Mousavi and Karroubi Placed in "Safe House"

The house of arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi entered a new stage with the two and their wives put in a "safe house" that is really basically a prison. Here is more on the story:

Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi and their wives were placed in a "safe house" for their own welfare, but they have not been arrested, Iranian government sources told CNN Saturday.

"The opposition movement is very much looking for martyrs so if this is true it's for their own safety," one source told CNN.

The pro-reform opposition movement "is always looking for an excuse to create something, so this may be done to keep someone from doing something to them," the source added.

But the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran expressed concern for the safety of the leaders and their wives.

"Moussavi and Karrubi and their wives have been disappeared; they are being held incommunicado in an unknown location, a severe breach of Iranian and international law," Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the campaign, said in a statement.

"Given the lynch mob-like calls for their execution by numerous Iranian politicians and clerics, there is reason to be deeply concerned for their safety and well-being," Rhodes said.

State-run Press TV aired video of Iranian lawmakers earlier this month chanting, "Moussavi, Karrubi ... execute them."

The human rights organization also pointed out that "a 'safe house' is considered a place for the secret detention of high security-value detainees, which is not under the control of the judiciary or any other monitoring mechanisms. The Revolutionary Guards and Iranian intelligence agencies are well-known for using safe houses for all methods and techniques to get confessions from detainees without scrutiny or pressure from other legal bodies."

"Given the use of so-called safe houses to mistreat opponents of the government in the past, the campaign finds it deeply disturbing that Moussavi and Karrubi have reportedly been removed to such a facility," the statement said.

Iranian authorities began rounding up many government opponents this month amid calls for protests like those that have swept across North Africa and the Middle East.

Iranian leaders have praised the revolution that overthrew Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, but when protesters in Iran took to the streets of Tehran on February 14, the government cracked down hard. The Iranian government rounded up activists ahead of the protests after Karrubi and Moussavi called for supporters to gather at Azadi Square -- the site of mass protests by Iran's opposition movement after the disputed 2009 presidential elections.

Despite the security crackdown, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Tehran. Dozens of demonstrators were detained during those protests, while videos posted on YouTube showed others had been chased and beaten.

One person was shot and killed during the protests, according to Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency. Several others were injured and listed in serious condition as a result of the shooting, which the Iranian government blamed on "agitators and seditionists."

The Iranian government source claimed Saturday that Iranians are disturbed by the opposition's demonstrations.

"The people are not happy with these protests and these people (Moussavi and Karrubi) making announcements for more protests. The people believe their peace is being disrupted and they want these protests to stop," the source said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday accused Iran of a repressive crackdown on protesters and political opponents in the past 10 days, including the killing of peaceful demonstrators by security forces.

International journalists have been limited in their ability to gather news in Iran, where the government has cracked down on the media and maintains tight control of state-run news organizations. During the protests earlier this month, foreign journalists were denied visas, accredited journalists living in the country were restricted from covering the demonstrations, and internet speed slowed to a crawl in an apparent attempt to restrict information from being transmitted out of the country.

Calls for Protests

Calls for protest on Tuesday to opposed illegal house arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi

In the name of God the Merciful,
Following the warnings by the social and political organizations within the Green movement and in particular by the passionate reformist youth within the Green movement to the authoritarian government of Iran regarding the continued, illegal house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and their spouses, the Council for the Coordination of the Green Path of Hope in keeping with the legitimate demands of the nation of Iran, invites all freedom seeking citizens to protest the continued house arrest and imprisonment of the leaders of the Green Movement, this Tuesday, March 1st, 2011 [10 Esfand 1389], coinciding with the birthday of the great Mir Hossein of the Green Movement. The demonstrations will begin at 5:00pm and we will gather and march from Imam Hossein to Azadi Square [in Tehran] chanting "Ya Hossein... Mir Hossein" and "Ya Mehdi, Sheikh Medi", raising our voices to demand the release of our Green leaders. The demonstrations will also take place in the main squares across other major cities in Iran.

