that under them, it would be almost impossible to ask for a completely secular society, but too bad. That’s just what it is.
Fakhravar’s opinion does not change the fact that when Mousavi or Karroubi join the protests, they are welcomed like leaders. Neither does it change the fact that people openly chant Karroubi and Mousavi’s names during protests even when they are not present. And it does not explain green graffiti exalting Mousavi and Karroubi on Tehran’s walls.
As for the revolutionary councils inside and outside Iran, if there ever is one formed inside Iran, the members are going to be promptly arrested and tried and you cannot do much with a council outside Iran but have tea and watch the protests on CNN.
The second important point is that contrary to what some people believe, most social networking websites are banned in Iran. Their usage inside Iran is extremely limited and only possible through the use of anti-internet filtering software. From my friends in the US and Europe that actively supply these softwares to Iranians, I know that the number of people who actually have access to these websites is pathetically low.
How can you expect hundreds of thousands of people to come out on the streets simply because Iranians abroad are posting information for them on websites that they cannot even access? It’s just a misunderstanding caused by the incorrect usage of the word “Twitter Revolution” by the mainstream western media. Twitter Revolution simply means that social networking media are used by people to quickly inform each other of news. It could have been used as a tool to organize protests in Iran, but since they’re banned, they can’t be.
That is the reason why protests are planned weeks in advance to so people could have time to prepare and get everyone involved and spread the news on the streets of Tehran.
In conclusion, I have no wish or desire to question Mr. Fakhravar’s credentials or his intentions. What I want to point out are two very key facts: One, his statements about the Green Movement are at the very least, inaccurate. Secondly, he does not seem to know or acknowledge important facts about the current situation in Iran.
While the second one can be neglected, the first one is being and will be used to persecute peaceful protesters by the Iranian regime. If people like Fakhravar really care for human rights and democracy, they would spend some time studying what is going on inside Iran and then make informed and undamaging statements instead of spreading disinformation and hurting people inside Iran directly by what they say.
Iranians are already facing enough peril. Let’s not make it harder on them.
The flag of Chinese activists supporting the Green Movement
When I joined the ‘Twitter Revolution’ more than six months ago, all I cared about was letting people know just what exactly was happening in Iran. I would not have joined had the mainstream media done their job of reporting the situation accurately and without bias. I really had not much of a stake personally in Iran. I am not Iranian. I have no family in Iran. I had not followed Iranian politics as intensely before. It wasn’t really my job to do anything either.
However, over the course of the past several months, I have met individuals who are in about the same situation as me. They are not Iranian. They don’t have a stake in Iranian politics. They don’t have relatives in Iran. What is astonishing is that many of these have not even been as avid about following news before as they are now. They all participate in the Twitter Revolution as avidly as Iranian.There is little organization. Everyone does what they can on their own time.
However, recently, what started to astonish me more was the organized participation of citizens of other countries that are ruled by dictators.
The usual hashtag for news, events and activities related to Iran is #IranElection. But I started to notice a new hashtag – #CN4Iran along with the usual hashtag on Twitter. I tried ignoring it for a few days, but I just couldn’t stop myself after a while. Soon it became clear to me that hundreds of Chinese dissendents and activists had joined hands with Iranians and non-Iranians to fight for the same goal – human rights for Iranians.
And no sooner had my amazement diminished when I realized that there were dozens of Venezuelans on Twitter doing just the same – spending hours upon hours translating English tweets to Spanish and letting the Spanish-speaking world know of the horrors that have befallen the people of Iran – in an organized effort.
All this is happening while Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is taking smug pictures with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and China’s Hu Jintao is selling equipment to Iran to quell the Green Movement. But while the leaders of these countries are sharing the blame for the spilt blood of Iran’s children, the citizens of the two countries are quietly, but firmly coming out and supporting the same youth.
To see them work for spreading news about Iran and lending support to the Green Movement is not just heartening. It gives us a glimpse of what we as human beings can achieve if we truly felt for each others pain. That quality – humanity – that we ascribe to ourselves on a daily basis without much thought demands us to do the very same thing – care about other humans. Know about what is going on with other members of our species. And finally, to support them when they are need of it.
The effort by the Chinese and Venezuelans supplants efforts by citizens of other countries who have for the past six months spent several hours of their day attempting to get justice for their brothers and sisters in Iran. These efforts truly give meaning to one of the most popular slogans used by the Green Movement in Iran – “Ma Hame Ba Ham Hastim!” (We are all together!).
As a member of the Twitter Revolution and a humble outside supporter of the Green Movement, they have my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for what they are doing and I promise that when the time comes, they can count on my unconditional support.
(Consider this a first installment about this issue. I will write more about this in the coming days.)
(Read the Mousavi’s 17th Statement in Both English and Farsi)
(Note: I have not changed the wording of the English translation or attempted to correct any grammatical or punctuation errors. The translation is as it was posted on Mousavi’s Facebook, which is run by his supporters.)
