Kadivar on Current Crisis

Commeration of 40 Days since the Passing of Montazeri

It has been 40 days since the passing of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri and shops in his hometown of Najaf-Abad were closed to commemorate the occasion.

Feruary 11th

February 11th is approaching with massive protests planned for through the country. It has been some what slow with major developments coming out of Iran.

The Green movement seems to be building up to this day which marks the anniversary of the creation of the Islamic Republic and the victory of the Revolution. Some talk has been made of certain statements made by Karroubi that he accepts the government, but he was misquoted and still views the government as illegitimate.

Stay tuned and we must wait and see what February 11th will bring us.

Neda's Birthday

On this Birthday on the martyr Neda, we celebrate her life and the lives of all the other martyrs:

Yazdi in Poor Health

Here is the story:

Friends and relatives of Dr. Ebrahim Yazdi have expressed concern over the state of his health and have appealed to international organizations for help in his release.

Based on the reports of a Jaras reporter from Tehran, Yazdi, a member of the Islamic Revolution Council , has been spotted in prison attire and with a very dire physical appearance in the revolutionary court in Moalem street early last week. He had been brought there in order to extend his temporary arrest warrant. Additionally, last week the family of this foreign minister of post-revolution Iran’s Interim Government was asked to bring him medicine and personal hygiene items. Dr. Yazdi is 79 years old and suffers from several diseases; he traveled abroad to undergo chemotherapy treatment a couple of years ago and had a surgical operation a few months ago.

Yazdi’s family and friends are seriously concerned for his health. A member of the Freedom Movement of Iran who wished to remain anonymous told the Jaras reporter: “We plead to all those who care about humanity and human rights organizations to help free our leader from prison so he can proceed with his medical treatment. His life is in danger”. Dr. Yazdi was arrested for the third time during the past year at his personal residence in Tehran at 3AM on the 28th of December 2009 (the day after the bloody Ashura protests ) by officials of the Intelligence Ministry.

The Iranian government has completely prohibited all political activities of the oldest Islamic political party in Iran since two weeks ago in an act that is against the Iranian constitution. They have also arrested several of it’s members and even some family family members of the party leaders. Yazdi was also arrested during the aftermath of the presidential elections last year, for 72 hours while he was hospitalized. some say that he is the oldest prisoner in Iran.

Beheshti Suffers a Heart Attack

Here is the story and a translation from Mousavi's Facebook:

Alireza Beheshti, Mir Hossein Mousavi’s top advisor and son of Martyr Ayatollah Beheshti who was illegally arrested for the second time few weeks ago, has suffered from a heart attack in prison this morning. In the past few days Alireza Beheshti has had severe flu but this did not stop the authorities to take him to the court in pyjamas and slippers where according to reports he was waiting to be interrogated for long time.

Dr. Beheshti, the son of the founder of judiciary system in Iran after the revolution, was arrested 3 weeks ago while teaching in the university and during this time he was dined all his legal rights and was not even able to meet with his lawyer and family!

The Next Big Thing

So I am back, but I am going to be busy over the next few months and so I will post less often. However, the next big thing is going to be on February 21 which is the anniversary of the previous revolution.

Here is a good article about Bahman and what is in the works.

Also here are some videos in support of the Green Movements decision to protest on that day.

Out of Town

I will be out of town for a few days so the postings should be slow.

Video of Basij Attack on Karroubi Car

Shirin Ebadi on Current Situation

Here is her take of what is going on:

Why did the government arrest your sister?
My sister is not engaged in any political activity. She is a dentist and a professor. The Ministry of Intelligence has clearly stated that they arrested her because of my activities—so that I would stop them.

How do you justify putting your family at risk?
Naturally, the fact that they are placed in danger because of my human-rights activities is emotionally difficult. However, the true source of danger for them is not me but the Iranian government.

Are the protests growing?
Yes, day by day. They have even spread to smaller cities and there are demonstrations every day in universities. People have gained courage and will not give up their rights despite the fact that, should they protest, they will be arrested or shot at in the streets.

What exactly are they protesting?
The sad conditions that this government has created. People are getting poorer; they do not have security; censorship is very strong; civil and political liberties have been taken away; unemployment is very high, and so is official corruption. All of this has made the people angry.

But aren't these claims old claims?
Yes, but as the regime gets older, the number of its opponents grows. If, 20 years ago, only 20 percent of the people were against the government, now it is 80 percent.

Can we expect a second revolution?
In 30 years the people of Iran have seen a bloody revolution and eight years of war with Iraq. So they are tired of violence and are, rather, after reforms.

Does the opposition have a leader?
The reason this movement is so strong is that it doesn't have a definite leader. The people are the leaders, and this is why the government's mass arrests and torture haven't been able to stamp it out.

