PARIS (AP) Iranian authorities have arrested 23 journalists and bloggers since post-election protests began a week ago, according to a media watchdog that says reporters are a "priority target" for Iran's leadership. Among those arrested was the head of the Association of Iranian Journalists, Reporters Without Borders said Sunday.
"It's becoming more and more problematic for journalists," said Benoit Hervieu of the Paris-based group, also known by its French acronym RSF.
The group released a list of 23 Iranian journalists, editors and bloggers arrested since June 14, and says it has lost contact with several others believed detained or in hiding. Hervieu said RSF verified each arrest via its network of reporters and activists in Iran. No foreign journalists were on the list.
The reasons behind the detentions remain unclear.
Iran's authorities have long kept a close eye on local and international media operating in the country, and clamped down as protests engulfed Tehran last week over the June 12 presidential election, the biggest challenge to the cleric-led government in 30 years. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the landslide winner, but supporters of reformist challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi say fraud was widespread.
Authorities have banned foreign media from reporting from the street and allow only phone interviews and information from officials sources such as state TV. Many Web sites have been blocked. Iran is particularly sensitive about news reports, blogs and Internet reports in Farsi.
"The regime has been visibly shaken by its own population and does not want to let this perception endure," RSF said in a statement.
The British Broadcasting Corporation's correspondent in Tehran has been ordered to leave the country, a BBC spokesman said on condition of anonymity in line with company policy. The Fars news agency said Sunday that Jon Leyne will have to leave Iran within 24 hours, and that Iranian officials have accused Leyne of "dispatching fabricated news and reports, ignoring neutrality in news, supporting rioters and trampling the Iranian nation's rights."
Ali Mazroui, the head of the Association of Iranian Journalists, was arrested Sunday morning, RSF said.
Overnight, husband-and-wife Bahaman Ahamadi Amoee and Jila Baniyaghoob were arrested by plainclothes officers who searched their home, RSF said. Baniyaghoob edits a news Web site that focuses on women's rights, and her husband writes for various pro-reform publications.
Also detained is Mohammad Ghochani, editor of Etemad Meli, owned by opposition presidential candidate Mehdi Karoubi.
Others detained include a blogger known as the "Blogging Mullah," a cartoonist, a TV producer, the publisher of several newspapers, a disabled former newspaper editor and a business reporter.
Nakhle Elhage, news director at Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television network, said authorities told them their activities have been suspended until further notice but did not ask their resident correspondent Diaa al-Nasseri an Iraqi to leave.
Last Sunday, Al Arabiya in Tehran was told by the authorities to suspend their activities for one week.
RSF says that, even before the election, Iran held more journalists and cyber-dissidents in jails than any other country in the Middle East.
Hervieu said blogs, Twitter, YouTube and other Internet methods are the only way most people can convey information from the street. But the use of anonymity by blog posters trying to avoid repercussions makes information difficult to verify. Many of those posting "are both spectators and activists," blurring lines of impartiality, he said.
He said small digital cameras passed from activist to activist and then to a foreign colleague or news organization are helping spread images, though their provenance is not always clear.
He noted the example of the much-viewed amateur video on YouTube, showing dozens of Iranians running down a street and shouting "Allahu Akbar" after police fired tear gas.
AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll said last week that, when controls are imposed, "we work with those restrictions, keeping in mind our ultimate goal is to be able to do our jobs as journalists," she said.
Reporters were also restricted during the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which saw the installation of the Islamic regime in power today.
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#1
I can understand why Obama is so quiet. This is how elections are normally run in Cook County and other parts of Illinois, just without the obvious violence.
#2
With Obambi its all about Image. So he won't make any kind of strong statement until he's sure the side he picks is going to be the winning one - preferably after the victory is achieved.
Long piece from Tehran Bureau on Ali Ardeshir Larijani, speaker of the Iranian parliament, well known to Rantburg, and long-time hardliner of the 1979 revolution. Worth the read.
An eerie calm settled over the streets of Tehran Sunday as state media reported at least 10 more deaths in post-election unrest and said authorities arrested the daughter and four other relatives of ex-President Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of Iran's most powerful men.
The reports brought the official death toll for a week of boisterous confrontations to at least 17. State television inside Iran said 10 were killed and 100 injured in clashes Saturday between demonstrators contesting the result of the June 12 election and black-clad police wielding truncheons, tear gas and water cannons.
Police and members of Iran's Basij militia took up positions Sunday afternoon on major streets and squares, including the site of Saturday's clashes, but there was no immediate word on whether protesters were gathering.