In the event that our voices are silenced and the illegal house arrest and imprisonment of the Green leaders continues, in addition to other methods [of civil disobedience] to be announced by the Council in its next statement, we are also calling upon all Green companions to participate in decentralized, nation-wide protest on Tuesday March 15th, 2011 [24 Esgand 1389] coinciding with ChaharShanbe Souri. During this undoubtedly difficult time, we ask all Green supporters to continue focusing on raising awareness [within our society] and to patiently endure the hardship and ill-treatment imposed upon us by the coup forces in power; hardships designed to continue the dire status quo and impose tyranny on the people of our nation. Together we will find a new path and better future for all Iranians, ensuring that our long traditions and the divine right throughout our history to be victorious and demand justice continues.
The Council for the Coordination of the Green Path of Hope

ا حسین میرحسین، یا مهدی شیخ مهدی

بیانیه شماره ۴ شورای هماهنگی راه سبز امید؛ فراخوان راهپیمایی

جمعه, ۶ اسفند, ۱۳۸۹
چکیده :شورای هماهنگی راه سبز امید با انتشار بیانیه ای و در پاسخ به فراخوان جوانان، تشکل های سیاسی واجتماعی از مردم دعوت کرد تا در روز ۱۰ اسفند که همزمان با شب تولد میر حسین موسوی است، در اعتراض به حصر و زندان خانگی غیر قانونی همراهان مردم ایران، از میدان امام حسین تا میدان...

شورای هماهنگی راه سبز امید با انتشار بیانیه ای و در پاسخ به فراخوان جوانان، تشکل های سیاسی واجتماعی از مردم دعوت کرد تا در روز ۱۰ اسفند که همزمان با شب تولد میر حسین موسوی است، در اعتراض به حصر و زندان خانگی غیر قانونی همراهان مردم ایران، از میدان امام حسین تا میدان آزادی در تهران و در تمام میادین اصلی در شهرستانها فریاد” یا حسین میرحسین”،” یا مهدی، شیخ مهدی” را طنین انداز کنند.

متن کامل بیانیه به شرح زیر است:

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

در پی هشدار شبکه های اجتماعی، تشکلهای سیاسی جنبش سبز و بویژه جوانان پرشور اصلاح طلب به اقتدار گرایان حاکم بر کشور برای رفع حصر غیرقانونی رهبران جنبش سبز آقایان موسوی و کروبی و همسرانشان ، شورای هماهنگی راه سبز امید در همراهی با این خواست مشروع و قانونی همگان را دعوت می نماید که دراعتراض به ادامه حصر و زندان خانگی رهبران جنبش روز سه شنبه ۱۰ اسفند، که مصادف با شب تولد میر بزرگوار جنبش است، از ساعت ۵ بعداز ظهر دست به تجمع و راهپیمایی از میدان امام حسین بسوی میدان آزادی با شعارهای «یا حسین ، میرحسین» و « یا مهدی ، شیخ مهدی» زنند و بدین وسیله صدای خود را برای آزادی رهبران سبزمان به گوش حاکمیت برسانند.در شهرستانها تظاهرات در میادین و خیابانهای اصلی برگزار خواهد شد
در صورتی که صدای اعتراض ما شنیده نشود و حصر و زندان خانگی غیرقانونی رهبران ادامه یابد, علاوه بر راه کارهای مناسب دیگر که شورا در اطلاعیه های بعدی خود پیشنهاد خواهد کرد, از هم اکنون همراهان سبز ر ا دعوت به تجمعات اعتراضی غیر متمرکز در سراسر کشور در روز ۲۴ اسفند می کنیم و در همه این ایام از باورمندان به جنبش سبز خواهانیم که به آگاهی بخشی هرچه بیشتر در درون جامعه پرداخته و با صبر و استقامت و در صفوف هماهنگ در مقابل سختی ها و ناملایمانی که از سوی اصحاب قدرت و کودتا برای تداوم وضعیت نامطلوب کنونی وتحمیل استبداد اعمال می شود راه عبور بسوی آینده و فردای بهتر را برای همه ایرانیان باز نمایند و مطمئن باشند که سنت الهی و تقدیر تاریخ بر پیروزی حق طلبان و عدالت خواهان قرار دارد.
شورای هماهنگی راه سبز امید