Has Mousavi lost control?
Since [Mir Hossein] Mousavi and [Mehdi] Karrubi are with the people, they can be counted as the leaders. However, don't believe that if tomorrow they tell the people that the movement is over and that they should go home without making noise, the people will listen.

Are the conservatives divided to the point that some would favor compromise, even if that means sacrificing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?
Differences have appeared. They are so frightened of losing power that each one tries to blame the other and to diffuse the danger through the sacrifice of one or several people.

Will Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sacrifice Ahmadinejad?
I can't see any sign of this.

Will new sanctions be effective?
I am against economic sanctions that hurt the people. The first thing to do is not to grant visas to ministers, commanders of the armed forces, and their families. Arms imports should be banned. Also, several people in prison claim the government was able to track them down through their Nokia cell phones. The U.S. government can blacklist such companies.

How do you see things evolving?
It is hard to predict because it depends on a number of variables, including the situation of Iran's neighbors, oil prices, and U.N. resolutions. However, in the end, the government has only two options. It will either listen to the will of the people, or it will fall.

Photos of Karroubi Car Attack

Protests at Sharif University

Karroubi Attacked

Image of the attack

Here is the story according to the NYT:

In yet another sign of escalating tensions in Iran, pro-government demonstrators shot at the armored car of the country’s most outspoken opposition leader, Mehdi Karrobui, his Web site Saham News reported Friday.

No one was injured Thursday night in the attack, which appears to reflect growing frustration that the brutal government crackdown on dissent in recent months has failed to stop the opposition from lashing out at the country’s leaders and occasionally staging protests that bring tens of thousands of demonstrators into the streets.

Mr. Karroubi, a midlevel cleric who ran in the disputed June presidential election, has been pushed and shoved by critics since then, and one threw a shoe at him — a grave insult in Iran. But this was the first time someone shot at him.

The attack occurred in Qazvin, where Mr. Karroubi had traveled to attend a mourning ceremony for eight protesters killed during a demonstration on Dec. 28, his Web site reported. The news agency Fars, which is linked to the Revolutionary Guards, reported Mr. Karroubi's whereabouts shortly after his arrival.

Mr. Karroubi’s Web site said that some 500 pro-government demonstrators gathered outside the building where he was staying with a member of Parliament. They chanted slogans against him and threw bricks and rocks at the third-floor apartment where he was, the Web site said. The Police intervened after four hours to try to help him leave the city, but his armored car was shot twice.

Mr. Karroubi’s son, Hussein Karroubi, said that opposition members saw several senior commanders of the Revolutionary Guards of Qazvin Province among the crowd, as well as members of the pro-government Basij militia. He said most were armed.

The younger Mr. Karroubi said the shooting appeared to be aimed at intimidating his father.

“They shot at the two windshields that were bullet-proof to scare him and force him into silence,” he said.

According to the Web site, the elder Mr. Karroubi said that his bodyguards refrained from returning fire.

“If my guards had engaged in shooting, unlike the assailants who shot without fearing arrest, they would have been summoned to court and tried,” he said.

A series of pictures on the pro-government Raja news Web site showed Mr. Karroubi’s black car surrounded by an angry mob throwing rocks. The riot police are shown guarding the car and trying to keep the crowd away as demonstrators chant, “Our city is no place for a traitor,” the Web site reported.

Soroush Interview

Here is a great interview between Abdolkarim Soroush and Robin Wright. Soroush was one of the leading intellectuals that helped create the reform movement and recently was one of five exiled Iranian intellectuals to issue a list of demands of the Green Movement. This is what he said about it in the interview:

Q: Why did you decide to issue a manifesto now?

A: The Green Movement is into its seventh month now, and I and my friends have been following events very closely and have been in touch with some of our friends in Iran. After [the protests on] Ashura on Dec 27, we came to realize that it was a real turning point. It was at that time that the regime decided to crack down on the Green Movement. In one instance, the regime rolled over a protester and killed him. It was a very severe message to all the protesters and defenders and supporters of the Green Movement that it intends to crush the movement harshly.

On the other hand, we have also individually been frequently asked by our friends: What are the real demands of the Green Movement, because the Green Movement was something that jumped on the scene? There was no planning for it. The election was the beginning, and it just evolved and evolved. As it evolved, some demands had emerged, but there was nothing that showed what was in the minds of the leaders of the movement.

The five of us thought that because we are close enough to the leaders of the movement – Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi and Mohammad Khatami – and know their demands, we should start drafting a manifesto or statement about the Green Movement. So we started drafting, and then Mousavi’s statement [that he would die for the movement if necessary] was issued [on Jan. 1]. Since we are living outside the country, don’t have to fear [the government] and know what is in the mind of the people, we decided to publish our own statement to make clear what Mousavi’s intentions and goals of the Green Movement are.