The New-York based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said scores of injured demonstrators who had sought medical treatment after Saturday's clashes were arrested by security forces at hospitals in the capital. It said doctors had been ordered to report protest-related injuries to the authorities, and that some seriously injured protesters had sought refuge at foreign embassies in a bid to evade arrest. "The arrest of citizens seeking care for wounds suffered at the hands of security forces when they attempted to exercise rights guaranteed under their own constitution and international law is deplorable," said Hadi Ghaemi, spokesman for the campaign.
A police commander sharpened the message Saturday. Gen. Esmaeil Ahmadi Moghadam said more than a week of unrest and marches had become "exhausting, bothersome and intolerable." He threatened a more "serious confrontation" if protesters return.
On Sunday, former reformist president Mohammad Khatami called for the formation of a board to decide the outcome of the disputed election, and urged the release of detained activists and an end to the violence in the streets.
Iranian state television says authorities have arrested the daughter of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani together with four other family members for taking part in unauthorized protest rallies. The arrests were made late Saturday. Sunday's report by Iran's official English language TV does not identify the four other family members or give more details.
State TV has shown pictures of Faezeh Hashemi, Rafsanjani's eldest daughter, speaking to hundreds of opposition supporters last week. Rafsanjani has made no secret of his distaste for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose re-election victory in a June 12 vote was disputed by opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Ahmadinejad has accused Rafsanjani and his family of corruption.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/21/2009 11:29 ||
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Both tit and tat are archaic words meaning 'a light blow'. The entire expression thus means 'a blow for a blow', like 'an eye for an eye'. Both words were used as verbs, too: a popular song of the late sixteenth century had a refrain, "Come tit me, come tat me,/Come throw a kiss at me."
These words are probably of imitative origin, with a vowel variation found in other words expressing striking such as tip and tap or pit-a-pat. The tit is not related to other tit words, such as the ones (each of independent origin) meaning 'a small bird' (e.g. "titmouse"), 'a breast', or the first element of "tit-bit" (in America usually euphemized to "tid-bit," but not related to the 'breast' word).
The phrase tit for tat is first found in the sixteenth century. It is probably a variant of tip for tap, of similar origin but found a century earlier. The tip in this earlier phrase is the same word as in the baseball expression "a foul tip."
"If a day comes when the world of Islam is duly equipped with the arms Israel has in possession, the strategy of colonialism would face a stalemate because application of an atomic bomb would not leave any thing in Israel but the same thing would just produce damages in the Muslim world"
Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani December 2001
I would certainly welcome a successful overthrow of the Islamic Republic by the Iranian people.
The possibility remains however that all of this is just a power grab by one faction of the politburo Mullahs at the expense of another faction.
Mousavi et al don't deny the Holocaust of the 1930s and 40s, they just want to complete it.
Let's hope for the best but let's also be cautious and be prepared for the worst!
#1
Yah, and the Ayatollahs halted the Friday "death to america" chants at Teheran U, for 1 week. The next week: back to normal.
Posted by: Uloluns Scourge of the Bunions1692 ||
06/21/2009 4:55 Comments ||
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#2
That was still more than almost all the rest of the Islamic world.
And...strangely enough, considering all that has gone on between us and Iran, there were more condolence messages and pages from Iran after September 11 than there were from most of our "allies".
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Saturday challenged Iran's government to halt a "violent and unjust" crackdown on dissenters, using his bluntest language yet to condemn Tehran's postelection response.
Obama has sought a measured reaction to avoid being drawn in as a meddler in Iranian affairs.
No; 1) he doesn't know what to do 2) he doesn't want to sound like George Bush 3) he'd rather work on health care 'reform' and 4) speaking out on Iran doesn't give him a chance to apologize for how evil America is.
We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people," Obama said in a written statement. "The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights."
A written statement. Great. How about a televised statement from the Rose Garden? With the teleprompter and everything. Wear a green tie. That would send a message.
Obama has flailed searched for the right tone in light of political pressures on all sides. On Capitol Hill, Congress pressed him to condemn the Iranian government's response. In Iran, the leadership was poised to blame the U.S. for interference and draw Obama in more directly.
"Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away," the president said, recalling a theme from the speech he gave in Cairo, Egypt, this month.
"The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government," Obama said. "If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion."
Is there a reason why he couldn't have said this earlier in the week?
Obama's comments came as protesters outside the White House waved Iranian flags and denounced Iranian government efforts to suppress the protesters.
The protesters are going to remember the Basiji. They're going to remember who beat them and shot them. They're also going to remember who stood with them and who didn't. We need to be remembered as people who stood with them.
Obama's criticism came one day after both houses of Congress voted overwhelmingly to condemn the actions by the Iranian government against demonstrators and moves to interfere with Internet and cell phone communications. That was seen in part as a veiled criticism of Obama's response, too.