Karroubi Video From House Arrest

This video footage was taken with the help of Fatemeh Karroubi, Mehdi Karroubi’s wife, just before the security forces made their final move to complete the house arrest: Raided Karroubi’s residence, locked up Mehdi Karroubi and Fetemeh Karroubi in separate rooms, searched their home, confiscated their books and documents, changed all the locks and arrested their son Ali; since then there is absolutely no information regarding their wellbeing. In this video Mehdi Karroubi once again stressed that he will stand with the people till the very end. Mehdi Karroubi said: “We are standing firm in defending people’s rights and we must stand with iron will in the path we believe in and I am sure that victory, prosperity and redemption are ours. We are standing firm in defending people’s rights and we will honor our promise we gave to the people. The government should be from and for the people. We always have said that it is the people and the people’s vote which should determine their destiny not whatever the rulers say. Government must be based on people’s choice and vote. And in this path that we have chosen we will overcome all hardships and sufferings as they are sweet rather than bitter.”

Grand Ayatollah Khorasani Blasts Regime

Grand Ayatollah Hossein Vahid Khorasani gave a speech in which he deeply criticized the behavior of the regime. Here is the report:

In a speech to thousands of people in the Grand Mosque of Qom, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Vahid Khorasani, the most important Shiite Marja' living in Iran, severely criticized the judiciary for turning arrests and jailing into a normal and common practice in Iran, disregarding slamic teachings regarding imprisonment. He said that only "a true Faghih (Islamic scholar that can properly deduce instructions from Islamic teachings) who has understood the depth of Islamic teachings knows when jailing someone is allowed and why jailing is such a severe punishment, and [because] the basis of religion is people's freedom and jailing them and taking them away from their families and society is a severe punishment, the cases for which jailing is allowed has been carefully laid out."

Ayatollah Vahid Khorasani is father-in-law of the judiciary chief Sadegh Larijani. He has reportedly told his son-in-law that not only is he not qualified to lead the judiciary, but that he should resign under the present terrible conditions. He has consistently refused to meet with Ayatollah Khamenei wherever he travels to Qom, and reportedly told him many years ago that, "You be the king, and leave Feghahat to others," hence questioning his religious credentials. Just before the February 14 demonstrations, he met with families of imprisoned political figures, expressed his sympathies and declared that, "We have no relations with them [the hardliners]." In meeting with these families he has repeatedly made statements that clearly indicate that he does not believe his son-in-law is qualified or even fair minded enough to lead the judiciary.

The day after the February 14 demonstrations, classes taught by Ayatollah Vahid Khorasani were forced to be canceled by the followers of Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, the reactionary cleric and spiritual advisor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They apparently wanted to make it look like Ayatollah Vahid Khorasani had canceled his classes to protest the demonstrations the day before, but it became quickly clear that it was the work of Mesbah Yazdi's followers.

Ayatollah Vahid Khoarsani's criticism is clearly directed first and foremost at Ayatollah Khamenei, who appoints the clerics to all the important judicial posts, and then his own son-in-law, hence questioning the legitimacy of both as well as their religious credentials.

Iranian Diplomat Rejects Regime

Here is the report:

Ahmad Maleki, the head of Iran's consular office in Milan, has resigned his post to protest the Iranian government's "barbaric actions against the Iranian nation," RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.

Maleki told RFE/RL in an exclusive interview on February 20 that he had joined the opposition Green Movement. He became the fourth Iranian diplomat in the past year to resign over disagreements with how Tehran has handled the Green Movement and its supporters.

In January 2010, Mohammad Reza Heidari, a counselor in the Iranian Embassy in Norway, was the first diplomat to resign. He had condemned the deaths of protesters on the Shi'ite Islamic holiday of Ashura and then later established the "Green Embassy Campaign" in Oslo with the goal of encouraging other Iranian diplomats to support the opposition.

Hossein Alizadeh of the Iranian Embassy in Finland then resigned in August 2010 to show his disagreement with the 2009 presidential election results. That same month, Faraz Farhangian, a diplomat at the Iranian Embassy in Brussels, left his post and moved to Norway.

Maleki had worked as a diplomat for 25 years and had previous posts in Portugal and Kenya.

He told RFE/RL there are "many others in the [Iranian Foreign Ministry] who are unhappy with the government."