Q: Whose views does this manifesto reflect – just the leadership or the wider range of followers?

A: This is a pluralistic movement, including believers and non-believers, socialists and liberals. There are all walks of life in the Green Movement. We tried to come up with the common points for all. We know there are many more demands, many more than these.

Maybe in the next stage, they may demand redrafting the constitution. But for now, they would like to work within the framework of the constitution, and we were careful not to trespass those limits.

One of the suggestions we made was on the border [of going beyond the basic demands], which was the suggestion that the head of the judiciary should be elected rather than appointed by the supreme leader. I suggested that point – if we have changes in the constitution, we have to make the head of the judiciary elected. But the majority of the points reflect the mind of the leadership.

Q: What difference will this manifesto make?

A: It will make the goals and objectives clearer and better defined and articulated. At this stage, we need it. I’ve said for years that the revolution was theory-less. It was a revolt against the shah – a negative rather than a positive theory. I insisted that if there is going to be another movement, it has to have a theory. People should know what they want, not just what they don’t want. So we are trying – in a modest way – to put forward a theory for this movement.

Goals and objectives are based on theories and foundations. And we do have theories about liberty. We have not brought those theories into these points, but they underlie the points. They are invisible to the armed eyes, meaning the regime.

Q: What’s next for the Green Movement?

A: Nobody knows. There are all sorts of cries that the leaders of the Green Movement should submit themselves to the supreme leader, but that won’t take place. Both sides have to be prepared for a serious negotiation. That could be the next stage. [Former President] Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani might step in to start a negotiation for national reconciliation.

Q: Can the regime crack down to the point of eliminating the Green Movement?

A: I don’t think so. It is a product of the reform movement, which was suppressed. Ahmadinejad did his best to remove all sort of reform movements and to start a new era. But the regime could not put out the fire. And now we have the Green Movement, which is a culmination of the reform movement, a new stage.

I hope the government recognizes it has to have negotiations with the Green Movement and will have to sacrifice something for them to be productive. Heaven forbid that it turns into violence, which would be bad for the Green Movement and the country.

Q: Will compromise satisfy the new generation of reformers?

A: Compromise has a negative connotation. But if even one of these demands is fulfilled – such as freedom of press – that will be enough to change drastically the political scene and atmosphere of the country. If they accept one of these 10 demands – and not the rest – it will revolutionize the whole country. Maybe release the prisoners; so many competent people are in prison. Any one of these would revolutionize the atmosphere.

Iranian Diplomat Resigns

Reports of an Iranian diplomat in Norway resigning in protest of the treatment of the Iranian people:

An Iranian diplomat in Oslo has resigned in protest at his government's crackdown on opposition supporters, Norwegian media have reported.

Norway's NRK TV quotes Iranian consul Mohammed Reza Heydari as saying the treatment of protesters last month made him realise he "couldn't continue".

Opposition websites in Iran say he has defected and is seeking asylum.

But Iran dismissed the report as baseless, saying the diplomat's tenure had ended and he would return to Iran.

"A diplomat returns to the country when his mission is finished in another country," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told Reuters.

He said diplomats sometimes stayed on longer in a country for person reasons.

At least eight people died in clashes with police during anti-government protests in Tehran at the end of December.

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Reuters news agency it was aware of the reported resignation but not been officially contacted.

The Next Few Weeks

The next few weeks mark the anniversary of the victory of the Revolution over the Shah's regime and the eventual creation of the Islamic Republic. They are days filled with symbolism and with state holidays meant to commemorate important events 31 years ago.

The first important day will be January 16 which marks the anniversary of the Shah leaving Iran. Already opposition websites are trying to rally the Green Movement for protests on this day. The weeks after that day were the peak of the Revolution.

Then of February 11 is the anniversary of Khomeini's return to Iran and is one of the most important public holidays in Iran. Again this will be another huge opportunity to protest and take to the streets. We will have to wait and see what will happen, but it could be some of the most important weeks for the Green Movement.

Sanei Becomes New Spirtural Leader of Green Movement

Grand Ayatollahs Montazeri and Sanei meeting earlier this year before Montazeri's Death.

Excellent article about Sanei's new role in the Green Movement:

In a country as spiritual as Iran, it is impossible to separate religious and political issues. Any political movement or faction must substantiate its views and stances with religious rationale based on the rulings of a qualified Shi’a scholar, or risk appearing marginalized.

Thus, upon the December 19 death of the leading reformist ayatollah in Iran, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, the Green Movement was left without its spiritual leader and its greatest source of religious legitimacy. Ayatollah Montazeri had been an active leader in the reformist movement, not only politically, but by issuing religious decrees supporting reformist positions.