The president already was on record as saying the United States stood behind those who were seeking justice in a peaceful way. He responded to critics that he hadn't been forceful enough in support of protesters, telling CBS News: "The last thing that I want to do is to have the United States be a foil for those forces inside Iran who would love nothing better than to make this an argument about the United States. That's what they do."
But you got blamed anyway. Playing defense doesn't work when dealing with thugs. Get out in front. Play offense. Put some heat on them. Maybe they'll crack and the protesters will win.
The president returned Saturday to his theme that the world is watching the way the Iranian government responds. Obama cited Martin Luther King's statement that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
"I believe that," the president said. "The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian people's belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness."
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/21/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Why can't I just eat my French Vanilla ice cream?
#4
It's the Superfecta folks. No Chalk-eaters on this one folks. All play ends in five minutes, thats five minutes. Get your beer and ice cream after your play.... that's four minutes remaining. These ponies are HOT!
#5
This doesn't fit the leftist narrative (protests should only be against America or Israel) and it is very confusing for him.
Posted by: Lord garth ||
06/21/2009 8:03 Comments ||
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#6
Yeah, he sorta messed up with that Great Satan thingy for which he's been apologizing for on every trip abroad. The events don't match the meme. Which is why the Joe the Plumber event derailed him for a bit till his attack machine could overwhelm the information flow.
In short you want Obama to say exactly what the Iranian regime had to LIE about what he said.
Why are you people such big lovers of the Iranian regime that you want to give them exactly what they want?
The Iranians hate American meddling. If you want the Iranians to overthrow their dictator, DON'T MEDDLE.
The Islamofascists gained power as a response to the America-supported Shah.
The very Basij who are killing people now, got power in response to the American-supported war of Saddam Hussein in the 1980s.
If you didn't keep meddling, the Iranian people would have overthrown their dictators 15 years ago.
STOP MEDDLING. STOP "PLAYING OFFENSE" WHICH KEEPS GIVING THE IRANIAN REGIME EXACTLY WHAT IT WANTS.
Obama acted sanely here. Follow his example, and keep your paws off Iran.
#8
Ok, 'burgers....in regards to Punky, is he/she/it an Obamabot (complete with kneepads), someone with a "I -Heart- Basijis and Dinnerjacket gets me hot" poster on the wall, or both?
#10
If Iran doesn't like our 'meddling' why then are they sending arms and ammunition to kill people (civilian and military) in Iraq? Not to mention the annihilation of Israel and the murder of all Jews? What about their 'meddling' in the states of Lebannon and Israel (and Syria for that matter)?
Sorry but you can't have it both ways. We have been, defacto, in an undeclared war with the GOVERNMENT of Iran for several years now.
Note I said Government - not the People of Iran - who have little, if any, say in their government. (And I wouldn't try that 'Iran is a democracy' BS here...)
#11
Punky, please answer honestly the following question:
In the current confrontation between the people and the ruling regime in Iran, whose side are you on?
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/21/2009 10:40 Comments ||
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#12
Punky claims: If you didn't keep meddling, the Iranian people would have overthrown their dictators 15 years ago.
Really? How, exactly? Have you seen who has the guns and the nightsticks? Who has the nasty hard boyz who are willing to use them?
And if the people had tried to overthrow the regime fifteen years, ago, that would have been 1994. Bill Clinton was president then. What would you have expected him to say and do?
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/21/2009 10:42 Comments ||
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#13
There is a mandatory moral dimension to being President of the United States. We, as an exceptional nation, are on the side of Liberty. Or at least we used to be (exceptional, liberty) until recently.
Reagan understood this innately, and used his words to that effect, to support Solidarity, etc. "Mr Gorbachev, Tear down this wall".
Surely as glib a fellow as Obumble can find the right words and present them well from his telepromper.
#14
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
#15
Let every business nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill ,which Rahm keeps a close eye on, believe me, that we shall force it to pay any tax price, bear any regulatory burden, meet any goal for campaign contributions hardship, support any Democratic candidate friend, oppose any Republican candidate, especially Sarah Palin foe to assure the survival and the success of the Chicago Way liberty.
Barack Obama, 2009
Posted by: Matt ||
06/21/2009 12:14 Comments ||
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#16
Don't blame Barry, he was simply once again caught..... "unaware."
Barack Obama, through his spokesman, claimed that he was unaware of the tax day tea parties.
Granted, the MSM has done a good job in suppressing any sort of coverage ahead of time (and the little coverage they did provide was derisive at best) but how out of touch is the Community Organizer in Chief, really?
This much:
- He was unaware that his Presidential plane was used during a photo op joy ride, costing taxpayers $329,000, flew over New York, being pursued by an F-16 fighter, terrorizing thousands of American citizens.
- He was unaware that he was attending a church (for 20 years) with a racist pastor who hates America.
- He was unaware that he was family friends with, and started his political career in the living room of, a domestic terrorist.