Maleki said he was initially upset by the conduct of the 2009 presidential election -- which the opposition says was rigged -- and by the regime’s actions against the protesters afterward, but he said that recent harsh measures against the Green Movement finally persuaded him to "join hands with the nation.”

Maleki said his resignation and that of the other Iranian diplomats has "a positive effect as the first step against suppression." He expressed optimism for the opposition, saying: "following recent incidents in Iran and people [leaving the Foreign Ministry], the upcoming events will take us toward victory."

The Green Embassy Campaign announced in a statement on February 20 that Maleki and Heidari, the campaign's spokesman, will appear at a press conference in Paris today.

Attack on Karroubi's House

Latest report from Mousavi's Facebook:

According to SahamNews – official website of Nastional Trust Party (chaired by Mehdi Karroubi) - last night (1:00 am local time) yet again a group of government organized thugs brutally attacked Mehdi Karroubi’s residence and launched a number of handmade sound bombs inside his residence. This is while Mehdi Karroubi has been under house arrest since Feb 14 and security forces stationed in front of his house do not allow anyone to enter but these plain-clothes thugs got the green light from security forces to go on with their barbaric actions. At the end of their attacks these thugs read a statement in which they called their barbaric actions just a part of the Supreme Leader’s order for Jihad and they added that they are waiting for his next command to go on and decapitate Mhedi Karroubi and his wife and hang their cut off heads in the main square of the city !

Mousavi Calls Family But Still Under House Arrests

Latest report on Mousavi's condition from this Facebook:

Roozonline reports that according to their close relatives, despite being under house arrest, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, two leaders of the Green movement remain resilient and are both in excellent spirits.

According to their close relatives, Mir Hossein Mousavi, prime minister during the eight year holy war with Iraq, contacted his family briefly yesterday and informed them of the well being of himself and his wife Zahra Rahnavard. During this brief telephone conversation, Mousavi stated that he and his wife remain at their home, denying the rumors that they have been transferred to an undisclosed location.

Mousavi also explained that this was the first opportunity he had been given to make a phone call and asked how everyone was doing. Mousavi had also contacted his family briefly on Thursday.

During Thursday's brief telephone conversation, Mousavi informed his relatives that his body guards had been dismissed and replaced by security officers and that the new security personnel was now also in charge of providing them with food. He also stated that neither he nor his wife Zahra Rahnavard have access to even local newspapers.

According to his close relatives, Mousavi was in excellent spirits. Dr. Rahnavard has not contacted her family to date.

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard have been in house arrest since February 14th, 2011 [25 Bahman 1389], a house arrest that began after Mousavi published a message [thanking the honorable people of Iran for their large presence in the streets and extending his condolences to the families of the two Green martyred on that day] and led to his residence being surrounded and he and his wife becoming incommunicado.

All phones and internet connection at Mousavi's residence remain cut off. According to his close relatives, except for the brief telephone contact yesterday and on Thursday, there has been no other contact with them to date.

CNN Report on Protests

First Video of Protests Today

This one is supposedly from Shiraz

Shouts of God is Great Night Before Protests

The night before protest are planned in Iran, shouts of God is Great ring out in Iran.

Mousavi House Arrest Enters More Severe State

This report from Mousavi's Facebook:

According to reports by a number of employees of the Office of the President and patients and physicians at Shahid Hospital located near Akhtar street [the street where Mousavi's residence is also located] "Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard's residence is being converted into a prison as agents proceed to install what looks like an iron barrier at the entrance of their residence."

In a phone conversation with Kaleme, a number of noble workers of the Office of the President reported on [government] agents busily working on the creation of a long, iron barrier at the entrance to Mousavi's residence. It looks as though the events occurring in and around Mousavi's residence are reminiscent of Ahmand Jannati's comments during one of the recent Friday prayers in Tehran when he demanded that the "residences of the leaders of the sedition be converted into prisons."

In the recent months the restrictions designed to further limit Mousavi and Rahnavard's communication with the outside world have slowly increased. The restrictions on Mir Hossein Mousavi increased in late summer this year when the attacks on Mehdi Karroubi's residence and the offices of the Marajeh [Grand Ayatollahs] first occurred, culminating with the mistreatment of journalists and other well known personalities attempting to visit his residence.