Now, stepping into the vacuum left by Montazeri’s death is another prominent reformist ayatollah who has emerged to provide the Green Movement with spiritual guidance and ideological support: Grand Ayatollah Yousuf Saanei declared on December 20 his desire to continue Ayatollah Montazeri’s work and honor his legacy, assuming his mantle as the most prominent clerical reformist.

Ayatollah Saanei is known for his dynamic involvement in contemporary issues that serve as sources of contention both politically and theologically. He supports complete legal and social equality for women and condemns both terrorism and nuclear proliferation as un-Islamic. A 2007 interview with him by the newspaper Asharq al Awsat discussed his opinions on current social and political issues. Saanei’s translated book, The Essence of Thoughts, is posted on his website and delineates his views on Islam and modern society.

Saanei’s credentials in both the theological and political spheres are considerable. He is recognized as a grand ayatollah and a source of emulation for Shiite Muslims. His revolutionary background is also notable, having been a trusted supporter of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. Saanei served in the Guardian Council, the Assembly of Experts, and the Judiciary branch in the early 1980s.

His assumption of Montazeri’s mantle and his scholarly and religious preeminence and popularity already have elicited a response from the hardliners in the Iranian establishment. His house and office in Qom were attacked by paramilitaries the day of Montazeri’s funeral, which the government banned Saanei from attending. His office in Shiraz was attacked last week as well.

On January 2, senior hard-line cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi and the affiliated Qom Lecturer’s Association attempted to discredit Ayatollah Saanei by declaring him to be ineligible to be a Marja-e Taqlid, or source of emulation and guidance to Shiite Muslims. The story was featured on all state-affiliated news agencies.

Ayatollah Yazdi’s attempt to discredit Saanei has no precedent in Shiite history—ayatollahs may confirm the religious ranking of a scholarly peer, but never have had the religious authority de facto to excommunicate or demote him from the ranking. A nuanced discussion of the rank and position of a Marja (source of emulation) in relation to Yazdi’s statement about Saanei may be found here.

Saanei has hit the ground running in terms of advising the Green Movement and its leaders. Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi stayed in Saanei’s house before attending Ayatollah Montazeri’s funeral, no doubt discussing the current situation with him during their stay. Furthermore, Saanei has been in constant contact with Moussavi. The Farsi version of his website indicates that he has been on the phone with Moussavi multiple times, the latest to give his condolences on the assassination of Moussavi’s nephew, who allegedly was killed by state security agents to place pressure on Mir Hossein Moussavi. Even before Montazeri’s death, Saanei and Moussavi exchanged letters discussing the philosophy and spiritual basis of their resistance to the government. Saanei’s statements also have been posted on Moussavi’s Facebook page in the past few months.

It is clear that Saanei already is proving to be a force to be reckoned with. The hardliners’ impotent and largely symbolic actions against him have merely accorded him more status with the Green Movement and have yet to hinder his actions or agenda in any discernable way. Moreover, Saanei’s activism may prove even more dynamic than Montazeri’s, as Montazeri was hampered both by his advanced age and the house arrest imposed on him by hardliners. Furthermore, Montazeri’s house arrest was a result of his fall from Ayatollah Khomeini’s grace. The current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, lacks the spiritual credentials to do the same to Saanei. In short, Saanei is almost impossible to marginalize.

As Saanei’s momentum continues to build, and he continues to propagate his ideals of a more tolerant and socially egalitarian Islamic Republic, it will be critical to the current tensions in Iran to see how the hardliners attempt to counteract him. At this point, it seems the hardliners themselves are not entirely sure.

Kadivar Speech about Montazeri

Mohsen Kadivar is one of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri's most famous students and he gave a speech about him seven days after his death

Khatami Meets with Mousavi Family

Khatami met with the family of Mousavi's martyred family. Here is a summary from Mousavi's Facebook:

Last night (Jan 4, 2010) Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, former president, visited the family of Martyr Seyyed Ali Habibi Mousavi (Mir Hossein Mousavi’s nephew who was shot and martyred on Bloody Ashura) and comforted them. According to ParlemanNews in this visit in which Mir Hossein Mousavi was also present, Khatami while ex...pressing his deep condolences, prayed for the family to be patient with this great tragedy and also for peace for this dear Martyr. Additionally, in this meeting Seyyed Mohammad Khatami talked about the days’ events with Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Professors Stand Up to Regime

Here is the story:

Nearly 90 professors at Tehran University have told Iran's supreme leader that ongoing violence against protesters shows the weakness of the country's leadership, a pro-reform Web site reported Monday, reflecting a growing willingness to risk careers and studies to challenge the ruling clerics.