- He was unaware that he had invested in two speculative companies backed by some of his top donors right after taking office in 2005.
- He was unaware that his own aunt was living in the US illegally.
- He was unaware that his own brother lives on pennies a day in a hut in Kenya.
- He was unaware of the AIG bonuses that he and his administration approved and signed into a bill.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be his Secretary of Commerce was under investigation in a bribery scandal.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services was a tax cheat.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be his Secretary of the Treasury was a tax cheat.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be the U.S. Trade Representative was a tax cheat.
- He was unaware that the woman he nominated to be his Chief Performance Officer was a tax cheat.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be #2 at the Environmental Protection Agency was under investigation for mismanaging $25 million in EPA grants.
For the love of God, there are people in comas that are more aware of world affairs than this guy.
#18
I'm with the Iranian people, Steve. Khameini is a theocratic fascist, Ahmadinejad a genocidal fascist, and Moussavi himself is not much better (he supported the fatwah against Rushdie, and he's one of the founders of Hezbollah)
But the Iranian people are currently using Moussavi to promote their own desire for freedom, and I'm with the Iranian people.
"Hey Punky, we have not touched a thing in Iran since Carter was president"
Iran-Iraq war. You supported Iraq in a war against Iran. This solidified the legitimacy of Iranian regime, of Iranian anti-Westernism, and besides the deaths it caused then, it helped created some of the most horrible mechanisms for oppression (e.g the Basij), mechanisms that are used today.
What you won't understand is that a nation that's being invaded, or a nation under imminent threat of invasion, won't rebel against the current regime. The regime uses that threat to legitimize itself.
What we're seeing now, under Obama, are the first significant protests since the July 1999 student protests -- under CLINTON.
In between the two, came the brilliance of George W. Bush, who kept threatening to invade Iran -- result? No significant protests during *Bush's* years.
That's why I said "15 years ago". Remove the stupid Reagan years with his Iran-Contra and his support of Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war. Remove the stupid Bush years with his own threats of invasion. The events we're seeing now, we'd be normally seeing 15 years ago.
I'll grant you they might have failed then, same as they seem likely to fail now. But the regime would have been delegitimized that much sooner. Instead you kept boosting the Iranian regime's legitimacy through the Reagan and Dubya years -- by either supporting or threatening attacks on the Iranian people.
#19
Punky: Iran-Iraq war. You supported Iraq in a war against Iran.
Yeah, sorta the way we supported Stalin in World War II. We gave Iraq limited intel so that they could stop Iran from reaching the Shatt-al-Arab. Sometimes you don't get to pick the cleanest side in a fight.
Good to know you're with the Iranian people.
As to Bush and the 'intervening years', Bush had it right: he supported the Iranian people also, and he said so loudly. That the Mad Mullahs used his words to try and build support for themselves at home is irrelevant: they've used America as their stalking horse and have done so regardless of who was President.
Did you notice how the Mad Mullahs slacked off the America-hating when Obama became President? No, me neither.
Your idea that we would have had this revolution sooner if only America had kept quiet is a fallacy -- it's the sort of 'realpolitik' that keeps us from what we should be doing, which is to support liberty, human rights and democracy loudly. Always. And damn the thugs and dictators who try to use us to build support at home.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/21/2009 13:59 Comments ||
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#20
"we would have had this revolution sooner if only America had kept quiet">
More Jeremiah Wright and Barry Soetoro "Hate America" drivel. Please don't buy any.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
06/21/2009 17:48 Comments ||
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#25
What you won't understand is that a nation that's being invaded, or a nation under imminent threat of invasion, won't rebel against the current regime. The regime uses that threat to legitimize itself.
How come this threat always works in the mullah's favor if we're the ones fighting them but it never works against the mullahs when they have a bunch of syrians cracking heads?
#26
"Yeah, sorta the way we supported Stalin in World War II."
Since Saddam was the one who invaded Iran, it's more like if you had supported Hitler against Stalin instead.
But if it makes you better, I rechecked the timeline and this sin was initiated by *Carter's* first green-lighting the Iraqi attack on Iran.
Perhaps you'll find it easier to consider it a horrible crime if you know that it was Carter who first committed it, and Reagan merely continued it.
"Yeah, winning the cold war was no biggie, eh? "
Reagan's administration was fine where the Cold War was concerned. It was absolutely horrible where the Middle-east was concerned, supporting Iraq and equipping Iran, and helping two bloody dictatorships spill the blood of their young people.
Honestly, us not nuking Iran in 1979 is the real problem here. I forget who said it, but I really liked the sentiment. This is paraphrased, "Every so often, the US needs to pick some small country up and throw it against the wall, just to keep the rest of the world in line."