The restrictions on Mousavi and Rahnavard entered a new phase six months ago, when a security van was parked outside Mousavi's offices on the corner of Ferdowsi and North Kargar street in Tehran, preventing various groups and well known personalities from entering his office. At times even a number of Marajeh [Grand Ayatollahs] were arrested temporarily and released after a few hours of street interrogations. Some were taken to the police station and released after providing written commitments that they would no longer attempt to visit with Mousavi.

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Dr. Zahra Rahnavard's house arrest formally began after the February 14th, 2011 demonstrations [in support of the people of Egypt and Tunisia]. As of February 16th, Mousavi and Rahnavard have been incommunicado and there is no news what so ever on their condition and well being. In addition, Mousavi's bodyguards have been dismissed and replaced with security agents.

Mousavi and Rahnavard's relatives have been left in the dark with regards to their condition in recent days and the agents posted around their residence have prevented people from approaching their house. It is worth mentioning that all communication with Mousavi and Rahnavard including telephone and internet contact has been cut off. With the installation of an iron barrier outside their residence, their house arrest has now entered a new phase and the intentions of judicial and security officials with regards to Mousavi and Rahnavard remain unclear.

Obama Condems the Violence of the Regime

Mousavi Statement on 25 Bahman

To the honorable nation of Iran,

I salute you. The glorious demonstrations of February 14th, 2011, [which is] a great achievement for our nation and the Green Movement, took place despite the skepticism by many with the participation of male and female warriors representing all segments of our society. Your glorious movement was attacked on two fronts, one hand by the power mongers whose goal is to continue to hold on to money and power and on the other hand by foreigners and international opportunists who look for their own interests; both seeking to attribute this [Green] movement to Zionism, the United States and their allies.

The pride of the Green Movement is in its independence and its reliance on the immense strength of the great people of Iran. The Green Movement has always maintained its independence from foreign influence. Its values and main goal has always been to revive the ideals and aspirations of Imam Khomeini (founder of the Islamic Republic) and the Islamic Revolution and to support the various demands of the noble nation of Iran in its quest for freedom. The Green Movement has always sought to achieve its goals through peaceful means, emphasizing the fundamental principles of human dignity, recognizing our nations right to sovereignty and determining their own destiny and demanding the unconditional adherence to the Constitution. As your humble companion, I congratulate you on the occasion of your amazing perseverance and wish to express my deepest condolences on the martyrdom of the beloved children of our proud nation.

Mir Hossein Mousavi

Tehran, 15 February 2011

Shouts of God is Great 2/14/11

After the protests on 25 Bahman, people once again take to their roofs to should God is Great.

More Clips from Today

Latest CNN Report on 25 Bahman

Includes supposed video from today in Iran.

First Confirmed Video from 25 Bahman

Video was captioned with the following on Mousavi's Facebook:

In response to the call by Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi to hold public demonstrations in solidarity with the popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia against dictatorship, today (Feb 14, 2011) great number of people took to the streets despite heavy security presence and reported clashes and chanted “Down with the... dictator”. Both Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest and all of their communication channels have been disconnected by government at this time.

First Pictures from 25 Bahman Protests

Mousavi Effectively Under House Arrest

Reports from Mousavi's Facebook indicate that he like Karroubi is effectively under house arrest today:

Moments ago when Zahra Rahnavard – Mir Hossein Mousavi’s wife- attempted to leave house, plain clothes security forces stationed at the end of the alley, where Mir Hossein Mousvi’s and Zahra Rahnavad’s residence is located, prevented her from exiting the alley, and when she protested to this illegal act plain clothes forces replied “We are just foot soldiers and following orders”. Additionally on the day of proposed demonstrations by Mousavi and Karroubi in support for the popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia against dictatorship, cell phones of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard – Mousavi’s wife- as well as land lines of their residence all have been disconnected by government.

On the day of proposed demonstrations by Mousavi and Karroubi in support for the popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia against dictatorship, cell phones of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard – Mousavi’s wife- as well as land lines of their residence all have been disconnected by government. All, communication channels including internet networks of their residence have also been disconnected. Additionally since this morning security forces have blocked the alley where Mousavi’s residence is located at with their cars and prevent anyone from entering or exiting.