The current rumblings from universities highlight the evolution of the opposition movement. What began as raw and angry voter backlash after last June's disputed presidential election has moved to a possibly deeper and more ingrained fight against Iran's Islamic leaders.

The letter signed by the 88 instructors was issued as university students around Iran staged acts of defiance — including hunger strikes and exam boycotts — to protest reported arrests and intimidation by hard-line forces, according to witnesses and reformist Web sites.

The government, meanwhile, stepped up its accusations that the West is fomenting Iran's postelection turmoil, saying that foreign nationals were among those arrested in the most recent clashes.

Officials didn't provide the nationalities of those arrested, but accused the foreigners of leading a propaganda war and warned they face possible death sentences for seeking to topple the system.

Authorities also have tightened pressures on universities.

Opposition groups also claim faculty members and students who publicly back the demonstrations have been fired or blocked from coveted postgraduate slots in state-run schools. But the pressures haven't appeared to undercut the widening role of universities in the showdowns.

The symbolism of campus resistance resonates strongly in Iran. College students were one of the pillars of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. In the late 1990s, students spearheaded the early cries for greater social and political freedoms.

The graying theocracy faces a critical generation gap and cannot afford to lose legitimacy among large portions of the youth in a country with nearly half its population under 25 years old, analysts say.

"The universities are the little engines that make the big engine work," said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an Iranian affairs expert at Syracuse University. "The students are the brains and the body of the opposition movement."

The letter by the Tehran University professors — posted on the Greenroad Web site — called the attacks on opposition protesters a sign of weakness in the ruling system. It also urged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to order arrests over the hard-line crackdown, which intensified after protesters began chanting slogans against the supreme leader.

There was no immediate reaction from Iran's leaders on the letter. But authorities have stepped up arrests after the latest wave of street protests by opposition groups in late December and have vowed an even more punishing response to any further protest rallies — which could next come in early February to coincide with the anniversaries of various events from the Islamic Revolution.

At least eight people died in clashes between security forces and opposition supporters across Iran late last month, including a nephew of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. It was the worst bloodshed since the height of the unrest immediately after the June re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"Nighttime attacks on defenseless student dormitories and daytime assaults on students at university campuses, venues of education and learning, is not a sign of strength. ... Nor is beating up students and their mass imprisonment," the letter read.

The letter referred to attacks by pro-government paramilitary Basij forces on pro-opposition students inside Tehran University campus last month.

"Unfortunately, all these (attacks) were carried out under the pretext of protecting Islam" and the position of the supreme leader, the letter said.

Tehran University is the country's largest, with 1,480 professors and teachers, according to its Web site.

But smaller campuses also have become settings for stands by the opposition, according to reformist Web sites and witnesses. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of arrest.

At Razi University in the western city of Kermanshah, students posted a statement this week declaring they would not attend exams to protest arrests of classmates.

In the eastern city of Mashhad, some students at Ferdowsi University began a hunger strike Sunday to demand the removal of security forces and hard-line vigilantes around the campus.

"The reform movement is strong and increasingly assertive," said Nicholas Burns, a professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a former senior official at the State Department. "It now has a broader base within Iran that is no longer a struggle specifically over the stolen election."

5 Prominent Iranian Intellectuals Lay Out Demands

Abdolkarim Soroush, Akbar Ganji, Mohsen Kadivar, Abdolali Bazargan, and Ataollah Mohajerani are all prominent Iranian intellectuals in exile. They are all associated with the reform movement and they have laid out these 10 demands to resolve the current crisis. What is remarkable is the increasingly secular vision for the government laid out by practicing Muslims:

1. Resignation of Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, renewal of the election under the supervision of the independant organs. Cancellation of the Guardian Council’s oversight and establishment of an independant election commission.

2. Release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. Persecution of those involved in murders and torture of recent months in a public court of law with retribution to the victims and their families.

3. Freedom of press and all audio-visual media. Cancellation of censorship, banning of newspapers, filtering of internet. Expansion of satellite services and acceptance of private TV channels. Expulsion of those who put out fraudulent lies over recent events.

4. Recognition of the activities of political parties, student movement, women’s movement, non-government organisations and civil society, and labor unions, with the right to assembly.

5. Independence of universities and their administrations. Expulsion of military forces from the campuses. Purge of the illegal Cultural Revolution Council.