Honestly, thanks to the slowly diminishing spines of our leaders, people no longer fear the US as they should and we're eroding away the morality that makes people turn to us for aid and comfort when evil is afoot. We should get back into stomping evil, instead of running about, whining that people can like us now. I don't want the world to like us. Respect, fear, and loyalty I'll take though.
#29
You do notice how he continually drags things oiff topic, refuses to address the iusses at hand, dodges and weasels, etc. Typical techniques of a propagandist, not someone who is honestly attempting to actually argue the points. I say cage him and drop in into the crap pile from which he came.
Posted by: ||
06/21/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Please take care of the posts you make as so not to endanger them more. Just sayin. You probably know more than me but I do not want to endanger the precious information that gets out. Nor the Humans behind it.
#2
Ahmadinejad OWNS the bureaucracy. They fixed the election for him. They are murdering innocents on Iran's streets. They have the power to put down any rebellion.
If Obamapology insists on referring to alleged US/UK intervention moves against Iran during the Cold War, then Iran's opposition will have to look elsewhere for support. This is 2009 and not 1953. And it certainly isn't 1859.
Posted by: Uloluns Scourge of the Bunions1692 ||
06/21/2009 5:00 Comments ||
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#4
What can be certain is that people are going to die. "Nothing except a battle lost can be half as melancholy as a battle won" - attributed to the Duke of Wellington. It's heartening to see that there are people in the world still willing to pay the price for real democracy and freedom rather than exist for a handout, a kickback, or political payoff.
#5
Another thing that is certain is that the real revolution here is in the media. With Green Helmet Guy the MSM lost all credibility but still had a strangle hold on sources. Now they have lost control of sources. This is a major shift of power from the center to the people. It will be more and more difficult to run black or white propaganda efforts. The only ones with the resources to do it are the Chinese. And the MSM will become aggregators, their only value being their ability to vet sources and flash cleavage on broadcast channels.
#6
Muggsy Tholusing5770 (if that's your REAL name!)...excellent comment, and very insightful. The MSM had already lost virtually all credibility, and now they've lost the last shreds of their monopoly on "news".
#7
Muggsy has it right. The MSM right now is following Twitter feeds just like everyone else. The photos they run are the same ones off the web, taken by ordinary people with cell phone cameras.
The news is being truly democratized. I'm guessing 99% of the MSM hasn't figured that out yet, and the 1% that has is trying to figure out either how to put the genie back into the bottle or how to use it to their advantage.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/21/2009 10:44 Comments ||
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#8
Muggsy___
Don't understimate the power of a well placed cleavage.
#9
MSM, FOX, and the rest of our "News" agencis are now entertainment and sources for slander. When people want the truth, not debate or lies, they go where they can trust the information. Now it seems Twitter is that place. The bright side to this is the American people seem to want the truth here, not some silicon enhanced beauty queen or viseral MSM hate monger. All the networks need to take note here, fire all the current talking heads and management and place some ethics in reporting or go down in history as falling to a blog called twitter....
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/21/2009 12:35 Comments ||
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#11
ION FREEREPUBLIC > AL QAEDA SAYS IT WOULD USE PAKISTANI NUCLEAR WEAPONS, agz US = US Interests iff it ever got it hands on 'em.
ALso on FREEP > seems JIMBO CARTER may had escaped an ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT during his covert/secret confab wid HAMAS, etc. Palestinian Leaders, courtesy of a really Realy R-E-A-L-L-Y REEEEEEEELLLLLLYYY BIG BOMB???
#12
I was at the Ketchikan, Alaska airport for 7 hours on Friday night. CNN was running all kinds of Iran coverage, but there was NOTHING about what was really happening, stuff like the following was missing:
*The candidates run are at the pleasure of the Mullahs.
*The mullahs hold the power.
*Who really sets policy in Iran.
*What is happening in the countryside, not just in Teheran?
Basically, the coverage is just shallow crap about people confronting the police, paramilitaries, etc. Nothing of substance. I have not watched CNN for a long time, and now I know why.
Posted by: Alaska Paul back home ||
06/21/2009 19:06 Comments ||
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#13
CNN and the MSM have their agenda; it doesn't have much to do with reporting or the truth.
#14
If Obamapology insists on referring to alleged US/UK intervention moves against Iran during the Cold War
Iran wouldn't exist except for US/UK cold war intervention. Russia occupied the northern third after WW2 and only left when the US/UK threatened war to kick them out. At the time the USA had the atomic bomb and the USSR didn't. So they complied.
#2
Arab speaking thugs have apparently been shipped into Tehran (possibly Paleo or Hizbollah) to reinforce local police and the military who appear somewhat sympathetic. The out-of-town gang will relying on addresses and street signs. Moving the signs around a bit worked for the French in WWII.