Mir Hossein Mousavi today released a new statement denouncing the regime’s brutal tactics against the Green Movement and outlined peaceful measures the government can take to calm the situation. While the statement is quite similar to other statements he has released in the past, several points on closer inspection stand out. The statement also shows Mousavi’s resolve and his continued willingness to finding a peaceful resolution to the current crisis.
One of the most striking features of the speech is Mousavi not mentioning the killing of his nephew Sayyed Ali Mousavi in Tehran on Ashura (December 27). It echoes his and his wife Zahra Rahnavard’s response to the imprisonment of her brother which they kept under wraps for months because they didn’t want to turn their statements personal, but rather speak for the entire Green Movement.
What’s more important is also the fact that Mousavi for the first time actually discounts his own influence and that of Mehdi Karroubi. He admits that even though people asked him to call for protests or at least lend his support, he did not do so in the case of Ashura. He also acknowledges the fact that people came out without him calling them to come out. This is a very significant development and has been noted by myself and other colleagues before.
The Green Movement has indeed partially spiraled out of the hands of Karroubi and Mousavi. What this could achieve cannot be easily quantified or qualified, but it is important as the movement will continue to live on even if Mousavi and Karroubi are no longer alive. And Mousavi acknowledges it by saying that he is ready to die alongside other members of the movement, knowing that the movement would continue even with his absence.
But there were three very important new points that I noticed in his speech that I had formerly not seen – or at least not together.
First off, Mousavi openly speaks out against the IRGC. It is no secret that the IRGC has been one the driving forces behind the suppression of peaceful protesters and the main source of Ali Khamenei and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s power. Along the Basij – which falls under its command – they have been responsible for most of the bloodshed on the streets of Iran during protests. He ridicules the IRGC, possibly sending a message to his supporters that they can now openly denounce the IRGC as well as Basij.
As he denounces corruption in his statement, Mousavi goes on to say this about the IRGC:
“We say that a large and influential organization like IRGC cannot defend the country and national interests if it wants to calculate everyday how much the stock market has gone up or down; it will corrupt both itself and the country.”
Secondly, Mousavi yet again questions the government’s legitimacy. Unlike presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei’s statement earlier which denounced Ashura protests and forwarded the preposterous idea that Mousavi has somehow come to accept Ahmadinejad as Iran’s president, he continues to defy Ahmadinejad. So IRNA’s propaganda regarding Rezaei’s letter is promptly disqualified:
“Assume that, with all the arrests, brutalities, threats, and shutting the mouths of newspapers and media, you can silence people for a few days. How do you solve the change in people’s view of the establishment? How do you rectify the lack of legitimacy? How do you change the stunned and blaming views of all people of the world over all this brutality of a government against its own people? What do you do with the problems of the country’s economy and living conditions that are getting worse because of extreme weakness of the administration? With what backing of expertise, national unity and effective foreign policy, can you alleviate the shadow of more UN resolutions and international attempts to win more points against our country and our nation?”
He also puts the blame of protesters and Friday prayer Imams calling for the killing of Mousavi and Karroubi on the government:
“I clearly and bluntly say that the order of execution, murder, or imprisonment of Karoubi, Mousavi and figures like us will not solve the problem. The announcements made this Wednesday in Enghelab Square (central Tehran) and before that during the last Friday prayer by some figures affiliated with the establishment will make the consequence of any terrorist act the direct liability of the center [of the establishment] and will make the problem of the current crisis unsolvable.”
Thirdly, and perhaps the most important of all the points in his new statement is the fact that he acknowledges protesters taking action against security forces during the protests. He also puts the blame for violence against security forces on the government. However, it is important to note that he neither endorses these actions, nor asks for further actions in future protests. He also notes that people were also compassionate to security forces and tried to save them from other more angry protesters. I believe it is important because Mousavi continues to wish for a peaceful political resolution and does not wish the government to be violently overthrown:
“Watching the shocking footage of Ashura shows that if sometimes slogans and actions moved toward unacceptable radicalism, it is because of throwing innocent people off bridges and heights, shooting them, running them over by cars and assassinations. It is interesting that in some of this footage, people were seeing their [religious] brothers behind the faces of the oppressive police and Basij forces, and in that critical situation and on that deafening and hateful day they were trying to protect them from any harm. If the state-run television and radio had the slightest bit of fairness,to calm the atmosphere and bring people closer together, it would have shown a little of these scenes. But no way! The progress of events after Ashura and the extent of arrests and other Government actions show that the authorities are repeating the same past mistakes this time in a greater scale and think that the policy of terror is their only solution.”
