Monday
Jun142010
The Latest from Iran (14 June): The 2nd Year Is Underway....
Monday, June 14, 2010 at 18:40 
1955 GMT: The Sting in Mousavi's Statement. While making the obvious moves over 22 Khordaad, stressing opposition resilience and the Government's struggle for legitimacy, Mir Hossein Mousavi used Sunday's attacks on the homes of prominent clerics to extend his challenge:More than ever before, the people in government need to create 'incidents' that enable them to conceal the consequences of the misfortunes they have brought about for the country. Attacking the office of an eminent cleric and an admired student of Imam Khomeini [Grand Ayatollah Sane'i] is entering a new phase in creating such crises.
Have they forgotten that it was attack against the house of Imam Khomeini which paved the way for liquidating the roots of tyranny on 6 June 1963 and laid the foundation for [the revolution of] February 1979?
Have they still not learned their lesson?
NEW Iran: The Attack on Montazeri, Sane’i, Karroubi
Iran Analysis: The Regime’s Next Push Against “Nothing Special”
Iran Document: Karroubi “Greens Stronger & More Mature Than Last Year” (12 June)
Iran Special: EA Gets Highest Award from Tehran Government!
Iran: The US State Department’s Comment on the Election Anniversary
Iran Result: The 22 Khordaad Cup “Greens 1, Darks 0″ (Lucas)
The Latest from Iran (13 June): And So It Goes On….
1810 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Mohammad Reza Jalaiepour of the Third Wave Movement has been re-arrested.
Jalaiepour was detained in June and held for 88 days.
1745 GMT: Mousavi Speaks. In a brief statement, Mir Hossein Mousavi has praised the fortitude of the Iranian people and the Green Movement o on the anniversary of the election and asserted that the unprecedented security deployment shows how the regime has failed to convince the public of its legitimacy.
Mousavi has promised a statement tomorrow outlining the objectives and strategies of the Green Movement.
1740 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Behzad Heidari, a student activist from Amir Kabir University, was arrested on 12 June during a protest near Enghelab Square.
1735 GMT: No, I Didn't. Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi has denied that he issued an order blocking detainees' visits with their families (see separate analysis).
1720 GMT: Human rights and women's rights activist Saba Vasefi has regained consciousness after being in a coma for two weeks. Vasefi was struck by a motorcyclist who fled, hitting her head on the curbside.
1550 GMT: The Attack on the Clerics. Reformist member of Parliament Darius Ghanbari has demanded that the security forces who carried out the attack on Grand Ayatollah Sane'i's house be held accountable.
1445 GMT: The Attack on the Clerics. We've published the most concise account we've seen so far --- from Saham News --- of Sunday's attack by a pro-regime crowd on Grand Ayatollah Sane'i, the family of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, and Mehdi Karroubi in Qom.
1255 GMT: The Attack on Ayatollah Sane'i. The Facebook site supporting Mir Hossein Mousavi has posted 33 photographs of the damage caused by the crowd that surrounded the house of Ayatollah Sane'i on Sunday.
1225 GMT: Assessing 22 Khordaad. There is still a siege of ill-informed pieces on Saturday's events in the Western media, as well as high-brow discussions of the "Green Movement" which ignored the latest developments.
In this context, the report of Michael Theodoulou --- who has excellent sources in Iran --- takes on added importance:
Thousands of Iranians, defying regime threats, staged a silent and peaceful anti-government protest in Tehran on yesterday’s anniversary of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election a year ago, witnesses told The National.
“There were many women, some veiled in black, and many men, people of all ages,” one Tehran resident said....
One witness, who has proven consistently reliable in the past, said that there were at least 100,000 protestors....“There was little chanting but once in a while you could hear ‘down with the dictator’,” he said. Security forces beat some with batons to break up gatherings....
“This can well be considered a success for the opposition,” said an analyst in Tehran who spoke on condition of anonymity. “They [the protestors] managed to make the government admit its fear and weakness by bringing so many forces to the streets,” he said. “And by remaining silent, most of the time, they managed to suffer the least beatings and arrests – so far.”
NEW Iran: The Attack on Montazeri, Sane’i, Karroubi
Iran Analysis: The Regime’s Next Push Against “Nothing Special”
Iran Document: Karroubi “Greens Stronger & More Mature Than Last Year” (12 June)
Iran Special: EA Gets Highest Award from Tehran Government!
Iran: The US State Department’s Comment on the Election Anniversary
Iran Result: The 22 Khordaad Cup “Greens 1, Darks 0″ (Lucas)
The Latest from Iran (13 June): And So It Goes On….