RT @MarkSonar Spread word.Basij can't round up wounded at Embassies,are not allowed to enter.Geneva Convention applies. #iranelection #gr88
27 minutes ago from TweetDeck
#3
gromky -- I'll take a try at what this means -- We Americans, as Lone Ranger stated, after the Iranians held our Embassy personnel for 444 days, are not sure that the Iranian government cares about the sovereignty of foreign Embassies ---
With that in mind, this Tweet (Twitter) is telling those wounded by the brutality of this government, to get to an Embassy, any country's Embassy --- there are dozens of Embassies in Tehran -- some will be helpful, taking in the wounded. Smart move as there are countires willing to help.
The Iranian gov't will need lots of riot control forces, etc, to cover all those Embassies. They took one once, a powerful one, granted, but it will put their butal forces to task to take over dozens. And even more forces to keep wounded Iranians from entering an Embassy and get out those already inside, seeking asylum.
With the Embassies helping, they are showing a face of freedom, willing to help the Iranian people in their quest of "Let freedom reign."
Here's hoping your question was just a "Rantburg Snark," seeking the honor of "Snark of the Day."
#6
gromky, you mean that your posts here are signed with your real name? ;)
That being said....there have also been reports that the Basij have been arresting people who show up at the hospitals to be treated for their injuries.
I wonder how safe the embassy option is, too, especially considering that Dinnerjacket was one of the leaders of the American Embassy takeover (if my memory serves me correctly.)
#7
Gromky, this is more like the intel intercepts certain US agencies get than anything you are likely to see.
We are very fortunate that info like this is getting out. It presents the really valuable stuff: what is in the minds of the rebels, and what they think they know.
Its the fragments like this that form the mosaic for good intelligence analysts, and some of these may end up being key puzzle pieces when compared to the really juicy stuff (Intercepts fo the government forces).
And, by the way, this is a pretty significant piece of info. It fits with and gives credibility to the "RUMINT" that claim the Baseej are taking wounded from the regular hospitals and executing them.
#8
OldSpook: the Basiji are indeed grabbing wounded protesters from hospitals. That was confirmed by a Canadian journalist.
There was, on IRANELECTION#, a list of embassies that were sheltering wounded protesters. The list was complete with addresses so that protesters would know exactly where to go.
I suspect the embassies will patch them up and then try to slip them out the back door.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/21/2009 10:50 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Iranian President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has thanked the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei for his comments at Tehran's Friday prayers.
"I sincerely extend my gratitude to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei over his historic and epoch-making presence as well as helpful remarks at Tehran's Friday prayers," the letter read.
It added, "Doubtless you have hoisted the Iranian nation's flag of glory and awareness before the arrogant powers. National accord, unity and esteem, are of paramount significance to national interests ... unconditional exercise of justice, reciprocal nation-government trust and collective determination aimed at resolving obstacles to the country's progress are all public demands that were crystallized in your constructive comments."
Addressing the Friday prayers congregation Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei stated that the Guardian Council, the body accountable for monitoring the election, will investigate the complaints of the presidential contenders who are disgruntled with the election results.
The Leader also underlined that the Islamic Republic establishment would never surrender to illegitimate initiatives and called upon all presidential nominees to remedy their grievances through legal means. He also ordered that protests against the country's presidential election results must end and said that the responsible political leaders will be held accountable for any violence.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
06/21/2009 00:00 ||
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[11136 views]
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#1
In other news, Charley Macarthy has expressed deep satisfaction and gratitude to Edgar Bergen for their long and fruitful business relationship.
[Bangla Daily Star] One of the organisers of a mass rally in Tehran backed down yesterday after authorities threatened a harsh response, but it was unclear if people would stay away as riot police were deploying onto the streets. The reformist Combatant Clerics Assembly said "permission was asked to hold a rally, but since it has not been issued, there will be no rally held."
But an aide to defeated candidate Mehdi Karroubi, who had earlier said his supporters planned to go ahead with a rally, later said he was unsure whether they would demonstrate or not.
The interior ministry said no rally anywhere in the country was authorised and warned that "those who violate this will be confronted according to the law."
At the same time, police said the organisers of any future rallies would be arrested, with the police chief saying firm action would be taken against any demonstration.
Following those warnings, witnesses said hundreds of riot police were deploying to Enghelab Square, where the rally was to have taken place. An aide to Karroubi had told AFP early on Saturday that a rally would be held at 4:00 pm (1130 GMT), but an hour beforehand there were no reports of any people massing to demonstrate.
Early on Saturday afternoon, Mousavi's newspaper website said he would soon make an "important" announcement, but did not elaborate. However, powerful former president and Mousavi supporter Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani denied reports that he too was to issue a statement.
Mousavi was singled out by the head of Iran's security council on Saturday for a specific warning.