6. Persecution of torturers and murderers for recent crimes.

7. Independence of the judiciary, with its head an elected official. Cancellation of all illegal special courts.

8. Expulsion of all military forces and law enforcement from the political, economic, and cultural scene.

9. Independence of the religious establishment from the government and administration.

10. All high level positions in the country to be elected by the people, with term limits and accountability.

Martyrs from Ashura

On a slow news day, new videos surfaces of the brutality of the regime

Karroubi Meets with Mousavi Family

Karroubi visited the family of Mousavi's martyred nephew. This is what happened according to Mousavi's Facebook:

Today (Jan2, 2010) Mehdi Karoubi visited the family of Martyr Seyyed Ali M...ousavi, Mir Hossein Mousavi’s nephew. In this meeting that took more than an hour Mir Hossein Mousavi was also at her sister’s place. Mehdi Karoubi in his remarks called the martyrdom of Mir Hossein Mousavi’s nephew a great tragedy and added: “The martyrdom of this dear martyr in such a day (Ashura, one of Shia’s holiest religious holidays in which Imam Hossein, prophet Mohammad’s grandson, was martyred in an unjust battle with the tyrant ruler of the time) showed that the enemies of justice and freedom have gone so far and are so drunk with power that don’t show any respect for Ashura and Imam Hossein’s mourners.”

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi also talked for a while about the days’ events including Mir Hossein Mousavi’s latest statement.

Interview with Mohsen Kadivar

Reformist cleric Mohsen Kadivar discusses the current crisis:

Latest Mousavi Statement

Here it is:


It was constantly told to me and [my] friends that if we don’t issue any statements, people would not take to the streets and would quit their protests and demands, and peace would return to the country. I, as one of those accompanying the great Green movement of the people, was not in favour of this idea and believed that things would not go back to normal unless the necessary reforms based on the clear principles of the constitution were carried out.

For the commemoration of Ashura, despite several requests, neither Karoubi, Khatami, myself nor any other friend issued any statement. Yet, people spontaneously came to the scene and showed that the extensive social networks formed spontaneously during and after the election, would not wait for statements and announcements. While, people neither had any accompanying or encouraging newspaper nor had the benefit of the state-run television and radio which is supposed to be bipartisan, fair and wise, yet all the nations and people of the world witnessed that in the middle of a storm of threats, propaganda, insults and godless callings, the mourners of Imam Hossein (Prophet Mohammad’s grandson) on this holly day (Ashura), while calling on Hossein, peacefully and without chanting any radical slogans took to the streets and squares [of the cities] which they had chosen themselves; and this time again faced provocative actions. Unbelievable brutalities like running people over by cars, shooting at people by the plain clothes militia that today their identity is not hidden from anyone and every day their faces and the faces of their puppeteers get more and more unveiled, created a disaster that its consequences will not leave the political scene of our country anytime soon.

Watching the shocking footages of Ashura shows that if sometimes slogans and actions moved toward unacceptable radicalism, it is because of throwing innocent people of bridges and heights, shootings, running them over by cars and assassinations. It is interesting that in some of these footages, people were seeing their [religious] brothers behind the faces of the oppressive police and Basij forces and in that critical situation and on that deafening and hateful day they were trying to protect them from any harm. If the state-run television and radio had the slightest bit of fairness, in order to calm the atmosphere and bring people closer together, it would have shown a little of these scenes. But no way! The progress of events after Ashura and the extent of arrests and other government’s actions showed that the authorities are repeating the same past mistakes this time in a greater scale and think that the policy of terror is their only solution.

Assume that with all the arrests, brutalities, threats, and shutting the mouths of newspapers and media you can silence people for a few days, how do you solve the change in people’s view of the establishment? How do you rectify the lack of legitimacy? How do you change the stunned and blaming views of all people of the world over all this brutality of a government against its own people? What do you do with the problems the country’s economy and living conditions that are getting worse because of extreme weakness of the administration? With what backing of expertise, national unity and effective foreign policy, you want to alleviate the shadow of more UN resolutions and the international attempts for gaining more points from our country and our nation?

They think that by pushing back the intellectuals, scholars, academia and political activists, they can return to the day before the election without going back to the roots of today’s country’s problems. But those who have studied the history and know a little about the complicated nature of the sociology know that this idea is the result of an illusion for escaping from the reality and seeking refuge to shallow and deceiving actions.

I clearly and bluntly say that the order of execution, murder, or imprisonment of Karoubi, Mousavi and figures like us will not solve the problem. The announcements made this Wednesday in Enghelab Square (central Tehran) and before that during the last Friday prayer by some figures affiliated with the establishment will make the consequence of any terrorist act the direct liability of the center [of the establishment] and will make the problem of the current crisis unsolvable. Calling a major portion of the society a bunch of insignificant cows and goats and calling them dirt and straws and declaring the murdering of Imam Hossein’s mourners Mobah (religiously allowed) are disasters that are currently happening by a known group and the state-run television and radio. What kind of speech is this that from a government’s podium invites people to fight with each other and calls a group the party of God and the other the party of Devil? They announce several times in a short speech to the people that it is a war! Are these remarks call for civil war and riots? Considering the use of religious language and references to Quran’s versus and the teaching of the prophet, the knowledgeable Marajeh and clergymen can say what should be done to these kinds of people.

