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| Axis of Evil |
| Iranian rioting... |
| 2002-08-05 |
| These are the dispatches Mac was talking about, up until the time the mullahs pulled the plug. Items have minor editing and grammar corrections, and are presented in blog order. Servers are close to saturation, so be warned if you click through... Regime restricts inbound-outbound calls The Islamic regime has restricted most inbound-outband calls to-from Iran which is creating a lot of difficulties for a constant update and reports. Violent crackdown in south Tehran The Islamic regime forces have started a violent and bloody crackdown in the southern suburbs of Tehran... The regime's special and foreign units have made use of plastic bullets to overcome of the crowd... Many public materials have been destroyed and special Fire Trucks are used to clean streets and remains of tires put on fire to block the accesses of the regime's forces. Regime forces open fire in Esfahan The regime has made use of lethal weapons against groups of partisans who made several ambushes in the narrow streets of Esfahanm, throwing rocks and incendiary devices at their units and vehicles. Several partisans have been reported as wounded. Sources are reporting that these special forces were heard talking in Arabic These reports confirm the use of the Hezbollah mercenaries. Tens of injured and hundreds of arrested in northern parts of Tehran Tens of demonstrators have been injured and several of them seriously wounded by the Islamic regime's Special and Foreign brigades in the northern parts of the Capital. The regime forces attacked demonstrators by beating on whom ever was resisting their injunctions or caught shouting slogans or chanting the "Oh Iran! Oh Land of Jewels". In several areas masked demonstrators threw rocks and incendiary devises at the regime forces. Clashes become more violent in Esfahan Clashes are becoming more violent in Esfahan and numbers of masked youth are fighting with the regime's forces. Rocks and incendiary devises are thrown on regime's forces who have started to shoot plastic bullets. Violent clashes rock the cities of Ghazvin and Gootchan Violent clashes are rocking at this time, (21:00 IR local time), the cities of Ghazvin and Ghootchan, located 1500 KM apart. Thousands of local residents are clashing in the center of these cities with the regime's forces that had, on several occasion, to back off in order to come back with more forces. Numbers of people have been injured and an unconfirmed report is circulating about the lynching of a Lebanese Hezbollah member caught in Ghootchan with a walky talky and a gun. Molotov Coktails and rocks used against the regime's forces in Kardaj Violent clashes are rocking, at this time (20:40 IR local time) the Tehran suburb of Karadj, where hundreds of young are fighting with the regime. Molotov cocktails, rocks and paving stones are used against the regime's forces in Karadj. Several patrol cars have been destroyed so far but there's a huge number of injured. Security forces attack demonstrators in "Baharestan" Reports are stating brutal attacks of the regime's forces against demonstrators who have gathered in the historic "Baharestan" square of Tehran. Clubs are used to beat young and old, woman and man without any pity. Several young demonstrators who were caught while chanting the "Oh Iran! Oh Land of jewels!" and shouted slogans against the regime or tried to intervene to defend others were seen beaten and arrested. Clashes have spread to areas around "Baharestan" as the neighboring areas are full of demonstrators who echoed the banned National Anthem and have started to shout slogans. Sporadic clashes rock Esfahan on "1906 Constitutional Revolution"'s commemoration Sporadic clashes are rocking several areas of Tehran following altercations between the Islamic regime's Security forces and young Freedom lovers who are, often, resisting by ignoring the injunctions to leave the gathering areas of the "N. Tchahr Bagh" and "Tchizar". Several young men and even women, who came to defend them have been beaten so far and arrested. But more and more Freedom Lovers are finding their ways and getting to these areas. Thousands of Tehranis reach the "Baharestan" square Thousands of Tehranis have gathered, at less than half an hour of the deadline, in the historic square of "Baharestan" by ignoring the presence of hundreds of the regime's forces and the ban on the commemoration of the 1906 Constitutional Revolution. This sounds much more like 1956 Budapest than something that'll turn into a successful revolution, but we can always hope and wish them the best... IRNA's got zippo on this. Likewise Teheran Times. Mac's got much more on his site. Pulling the plug and not a word on the wires — not even to claim that small, insignificant, infinitesmal demonstrations were the work of foreign agents provocateurs, indicates that things are somewhat serious. If the Iranians are really lucky — which I hasten to suggest we shouldn't count on by a long shot — the ayatollahs and their spearholders are lining up to board those getaway planes Joe was talking about a month ago. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #3 There's always the chance that significant numbers will go over to the students' side. But they probably also thought they need reinforcements. |
| Posted by: Fred 2002-08-06 06:38:46 |
| #2 It's reporting today that Iran has unrestricted the calls again. One thing I found interesting in the reports was that at least some of the security forces were talking in Arabic. That implies that the Iranian regime doesn't trust it's army and police? |
| Posted by: Kathy K 2002-08-06 05:02:05 |
| #1 The key difference being that in 1956, the Hungarian communist despots standing on the necks of the freedom fighters could count on support in the form of tanks from the soviet union, who had a real army and a burning desire to use it. Just who can the iranian despots count on to back them up? Iraq? Saudi arabia? my guess is all of the 'cousins' are a bit busy right now with their own problems. Anyone got a shortwave? This could get good! |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2002-08-05 20:35:41 |