"Your national duty tells you to refrain from provoking illegal gatherings," Abbas Mohtaj, who is also deputy interior minister, said in a letter to him. "Should you provoke and call for these illegal rallies you will be responsible for the consequences," he said.
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Posted by: Fred ||
06/21/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] A military court in Lebanon has convicted eight people over a plot to attack the United Nation's peace keepers in the southern regions of the country.
Five of those tried were in custody and were each sentenced to three years in prison. The other three, who remain at large, were tried in absentia and were given life sentences on Friday, an official speaking on condition of anonymity told AP.
Ever since deployment the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has come under several attacks in the deadliest of which, six Spanish troops were killed in a car bomb blast in June 2007.
The attacks are usually not claimed by any group; however, al-Qaeda number two, Ayman al-Zawahri, has praised a number of the incidents.
In an audio message in 2008, Zawahri called on the extremists to fight "the invading Crusaders who pretend to be peacekeeping forces in Lebanon."
He also denounced the UNSC Resolution 1701, which was released to end the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon which was repelled by Hezbollah in 33 days.
The resolution also called for the peacekeeping force to be deployed in southern Lebanon to prevent further attacks by Israel. Currently there are some 13,000 international troops stationed along the border in Lebanon.
The eight convicted on Friday were also found guilty of establishing an armed group aimed at weakening the Beirut government, as well as transporting military arms and explosives and training to carry out terror attacks, the court official said.
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06/21/2009 00:00 ||
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[Mail and Globe] A suicide bomber blew himself up at the mausoleum of the father of Iran's revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, state media said on Saturday, in an attack coinciding with more unrest over a disputed presidential vote.
"A few minutes ago a suicide bomber exploded himself in the shrine," police official Hossein Sajedinia was quoted by the semi-official Mehr news agency as saying.
Press TV said the attacker died and eight people were injured. It said the attack took place at the northern entrance to the Imam Khomeini shrine.
Supporters of defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi set on fire a building in southern Tehran used by backers of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a witness said.
The witness also said police shot into the air to disperse rival supporters in Tehran's south Karegar street.
Elsewhere in Tehran, riot police deployed in force, firing teargas, batons and water cannons to disperse protesters defying a ban on demonstrations, state media said.
Witnesses said 2 000 to 3 000 people had gathered, far fewer than the hundreds of thousands involved in earlier rallies. The reported attack on Khomeini's mausoleum seemed likely to stir outrage among Iranians who deeply revere the Shi'ite cleric who led the 1979 revolution that toppled the United States-backed shah.
The past week of protests have been the most widespread expression of anti-government feeling since the revolution.
Iran's highest legislative body said it was ready to recount a random 10% of the votes cast in the June 12 poll to meet the complaints of Mousavi and two other candidates who lost to Ahmadinejad.
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Posted by: Fred ||
06/21/2009 00:00 ||
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Police officers used sticks and tear gas to force back thousands of demonstrators under plumes of black smoke in the capital on Saturday, a day after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said there would be "bloodshed" if street protests continued over the disputed presidential election.
The violence unfolded on a day of extraordinary tension across Iran. The opposition leader, Mir Hussein Moussavi, appeared at a demonstration in southern Tehran and called for a general strike if he were to be arrested. "I am ready for martyrdom," he told supporters.
Mr. Moussavi again called for nullifying the election's results, and opposition protesters swore to continue pressing their claims of a stolen election against Iran's embattled and increasingly impatient clerical leadership in Iran's worst crisis since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In Washington, President Obama called the government's reaction "violent and unjust," and, quoting Martin Luther King Jr., warned again that the world was watching what happened in Tehran.
Iran's divisions played out on the streets. Regular security forces stood back and urged protesters to go home to avoid bloodshed, while the feared pro-government militia, the Basij, beat protesters with clubs and, witnesses said, electric prods.
In some places, the protesters pushed back, rushing the militia in teams of hundreds: At least three Basijis were pitched from their motorcycles, which were then set on fire. The protesters included many women, some of whom berated as "cowards" men who fled the Basijis. There appeared to be tens of thousands of protesters in Tehran, far fewer than the mass demonstrations early last week, most likely because of intimidation.
The street violence appeared to grow more intense as night fell, and there were unconfirmed reports of multiple deaths. A BBC journalist at Enghelab (Revolution) Square reported seeing one person shot by the security forces. An amateur video posted on YouTube showed a woman bleeding to death after being shot by a Basiji, the text posted with the video said.
"If they open fire on people and if there is bloodshed, people will get angrier," said a protester, Ali, 40. "They are out of their minds if they think with bloodshed they can crush the movement."