What relates to me as a small member of the society is [the concern over] the reception of any deviation in the path of Islam and our beloved country and the remarks in the past few days, reminds me of the word of Imam Khomeini (peace be upon him) that “Kill us and we will get stronger.” I have no worries of becoming one the martyrs that lost in their lives in quest for their religiously and nationally legitimate demands since the election and my blood is not redder than those martyred.

I bluntly say that unless the existence of a serious crisis in the country is recognized, no solution to the problems and issues can be found. Not recognizing the crisis will become the justification for continuation of the oppressive solutions. Recognizing the current crisis can put the solution not in confrontation but rather in national unity. Accusing people of godlessness and collaborating with foreign imperialistic powers and infamous people and appalling movements such as MKO with the hope that it could lead to the physical elimination of some the devotees of Islam and the people is the consequence of closing eyes over the nature of the country’s national problems. I, as a devotee, say that MKO with their betrayals and crimes are dead [in the eyes of Iranians]; don’t revive them because of hatred and for gaining partisan gains.

Before I offer my solution for getting out of the crisis, I find it necessary to emphasize on the Islamic, national, against foreigners domination and loyal to the constitution nature of us and the Green movement. We are followers of Imam Hossein. We are infatuated with the freedom which that innocent Imam was its harbinger. We are followers of the one who would not tolerate the theft of a jewel from the foot of a Jewish woman in the vast Islamic land (referring to Imam Ali). We believe in a godly interpretation of Islam that considers all human the same and of equal value in creation. [We have] a view that believes in innate dignity of human and does not accept that the attacker receives a different food from what his victim is given or be subject to torture and things like that.

I and my dear friends who many of them are jailed in prisons are serious devotees of the country’s independence and suffer that our Islamic market has turned into a deceitful market of foreign goods. We are strongly opposed to the present corruption that is the result of wrong policies and lack of insight. We say that a large and influential organization like IRG cannot defend the country and national interests if it wants to calculate everyday how much the stock market has gone up or down; it will corrupt both itself and the country. We say and are prepared to participate in discussions to show that today wages and benefits of poor, workers, clerks, and other parts of the nation are sinking a vast corruption. The Green movement is opposed to lie and considers it a home wrecking pest for the country and therefore we consider the [government’s] lies in politics, security, economy, culture and other areas a great danger for the country.

We want a truthful, kind and peaceful administration and government based on people’s vote that looks at difference in people’s views and opinions as an opportunity not a threat. We consider looking into the private lives of people, inquisition, spying, closing down newspapers and limiting media against our prosperous and empowering religion and against the constitution raised from this religion. We consider wasting a cent of the public’s money for achieving personal and partisan goals sinful and announce that the national twenty year plot that has been approved by all levels of the establishment today has turned into a worthless piece of paper. We warn that significant competitors in the region with two-digit economic growth are emerging and every day get stronger while unfortunately our government is incapable of establishing the yearly budget, keeping tabs on the country’s accounts, safeguarding people’s savings, and being responsive in front of the supreme audit court and the parliament.

We are neither affiliated with Americans nor British. We have neither sent greeting cards for the leaders of any powerful countries nor are hoping for their assistance and we know that with determination in international affair every country is after its own nation’s interests and we hate those who don’t respect the culture and religious and national beliefs of their nations. It is ludicrous to accuse us of insulting Quran and Imam Hossein’s Ashura, and tearing apart the picture of Imam Khomeini. Obviously if there has been any disrespect on the day of Ashura, we don’t approve but we consider that the worst kind of disrespect is the murders of innocent people and mourners on the day of Ashura and in a month that killing is banned by Islam.

But I think that the solution to the current problems and the present crisis is as follows. Today the situation of the country is like an immense roaring river that massive floods and various events have led to its rising and have caused it to become mucky. The solution to calm down this great river and clearing its water is not possible in a quick and swift action. Thinking of these kinds of solutions that some should repent and some should make deals and there should be some give and take in order to solve this great problem is in practice going off road.

I consider letting streams and springs of fresh clear water into this river to be the solution that will slowly and gradually improve the water and the river. I also believe that it is still not too late and our establishment has the power to do accomplish this importance should it have insight and have a respectful and kind view toward all of the nation and its layers. I describe some of the solutions that like streams and springs of clear water can influence the national atmosphere and improve the situation:

1-The administration should be held liable in front of the people, the parliament and the judiciary system so that there would be no unusual supports for the administration in response to its incompetence and ineffectiveness and the administration be held accountable for all the problems it created for the country. For sure if the administration is competent and right it would be able to respond to the people and the parliament, and if it is incompetent and inept, the parliament and the judiciary system would confront it based on the constitution.

