UPDATED Iran: The Arrest of Majid Tavakoli "His 16 Azar Speech on Video"

It appears that the case of Majid Tavakoli, the student leader arrested after he gave a speech to the 16 Azar demonstrators at Amir Kabir University, may become another powerfully symbolic moment for the Green movement. This is a combination of his profile --- Tavakoli has been arrested twice before and spent more than a year in detention --- and the apparent efforts by Iranian authorities to degrade him with the claim that he tried to escape in disguise as a woman, publishing photos of him in hejab. The support video, "We are all MAJIDs", with hundreds protesting by dressing in similar attire, has now emerged (see separate entry).

Iran’s Arrest of Majid Tavakoli: “Khamenei in Hejab/We Are All Majids”
Iran’s 16 Azar: The Arrest of Majid Tavakoli

The video of his last speech is low-quality but, given the emerging significance of his case, we believe it is worth posting. We are also re-posting a translation of his speech, drawn from HomyLafayette and Lissnup.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojeAIxXJt4o[/youtube]

My friends, today is Azar 16th.

Azar 16th. It’s our day. It's the Student's Day. Today's the most historic day of students standing against this despotism.. [Somebody says 'raise your hands showing Victory'] Today's the day this nation demands freedom and fights against tyranny. Today's the day that you have come to stand along with the crowd against the tyranny to make your screams heard over the despotism… [Loud cheers, crowd chants 'Death to the Dictator']

My friends, my voice is not loud enough to be heard by everyone. If we can get the microphone, there are numerous friends who want to, on your behalf, address all the dictators and despots of this country and give their speech frankly and clearly. To tell them that we will not welcome despotism any more. [Loud applause from students; crowd chants "Student may die but won't withstand abjection" and 'Death to the Dictator'].

My friends, we will speak more in detail. But the most basic, the first thing we should do as our duty in the honor of efforts of our people in the past 5-6 months who took to the streets despite all the oppression, all the tortures, rapes in prisons, all these issues, we believe it is our duty to go stand beside the university’s entrance doors and once again show our unity, our companionship, our solidarity....

Comments

[Anhtony]

campaign for his release and lots of photos of men showing solidarity with Tavakkoli by wearing hejab. http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?page=8&oid=198929939029&aid=-1&auser&view=all#/event.php?eid=198929939029&index=1

[ed]

We need to help these students and citizens of Iran. I believe it is immoral to encourage them and then just leave them to slowly twist in the wind. It is obvious that the government in Iran is just going to crack down on them and then thin their ranks just like it did after the election.

helpfuled