Iran Election Guide

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Sunday
Jun052011

The Latest from Iran (5 June): And Then After the Ceremony....

Iran's political and religious leadership at Saturday's ceremony

1845 GMT: A Death at the Funeral. More than 750 women activists have issued a statement commemorating the death of Haleh Sahabi by saying that the fight for "freedom, peace and equality" continues and the rulers of Iran "will not calm it".

1825 GMT: Economy Watch. The chairman of the Food Industry Association has projected that food prices will rise 10% in the next two weeks.

1815 GMT: Political Prisoner. Detained journalists Isa Saharkhiz, Mehdi Mahmoudian, Keyvan Samimi, and Rasoul Bodaghi, who are on hunger strike until Monday, have issued a statement declaring that circumstances in prison are "brutal" and urging the United Nations to send its Special Rapporteur on Human Rights.

1810 GMT: A Death at the Funeral. Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, has declared that activist Haleh Sahabi "created an epic" in her death on Wednesday at the funeral of her father, as she revealed once again the inhumane and un-Islamic behaviour of the regime.

1750 GMT: Politcal Prisoner Watch. The mother of Moh Hossein Sohrabi-Rad, who was given a four-year prison sentence after he revealed the abuses at the Kahrizak detention centre, has broken her silence after 21 months.

1745 GMT: They Love Us Alert. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a Friday Prayer leader in Tehran, has denounced former President Hashemi Rafsanjani for telling the "lie" that the Iranian people have lost confidence in the Islamic republic.

Khatami declared that people have lost confidence in "politicos" like Rafsanjani, not the Iranian system.

1740 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Teacher and blogger Ali Poursoleiman has been arrested while touring in the mountains.

1730 GMT: Bad Music. At least 10 people were reportedly arrested in Salmas in West Azerbaijan yesterday for playing music on the anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini's death.

1650 GMT: Stick With Khamenei...Or Else. Back from weekend break to find Ali Saeedi, the Supreme Leader's representative to the Revolutionary Guards, warning the Iranian people that if they the "Ali zaman" ("Ali of all times"), all curses of Ashura will be upon them.

Saeedi explained that Ayatollah Khamenei is the only link between people and the Hidden Imam. He extended the Supreme Leader's comments on Saturday, saying that the people's turnout on 9 Dey (30 December 2009) and 22 Bahman (11 February 2010) --- which supposedly defeated the post-election opposition --- was "good but not good enough".

0845 GMT: EA staff will be on weekend break for a few hours. We'll be back around 1600 GMT to bring you up-to-date on today's developments.

In the meantime, we thank our readers for bringing in latest news and ideas through the Comments section.

0620 GMT: CyberOpposition. A source from Tehran reports that the attack by the collective Anonymous forced Iran's Foreign Ministry off-line for 24 hours.

Earlier this week Anonymous, which has promised a sustained campaign against the Iranian regime, released more than 100,000 documents from an e-mail server of the Ministry. Most of the material concerned applications for visas to enter Iran.

And from the regime side, this effort --- a new site at www.raheesabz.net (note the extra "e") parodies the opposition's Rah-e Sabz. The regime site, with the exact look of Rah-e-Sabz, declares in an opening statement that the opposition is led by activists who are working with British intelligence services. Thus, the regime site continues, "we're calling for free speech" and "reflecting the correct news".

0615 GMT: Protest Renewed? Opposition advisor Ardeshir Amir Arjomand has said that protests after the demonstration on 12 June (22 Khordad), the second anniversary of the disputed Presidential election, will not be silent.

Arjomand was reacting to criticism from some activists that the 12 June action was far too restrained and would have little impact.

0550 GMT: And so the regime had its big display in Tehran on Saturday commemorating the death of Ayatollah Khomeini. The Supreme Leader issued his declarations proclaiming that the uprisings of the Arab Spring --- except for good --- were very good, as they were inspired by Khomeini, while any uprisings in Iran since the 2009 Presidential election were the work of "the Enemy".

State media gave the appropriate presentations, such as "Leader: Iran backs anti-US movements", with unexpected support from the Enemy outlet, The Los Angeles Times:

Dressed in black, they came by the tens of thousands from near and far, pouring into the streets of southern Tehran and massing at the Khomeini Mausoleum to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic on Saturday.

But this morning, there is the sense that the celebratory moment has come and gone. State news agency Press TV tries to keep up the spirit with statements from Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Hossein Abu Torabi Fard, "Iran Revolution Cause of Global Changes", and Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi, "Islamic Awakening Inspired by Iran".

It all feels anti-climactic, however, as we wait and wonder about the next moment of tension within the Islamic Republic.

Indeed, for activists, the Supreme Leader's speech was already overtaken last night by the story of silent protest at a Tehran religious complex in memory of Haleh Sahabi, who died on Wedneaday after a clash with security forces at the funeral of her father, opposition figure Ezzatollah Sahabi. A "few dozen" people were arrested and some were allegedly beaten as the forces surrounded the complex and tried to dispersed any demonstrators.

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