1205 GMT: Iranian Embassy in London "Hosts" Protest Film. HomyLafayette reports on how demonstrators projected a short film, documenting the post-election unrest and crackdown, onto the facade of the Iranian Embassy in London on Saturday night.
1200 GMT: Another Attack on a Cleric. Khabar Online reports that an "unknown person or persons" attacked the home of Ayatollah Nouri-Hamedani last night, breaking windows.
0725 GMT: Ahmadinejad on the Election. The President did mark the anniversary of the Presidential vote in his interview on national television about "the manifestation of the united and grand human will of 40 million people in a 100 percent free" vote. He claimed, "Those who opposed [the election] were governments of injustice who interfered in [our] internal affairs. Even the American president, who was new to the scene, joined them. But the Iranian nation defeated them."
0720 GMT: The Attack on the Clerics. Ahmad Montazeri, the son of the late Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, has issued a statement about the attack on the Montazeri offices:
The interesting point...is the presence and silence of the police and special security forces and the complete coordination between them and the plain clothes militia! In this attack all the items of the office were damaged and the photos of late Grand Ayatollah Montazeri were torn up and insulted. They broke office’s windows, chairs and even the television set, torn down the curtains and by hanging from the ceiling fan and treading down the vacuum cleaner damaged them.
Following these attacks on the morning of Monday, 14 June 2010, about 12 individuals from intelligence forces with a court order from the Special Court for the Clergy in Qom came to the office of the late Grand Ayatollah Montazeri and searched the office, confiscated the damaged items, and shut down and sealed the office; and by this action approved all the destructive actions of those who attacked. While one would expect from the security forces to control the plain clothes individuals and bring security to the area, unfortunately not even one of the thugs was arrested.
0650 GMT: The Battle Within. An important signal of a possible anti-Ahmadinejad coalition, sanctioned by the Supreme Leader, and a boost to Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani: Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the head of the Guardian Council, has warned the President that he cannot interfere in the responsibilities and authorities of other officials of the regime: "Some people are trying to take advantage of the situation and take on responsibilities for which they lack the necessary competence.”
Janati writes that the Guardian Council is the only point of reference for determining the legality of Parliament’s legislations and other officials and government bodies “have no duty other than executing and heeding those laws” once they are approved by the Guardian Council.
A less dramatic sign of challenge comes from Fereydoun Hemmati of the Supreme Audit Council, who claims the Government's budget declaration is "full of attacks and lies".
And Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghaddam of Parliament's Economic Commission has reiterated that "the government cannot refuse to implement laws".
0645 GMT: The 4 June Fall-Out. Add Ayatollah Javadi Amoli to the long list of senior figures denouncing the regime's mis-handling of the ceremony for Ayatollah Khomeini, criticising the shout-down of his grandson, Seyed Hassan Khomeini: "The events were an obvious injustice to the Imam and his beyt descendants."
0615 GMT: The 22 Khordaad Arrests. Daneshjoo News claims, from "informed sources", that about 400 people detained on Saturday have been moved to Evin Prison.
0610 GMT: More on Tomorrow's Statement (see 0540 GMT). The advance notice of the statement for Tuesday claims that "Mir Hossein Mousavi [has] proposed a charter for the Green Movement which includes objectives, strategies and definition for [its] identity...and offered it as a proposed platform to the movement to be reviewed and judged by the public and the experts."
0600 GMT: ??????. I am at a loss to evaluate this statement made yesterday on national television on Sunday by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It is either the height of hypocrisy or a relevation of a President who is not in command. From Agence France Presse:
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that he was "strongly" opposed to a police crackdown against women deemed to be in un-Islamic dress and on the behaviour of youths in public.
"I am strongly against such actions. It is impossible for such actions to be successful," Ahmadinejad said in an interview on state television when asked about the crackdown which has intensified in past weeks....
"I prefer to work in a cultural way. Any punishment must be given after a judge's decision," said Ahmadinejad, adding that his government had no role in the crackdown.
"The government is not interfering in this. We consider it is insulting to ask a boy and girl about their relationship. Nobody has the right to ask people such a question," he said.
"I hope such things will not happen in our country and that such actions are stopped before I have to give serious warnings," he added.
0540 GMT: Now to the Next Anniversary. Kalemeh, the website of Mir Hossein Mousavi, has announced that Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi will issue a statement tomorrow, the anniversary of the first mass protest against the Presidential election.