Having said these points, Mousavi yet again calmly asks the government to take steps to resolve the current crisis. This perhaps might seem a bit repetitive; however, it comes as no surprise. The Green Movement has repeatedly shown that they are open to talks; that they are not in favor of violence – unless it knows no bounds and even then, only few incidents of self-defense. And finally, that they are still hoping for a peaceful and non-violent resolution to the current crisis. Mousavi outlines these points for the resolution of the current crisis:
1. The administration should be held liable in front of the people, the parliament and the judiciary system so that there would be no unusual supports for the administration in response to its incompetence and ineffectiveness and the administration be held accountable for all the problems it created for the country. For sure if the administration is competent and right it would be able to respond to the people and the parliament, and if it is incompetent and inept, the parliament and the judiciary system would confront it based on the constitution.
2. Legislating new and clear election laws in a way that it would regain people’s trust in the free and fair elections without meddling and interference. This law should ensure the participation of all the people despite their differences in opinions and views and should prohibit the biased and partisan interference of the authorities in all levels. The primary parties in early days of the revolution can be considered as a model.
3. The release of all political prisoners and restoring their dignity and honour. I am sure that this move would be interpreted as a strong point for the establishment rather than a weakness and we know that the defeated political movements are against this solution.
4. One of the necessities of the improvement is the release of the banned press and media and letting the shut down newspapers to publish again. The fear of free media should be eliminated and the international experience in this matter should be considered. The expansion of the satellite channels and their growing importance and the decisive influence of this media clearly show the inadequacy of the traditional methods and limitations of National TV and radio channels. Signal jamming methods and internet censorship can only be effective for a short time. The only solution is having various free and informed media inside the country. Isn’t it time to turn eyes back from beyond our borders to domestic political, cultural and social prosperity by a courageous act and based on trusting the intellectual and innovative forces of the society?
5. Recognizing people’s rights for having legal demonstrations and forming parties and groups and abiding to the 27th principle of the constitution. Acting in this matter that can be done with the wisdom and collaboration of all of the country’s enthusiasts can replace the battle between the Basij and security forces and people or people and people with an atmosphere of friendship and national affection.
After all is said and done, Mousavi’s statement can be seen as a watershed. After the bloody events of Ashura, many expected Mousavi to maybe even partially consider a more violent means to changing the political situation in the country. He could have at least warned the government. He could have at least warned the IRGC or the Basij of violent confrontations. However, he offered his own life instead of endorsing retaliation against the security forces or the government.
It is perhaps the last chance for the government of Iran to act peacefully if it wants to resolve the current crisis. Tensions run high. Arrests are becoming rampant. Violence has increased. Mousavi and Karroubi no longer look as safe as they did a few months ago. In such a climate, Mousavi’s conciliatory statement is a breath of fresh air. Whether the government is going to make use of the time that’s running out or not remains to be seen.
In this undated photo, members of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army or Artesh are seen during a parade.
(First, a Happy New Year to everyone… Let’s hope 2010 opens the doors of peace, justice, equality and truth to us all and that human rights are respected and expanded throughout the world.)
For the past several months, there have been rumors that elements inside Iran’s main army ‘Artesh’ are discontent with the continued repression against peaceful protesters by the Iranian government. First there was a story by overseas Iranian website Gooya. The story claimed that several officers within Artesh had sent out a letter denouncing the regime’s brutal suppression tactics against the Green Movement. It also warned the government that it will take action if violence against protesters continues.
I was not going to write anything about this. But in the face of continued publicity for this letter, I am forced to speak out.
The letter was not signed. There were no names. There were no ranks. There was no original copy of the letter. It was not indicated who it was sent by or the date when it was written. Recently, a similar letter – with different wording – was released on another news websites with the same remarks and same warning. This has been a source of hope for some people supporting the Green Movement. But so far, there has been almost nothing to back this up.
I have been following both letters keenly for the past month. However, I have been unable to confirm their contents through any of my sources and I mean none. I have also not seen anyone else in the mainstream media or in the blogosphere and underground media substantiate the contents of any of these letters. This is sufficient for me to disregard both letters as fictitious.
But let’s for a minute imagine that the letters are credible. What has Artesh done so far? Have they tried to stop the IRGC or Basij? Or the riot police or regular coppers? No. They have done absolutely nothing. Even when dozens were killed on Ashura, Artesh remained silent as it always has. But let us take it up as far as we can. Let’s say the officers mentioned in the letter are going to strike against the government. What would the result be? Are these few people going to be able to take down the government? The answer is no. Finally, let’s just assume for the sake of assumption that their numbers are higher and that they have the loyalty of as much as half of Artesh. The government still has the allegiance of the other half and of IRGC, Basij and the police.
In that case, Iran would be driven into something that I abhor even mentioning the name of – civil war. Thousands would be killed, hundreds of thousands would be injured, millions would be homeless, Iran’s economy would collapse, and its infrastructure would be completely razed. And I honestly don’t even want to mention what would happen to the lives of the children of Iran if it drags on for years.
So the bottom line is: I am certain that the letters released under Artesh’s name are fake and, furthermore, I’m very happy that they are.