Crane Protest

The official time of protest has started in Iran so we must wait to see what happens. However, there was already one bold act of defiance in Iran today.

25 Bahman Protests

Protests are planned in Iran on 2/14 or  the 25 Bahman in solidarity with the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt. It will be an attempt by the Green Movement to once again organize mass protests with the hope of bringing change to the Iranian regime. Here is a good primer about how we got here.

We must see what will happen if the people can come out and peacefully protests or if the regime will brutally suppress all dissent. I hope the people in the Iran the best of luck in their attempt to remove their own dictators.

Shouts of God is Great 2/13/11

The night before planned protests, the people of Tehran come out to shout God is Great in opposition to the regime.

US Calls on Iranian Regime to Allow Protests

Here is a statement by National Security Adviser:

"By announcing that they will not allow opposition protests, the Iranian government has declared illegal for Iranians what it claimed was noble for Egyptians," Donilon said in a statement issued by the White House Saturday. "We call on the government of Iran to allow the Iranian people the universal right to peacefully assemble, demonstrate and communicate that's being exercised in Cairo."

Shouts of God is Great in Tehran

Shouts of God is Great and other protests on 2/12/11 or 23 of Bahman, 2 days before protests are planned for Monday.

Mubarak Gone

Vice-President Omar Suleiman announces Hosni Mubarak is no longer President of Egypt. Now it is time for the Iranian people to rise up and remove their own dictator.

Mousavi and Karroubi's Statement on Anniversary of Revolution

Here is their latest statement:

In the name of God, The Compassionate and the Merciful

“By the declining day, (1) Lo! Man is a state of loss, (2) Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance. (3)” (The Holy Quran, Sura: Al-Asr, Verses: 1 to 3)

We are on the eve of the 32th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, a revolution that was a glorious reflection of people's determining their own density. Understanding and recognizing this great and significant historic event is very important for each and every one of Iranians: maybe because understating the historical identity of any nation is influential in determining the future path of that nation or maybe because these days [people] ask themselves how correct was the path that was taken [in the past], or maybe because today more than any other time we are witnessing the efforts determined to distort this history.

What we witnessed during those days, was not only a transfer of political power but it was rather the start of a new discourse and the end of an old one: an old discourse that assumed it could survive by shutting down all paths to gradual reform in the government and society; by relying on the foreign governments supported coup d'état and the negligence of those devoted to this land, by imprisoning great numbers of freedom-seekers, by imposing censorship on media; by making the power monger allies of the regime rich from oil revenue, by getting armed to the teeth with all sorts of weapons, by utilizing a loud propaganda machine, by creating the illusion of being influential in the affairs of the region and world, by taking the opposition and critics for granted and only considering themselves and their allies, by imagining their power as a splendor symbol of the divine authority while it was not supported by the people.

However, the new discourse following the depraved coup d'état of August 19, 1953 (known as 28 Mordad coup) began the day after the movement started on 1962. It was the start of an era of reviewing the past events and searching for a rescue path from the dictatorship that was ruling the country with the support of the colonial [foreign powers]. Despite those who had no hope for the change, despite those who interpreted expediency such that it would justify their desire to fulfill their own personal interests and despite those whom the hollow fear tactics of the government intimidated, there were also many who never gave up trying, because they believed that living is not only staying alive. They knew that other nations had to take a long path in order to achieve freedom, justice, independence and prosperity; and trying to achieve a society that is blessed with these, is the very definition of living; so when they found their demands in the views of a strong leader like Imam Khomeini, who was determined in this path, they joined him and prevailed to end oppression and tyranny. Given the past experiences, from the very next day after the Revolution, women and men, young and old, all had concerns in their hearts on how to guard and protect this great achievement from another coup, military attack and most important of all, diversions from the principles of the Islamic Revolution that would break this young establishment.

The lessons that were learned from this event and the years followed, for many times made our people demonstrate their will in order to prevent any diversion in the path that could have taken them to their goals. The widespread participations in defending the homeland against the hostile enemy (Referring to the Iran-Iraq war), impressive efforts to achieve economic prosperity [following the eight-year war], efforts to have extensive reforms in various areas and wise participations in elections are the reflection of our people's honor for the national responsibility that puts our people on the forefront of the intellectual and social developments of the region in the past few decades.