Meanwhile, Green Voice of Freedom has posted an English-language summary of the Mousavi-Karroubi press conference that was held several days before the 12 June demonstration but mysterious disappeared.
0530 GMT: We begin this morning with an analysis of "The Regime's Next Push" against an opposition that refused to go away on 22 Khordaad, the anniversary of the 2009 election.
One of the incidents this weekend pointing to continued tension was the gathering of protesters outside the home of Grand Ayatollah Yusuf Sane'i, who was meeting Mehdi Karroubi, in Qom. Another video of the gathering has emerged:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qim9MkopK5Q&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
tagged 22 Khordaad, Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi, Agence France Presse, Ahmad Montazeri, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli, Ayatollah Nouri-Hamedani, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Yusuf Sane'i, Behzad Heidari, Daneshjoo News, Darius Ghanbari, Fereydoun Hemmati, Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghaddam, Green Voice of Freedom, Guardian Council, HomyLafayette, Iran, Iran Elections 2009, Kalemeh, Khabar Online, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mehdi Karroubi, Michael Theodoulou, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohammad Reza Jalaiepour, Saba Vasefi, Seyed Hassan Khomeini, Supreme Audit Council, The National in Middle East & Iran
22 Khordaad, Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi, Agence France Presse, Ahmad Montazeri, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli, Ayatollah Nouri-Hamedani, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Yusuf Sane'i, Behzad Heidari, Daneshjoo News, Darius Ghanbari, Fereydoun Hemmati, Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghaddam, Green Voice of Freedom, Guardian Council, HomyLafayette, Iran, Iran Elections 2009, Kalemeh, Khabar Online, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mehdi Karroubi, Michael Theodoulou, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohammad Reza Jalaiepour, Saba Vasefi, Seyed Hassan Khomeini, Supreme Audit Council, The National in Middle East & Iran
Reader Comments (22)
re 0600 GMT
"It is either the height of hypocrisy or a relevation of a President who is not in command."
Over the past 12 months, I have often asked whether there really is anyone in charge in Iran - or they all operating as individuals (outside of the Constitution), embarrassing one another. The last event that prompted me to ask this was the anger shown by Khamenei after last Friday's prayers - and now this???
Reminds me a of a family of fools - all of who want to defend the honour and integrity of the family, but are continually having to cover over foolish indiscretions by individual family members - all of whom are fools and don't know what they are doing!
How can Khamenei "fly with the Eagles" - when he is surrounded by Turkeys??
Barry
Great, just another Ahmadi nugget to be quoted at face-value by an apologist who believes he's moderate...
Reformer Mostafa Tajzadeh: I apologize for my mistakes made in the first decade after the revolution: http://www.peykeiran.com/Content.aspx?ID=18058" rel="nofollow">http://www.peykeiran.com/Content.aspx?ID=18058
Still defending Khomeini, but at least he acknowledges the terror in those days, compared to which some broken windows and cars are a joke!
Hi Scott,
Stone Cold Heap Austin wrote a piece in the HuffPo today, keeping the real story of Iran in the headlines.
Also, on Saturday Josh wrote this:
Protests partially confirmed in "Shiraz, Mashaad, Isfahan, and Zahedan. Reports of protests have come in for Tabriz, Sari, Kerman, Sanandaj, Ahvaz and Aryashahr, but I have not been able to confirm any of them yet."
Do we have confirmation of any or all of those events? I'm researching myself, so I'll let you know.
Thank you to all who follow EA, and my own blog. The truth shall always prevail.
Azadi!
Hi again,
This video appears to be near Enghelab Square on 22 Khrodad 89. Thoughts?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NvY4c58jlc" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NvY4c58jlc
Also, I'm trying to find more pictures or videos of clashes or protesters in Enghelab.
RE 12:25. The most impressive eye witness account of the events on the 12th were given by a Tehran professor: "My Day in Tehran on the Anniversary of the Election".
To me it was an indication something VERY BIG happened that day. The silent protest march DID take place... Thank you, Catherine, for finding that story and publishing it here, yesterday.
Unfortunately citizen journalists are not savvy (sometimes) in 'selling' these stories. You have to scroll down on the page to even find it!
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/06/selected-headlines-180.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranb...
It was powerful enough for me to re-publish it on my Facebook profile, hoping that my 350-something journalist Facebook friends will read it - and keep it in mind the next time they report on Iran in their respective countries.
The story should have been in every main stream paper.