2-Legislating new and clear election laws in a way that it would regain people’s trust in the free and fair elections without meddling and interference. This law should ensure the participation of all the people despite their differences in opinions and views and should prohibit the biased and partisan interference of the authorities in all levels. The primary parties in early days of the revolution can be considered as a model.

3-The release of all political prisoners and restoring their dignity and honour. I am sure that this move would be interpreted as a strong point for the establishment rather than a weakness and we know that the defeated political movements are against this solution.

4-One of the necessities of the improvement is the release of the banned press and media and letting the shut down newspapers to publish again. The fear of free media should be eliminated and the international experience in this matter should be considered. The expansion of the satellite channels and their growing importance and the decisive influence of this media clearly show the inadequacy of the traditional methods and limitations of National TV and radio channels. Signal jamming methods and internet censorship can only be effective for a short time. The only solution is having various free and informed media inside the country. Isn’t it time to turn eyes back from beyond our borders to domestic political, cultural and social prosperity by a courageous act and based on trusting the intellectual and innovative forces of the society?

5-Recognizing people’s rights for having legal demonstrations and forming parties and groups and abiding to the 27th principle of the constitution. Acting in this matter that can be done with the wisdom and collaboration of all of the country’s enthusiasts can replace the battle between the Basij and security forces and people or people and people with an atmosphere of friendship and national affection.

More items can be added to the above list. In my opinion, even a clear small rivulet at this time can be helpful. It is not necessary that all these items be started simultaneously. Witnessing determination in this attempt will help to clear the horizon. And the last word is that all these suggestions can be executed with wisdom, insight and good will and without the need for treaties, negotiations, and political deal makings.

Night Protests in Tehran

Iran Buys Anti-Riot Vehicles from China

Apparently these anti-riot vehicles from China is what the regime is spending its money on in order to suppress and kill its own citizens. I guess the Chinese have good experience from Tianemen Square. Here is the story:

An opposition news website is reporting that Iran has imported high-tech armored anti-riot vehicles equipped with water cannons that can douse people with boiling water or teargas.

The U.S.-based Persian-language news website Rahesabz, or Green Path, posted a photograph of what it described as a photograph of two of the trucks arriving at the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas in the south.

The website said the vehicles were a rush order from their manufacturers in China, Dalian Eagle-Sky, according to the blogger Sohrebestan.

(See a translation of his post in English at the blog Persian2English.)

With an alleged price of $650,000 a unit, the 25-ton trucks each hold 2,640 gallons of water, which can shoot hot or cold water at a distance of up 220 feet.

They can also shoot tear gas, burning chemicals or paint stored in three 26-gallon containers.

It includes a plow, which can presumably demolish makeshift barriers placed on streets by protesters, or even the demonstrators themselves.

Nightly Protests in Tehran

Protesters Bussed In

Pro-Regime rally in Karaj shows low turn out and the people who did come were bussed in:

Basij Attack on Mosque

Here is what happened according to Mousavi's Facebook:

Footage shows the attck on Ghoba Mosque, where Grand Ayatollah Dastghey holds sermons, by plain clothes Basij militia with the support of coup government's police and security forces: Plain clothes militia surrounded the hall for Grand Ayatollah Dastghebs speech in Shiraz (central Iran) following the message of Grand Ayatollah Dastgheyb and his warning against illegal actions and beating and bashing of people by the coup governments agents in the recent days, on Tuesday several plain clothes militia and Basij forces surrounded and put on blockade Ghoba Mosque where Grand Ayatollah Dastgheyb was giving a speech.

Based on this report, the opposition supporters and the supporters of Grand Ayatollah Dastgheyb are not permitted to get close to Ghoba Mosque and in the past few days many people of Shiraz have been arrested by oppressive Basij forces. Meanwhile since Monday, every so often several bikers manoeuvre around Shiraz University and the streets around the university are clearly occupied by plain clothes militia and Basij. These events are happening as a consequence of Grand Ayatollah Dastgheybs bold and humane positions against the recent actions of the government in beating and bashing the mourners of Imam Hossein and killing many on the holy day of Ashura commemoration. For some time Ghoba Mosque and the alleys around it were in the blockade of the plain clothes militia and Basij.

Basij Attack on Sanei Office

This video shows Basij thugs attacking Grand Ayatollah Sanei's office in Shiraz and ripping down a sign with his name on it without the police doing anything to stop it:

Protests at Mashhad University

Torabi Speech in Parliament

For those of you who speak Farsi, check out this brave speech in front of Parliament by a reformist member.