The new discourse had to make itself compatible with new demands and preserve its flow with continuous monitoring against the reemergence of tyranny and magisterial relations. We remember that the main concern of the Assembly of Constitution Experts was to find ways that could prevent the emergence of any form of tyranny, autocracy and dictatorship and the constitution was written when outside of the Assembly of [Constitution] Experts, people were chanting "Equality, Justice, [Imam] Ali's just state" on the streets.

According to "The Saffein Battle" book by Nasr-Ebn-Mazahem, which might be the oldest narrative-historic book about Saffein war, after Imam Ali established his government in Kufa (Iraq), he had a trip to the areas where Persians were living near Kufa and in a town asked people about Persian kings. The person with most seniority in that town responded: In the traditions of Persian kings there were some things for the benefit of the people and some things for the benefit of the king, until Khosro-Parviz (one of the Persian kings) came to power and eliminated anything that was for the benefit of the people and kept all that were for the benefit of the king and this lead to demise of his kingdom.

This narrative precisely describes the psychological and political atmosphere of the country in the first decade after the revolution, regardless of the flaws and obstinacies that affects any revolution: the goal of the people who participated in the revolution was to eliminate these kinds of traditions by following Imam Ali's just governing.

Isn’t it painful that after more than thirty years since the revolution, people’s concern is once again dealing with the reemergence of the same magisterial relations and this time in the name of the religion? We are in a situation that the people's rights which have been described in the constitution and were the values of the revolution are being violated; the third chapter of the constitution, in which the rights of the nation are stated, has become a footnote and whatever is to the benefit of the rulers has been executed in an exaggerated manner and in many folds; and unquestionable obedience in front of the power has become divine and godly, and not questioning the ruling power has become value; and with ridiculous comparisons, any criticizing and objecting voice has been accused of being an agent and ally of foreigners and Zionism, and has been accused of infidelity; so much so, that today the country’s political scene has nothing short from the danger of the recreation of the magisterial relations but the hereditary of the government.

Certainly the [presidential] election of the year ’88 (2009) was a sign of this sense of the public responsibility in front of the dangers. The people who were fearful, the people who were disappointed from the incompetency of the country’s management system, the people who were tired of lies, the people who felt that for country’s development more extensive and more fundamental transformations are needed, came to the scene; and perhaps many who had not been participating in any election for years broke their silence this time, and perhaps many who surpassed the routine political competitions and became united to create a great change.

It is a pity that what happened to the result of the election and what happened after the semi-coup by the totalitarians harmed the fundamental right of the nation to determine its own destiny. However, arresting protestors, beating them on streets, killing many of the youths, women and men on streets and in prisons, the disasters of [Tehran] university’s dormitory and Kahrizak [prison], attacking homes and offices of Maraje (senior religious figures), holding shameful carnivals and (government organized) parades in order to create fear, constant struggle to divert public’s attention toward unimportant issues and diversions, unethical treatment of the families of the martyrs and [political] prisoners, and announcing the annihilation of the Green Movement in repeated occasions; none has managed to save the authoritarians from the great challenge of the lack of public’s trust, just as none has managed to make people forget their rightful demand of achieving the citizenship rights asserted in the constitution.

During these months, important events have happened that interest any informed observer. Many of those who were employed at army, police and security forces couldn’t trade the time they spent at the war fronts and their devotions for protecting the borders and the country’s security, and suppress and beat innocent people. Some because of reservation or lack of information and some simple people because of the government’s propaganda, used to think that the protesters were aiming their religious beliefs but gradually realized that this is not the case. Many, who used to think that the protest movement of the people was initiated by the conspiracy of the foreign domineering powers or the brutes that at the peak of the war sought refuge in the arms of the enemy and served it, realized that this was nothing but a trick to defame critics and justify the inhumane actions of the authoritarians.

And we don’t believe it would take long before those who are truly concerned about the national interests and Islamic values stand alongside the entire nation (or as the totalitarians call " dirt and dust") and separate their line from that of the power mongers, the violators of people's rights and the greedy of nations resources . We especially believe that at the end, Basij and Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guards and the armed forces will not leave their nation alone.