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Update | 4:54 p.m. New York Times Op-Ed columnist Roger Cohen was out on Tehran's streets on Saturday and has filed this account of what he witnessed. Here is some of what he reports:
I don't know where this uprising is leading. I do know some police units are wavering. That commander talking about his family was not alone. There were other policemen complaining about the unruly Basij. Some security forces just stood and watched. "All together, all together, don't be scared," the crowd shouted.
I also know that Iran's women stand in the vanguard. For days now, I've seen them urging less courageous men on. I've seen them get beaten and return to the fray. "Why are you sitting there?" one shouted at a couple of men perched on the sidewalk on Saturday. "Get up! Get up!"
Another green-eyed woman, Mahin, aged 52, staggered into an alley clutching her face and in tears. Then, against the urging of those around her, she limped back into the crowd moving west toward Freedom Square. Cries of "Death to the dictator!" and "We want liberty!" accompanied her.
There were people of all ages. I saw an old man on crutches, middle-aged office workers and bands of teenagers. Unlike the student revolts of 2003 and 1999, this movement is broad. [...]
Later, we moved north, tentatively, watching police lash out from time to time, reaching Victory Square where a pitched battle was in progress. Young men were breaking bricks and stones to the right size for hurling. Crowds gathered on overpasses, filming and cheering the protesters. A car burst into flames. Back and forth the crowd surged, confronted by less-than-convincing police units.
I looked up through the smoke and saw a poster of the stern visage of Khomeini above the words, "Islam is the religion of freedom."
Later, as night fell over the tumultuous capital, from rooftops across the city, the defiant sound of "Allah-u-Akbar" -- "God is Great" -- went up yet again, as it has every night since the fraudulent election, but on Saturday it seemed stronger.
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#1
One wonders if they moved some personnel from securing nuclear installations to dealing with riots?
TEHRAN -- In a statement issued on Saturday the Assembly of Experts expressed its "strong support" for the Supreme Leader's statements on the presidential elections on Friday. The 86-member assembly stated in the statement that it is hoped that the nation would realize the current condition and by sticking to the Leader's guidelines preserve their patience and manifest their unity.
The Qom Seminary Teachers Society also issued a statement on Saturday declaring strong support for the guidelines of the Supreme Leader. "The Qom Seminary Teachers Society... announces its strong support for his valuable guidelines and invites all (groupings) to maintain unity, abide by the law, and refrain from any action which leads to tension," the statement said.
Addressing hundreds of thousands of people at the most recent Friday prayers in Tehran, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei urged all groupings to end their street protests and to pursue their complaints through legal channels. Ayatollah Khamenei said the time for rivalry is over and everyone should unite and line up behind the president-elect.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
06/21/2009 00:00 ||
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TEHRAN, Iran -- Thousands of protesters defied Iran's highest authority Saturday and marched on waiting security forces that fought back with baton charges, tear gas and water cannons as the crisis over disputed elections lurched into volatile new ground.
In a separate incident, a state-run television channel reported that a suicide bombing at the shrine of the Islamic Revolution leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini killed at least two people and wounded eight. The report could be not independently evaluated due to government restrictions on journalists. If proven true, the reports could enrage conservatives and bring strains among backers of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. Another state channel broadcast images of broken glass but no other damage or casualties, and showed a witness saying three people had been wounded.
The extent of injuries in the street battles also was unclear. Some witnesses said dozens were hurt and gunfire was heard.
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Posted by: Frozen Al ||
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#1
niacblog is on it like a fly on democrat.
I remember Mousavi from when 30,000 dissidents (protesters) were killed.
Strange to see him on the flip side. He signals good intel for concilitory work.
I just hope those blessed people can wipe out the whole regime. Less to toss and turn about at night. Iranians are smart as all damnit and deserve that country as a real operating force in the world. These regimes have brought them nothing.
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[Bangla Daily Star] One of the organisers of a mass rally in Tehran backed down yesterday after authorities threatened a harsh response, but it was unclear if people would stay away as riot police were deploying onto the streets. The reformist Combatant Clerics Assembly said "permission was asked to hold a rally, but since it has not been issued, there will be no rally held."
Police officers used sticks and tear gas to force back thousands of demonstrators under plumes of black smoke in the capital on Saturday, a day after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said there would be "bloodshed" if street protests continued over the disputed presidential election.
I don't know where this uprising is leading. I do know some police units are wavering. That commander talking about his family was not alone. There were other policemen complaining about the unruly Basij. Some security forces just stood and watched. "All together, all together, don't be scared," the crowd shouted.
TEHRAN -- In a statement issued on Saturday the Assembly of Experts expressed its "strong support" for the Supreme Leader's statements on the presidential elections on Friday. The 86-member assembly stated in the statement that it is hoped that the nation would realize the current condition and by sticking to the Leader's guidelines preserve their patience and manifest their unity.