Here is my own recap of what happened on Saturday, 22 Khordad, in Iran. Evidence is taken from the live-blogs and takes into account some of the news from the last two days as well.
http://www.dissectednews.com/2010/06/22-khordad-june-12-what-happened-in-iran.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.dissectednews.com/2010/06/22-khordad...
Thanks for all of the faithful readers from Enduring America.
1720 GMT: Human rights and women’s rights activist Saba Vasefi has regained consciousness after being in a coma for two weeks. Vasefi was struck by a motorcyclist who fled, hitting her head on the curbside.
The first day this was reported I asked if it was an accident or a hit and run.My first thought was it might be one of the Basiji trying to kill her. The original article didn't say anything about him. I'm so glad she has regained consciousness and hope she recovers fully.
Perry1949
Thank you for this good news.
The same question occurred to me, but you really cannot exclude the possibility of an accident. Iran's traffic mortality is one of the highest throughout the world, will try to find some data on that.
My father was killed on the sidewalk by a truck many years ago.
Wishing Saba Vasefi to recover soon.
Arshama
Race for Iran is no longer blocked, but EA is. So the title stays with you!
As Freddie would sing it, We Are the Champions, My Friends.....
Mohammad Reza Jalaipour, son of a reformer is arrested again. His wife explains:
"The agents told us: if we can treat Khomeini's grandson like that, guess what we can do to you!...when we objected they said: don't worry Ahmadinejad will be elected for the third term too"
There you have it Larijani brothers and other hardliners. Between this story and Ahmadinejad's suspicious bashing of the hard-liners morality crackdowns, it is clear that Ahmadinejad is a loose cannon and has no intention of playing by Khamenei's rules. Every day you go along with this charade you sell your souls to the devil and you will be the primary recipients of Ahmadinejad's wrath if you cooperate in helping him take over the country. You will be the Trotskys of Iran.
He doesn't play any rules, only those he makes up whenever he feels like...
Check this out, it's the last part of the series from Iranian state TV profiling various Iranians who are "foreign spies". In this episode we learn about how International Human Rights groups are actually israeli, american, and MKO spies.
It's pretty pathetic of them to be making these things.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=459200569045" rel="nofollow">http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=45920...
And yet the Western woo-woos eat this stuff up in the same breath as they lambaste hasbara - the more sophisticated yet equally as pathetic spin juggernaut.
Isn't it ironic? Donchya think?
And thank YOU, WitteKr for re-posting the link here. I was just about to :-) I also think it's one of the best and most accurate accounts so far.
Bozorg (and everyone),
RE "Reformitis: a chronic condition marked by obstinate refusal to accept the incompatibility of Islamist ideology and democracy."
Here's a very good article by Robert Tait that addresses this very issue: 'Reformists Cling To Islamic Republic Ideal As Khamenei Sounds The Death Knell'
http://www.rferl.org/content/Reformists_Cling_To_Islamic_Republic_Ideal_As_Khamenei_Sounds_The_Death_Knell_/2067735.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.rferl.org/content/Reformists_Cling_T...
Here is some information in English on Reformer Mostafa Tajzadeh: I apologize for my mistakes made in the first decade after the revolution
http://iranfacts.blogspot.com/2010/06/footnote-from-historic-apology-and.html" rel="nofollow">http://iranfacts.blogspot.com/2010/06/footnote-...
Excellent article! Thank you, Catherine.
I found a similar, but different - more broader - one, some days ago (June 7th) on Huffington Post by Mahmood Delkhasteh. "Islamic Renaissance and Iran's Green Movement". Didn't know how and where to link to it on this site. But here's my chance!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mahmood-delkhasteh/islamic-renaissance-and-i_b_603487.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mahmood-delkhaste...
RE 1225 - Just found another eyewitness report of 12th of June from 'within'. "Muted Protests Mark Iran Vote Anniversary", published the 14th on the website of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting IWPR, by Yasaman Baji, pseudonym of an Iranian journalist based in Tehran.
http://www.iwpr.net/report-news/muted-protests-mark-iran-vote-anniversary" rel="nofollow">http://www.iwpr.net/report-news/muted-protests-...
WitteKr,
RE your post yesterday 11:49 AM, I know the feeling of looking for the right spot or the best moment to post something here and I'm glad to have been "at your service" :-). Will read your HP find. Thanks
[...] day (and lately each hour) brings us more news, but what we know so far is that there has been an impressive backlash against reformist and Green politicians. There have been attacks against Grand Ayatollah Sane’i, the family of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, [...]