In the recent years and especially the past two years, a new discourse was born and nothing can stop its growth: a discourse that does not tolerate corruption and with the promise of bringing oil [revenue] to the people’s table, does not increase the price of bread, fuel, electricity and gas many folds overnight; a discourse that believes in protecting the country’s labor force and does not ruin national resources and products by handing in the national market to foreign imports; a discourse that wants dignity for workers and employers, not humility; a discourse that the considers addiction, theft, and divorce the results of thirty percent unemployment rate of the youths and therefore does not tackle the problem of crimes and offences by establishing gallows and historic brutality; and with the excuse of crime and betrayal of a small group, start a new era of repentant, getting forced confessions and torturing in the prisons (Truly how many women can you, those who every day and every hour claim to be concerned for Islam and religion, name to have been executed at the early days of Islamic state during [the time of prophet Mohammad]?); a discourse that is not afraid of the people’s vote and is not terrified of referring to the constitution; a discourse that, not in slogan and Machiavellistic form, but rather in action attempts for Islamic unity and closeness of Islamic sections, and does not repulse millions of Iranian citizens from their own rights for being Sunni, Darvish, Ahle-Hagh or others.

Yes, a new discourse is born today: A discourse that those who were martyred for its values are its leaders and those who were imprisoned for its values are its flag bearers; a discourse that condemns violence and pursues change through peaceful means; a discourse that responds to lies, false accusations and insults with truth, honesty and good manners; a discourse that does not have hopes in [the outcome of] the secret games of the international powers and considers the clear national solution as the only path toward reforms; a discourse that does not follow the ideology of “Us vs Them” but rather tries to turn “Them” into “Us”; a discourse that recognizes all voices and does not see the national unity in absolute silence but rather see it in relying on the collective rationality; a discourse that does not consider the people as outsiders when it comes to what is happening in the country but rather tries to spread awareness among all layers of the society and to every corner of this land; a discourse that by empowering social networks brings people together and expands the civil atmosphere; a discourse that has become a role model for many other freedom-seeking movements; a discourse that criticizes past mistakes but does not deny its clear achievements; a discourse that does not see justice in charity-based economics but rather in providing equal opportunities and empowering the disadvantaged; a discourse that instead of spreading hatred and retribution among the poor and rich, rural and urban, ethnic groups and different religions promotes tolerance, understanding and mercy; a discourse that tries to end the era of empowering thugs and instead is after establishing an era in which those qualified are empowered so that in light of that prosperity and growth of talents lay grounds for the progress of this land to a stature that it deserves; a discourse that is not after finding hero saviors but rather wants every Iranian play a role in saving his or her country; a discourse that its leaders are as many as those who believe in it; a discourse that considers preserving the system is preserving the values that the system was established based on, not preserving the individuals in power; a discourse that believes circulation of power, accountability in front of the people and equality in front of the law are the assurance for having a healthy [society] and foundations for progress; a discourse that believes honoring [both] “Islam” and “Republic” pillars of the system as well as having democracy in all affairs of the country are the only way which will guide the people to prosperity; a discourse in which personal decisions and interests are replaced with collective wisdom; a discourse that believes in a God that wants human dignity and follows the path of hope through seeking-justice, good deeds, patience and perseverance, and has faith that good will prevail and evil will fail.

Today by creating a concern that without its existence the religion will be destroyed and by repeatedly warning about this [so-called] danger, the government tries to mobilize and unite the religious layers [of the society] behind itself; while in fact what has most damaged the religious atmosphere in the society is the oppressive and anti-religion actions of the government. The foundations of all divine religions are based on human nature and if Islam has lasted after fourteen centuries, it is because it has strong intrinsic roots, so much so that even the attack of Mongols and the actions of Pahlavi the first could not destroy it. This religion has thought us not to bow to oppressive individuals and [has warned us] if we do so, we will be deprived of God’s help: “And incline not toward those who do wrong lest the Fire touch you, and ye have no protecting friends against Allah, and afterward ye would not be helped.” (The Holy Quran, Sura: Hud, Verse: 113)

On the eve of the thirty-second anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, we, as two humble companions, praise you, the countless messengers of this new discourse; and we pray to the almighty God to make all of us supporters of oppressed and enemies of oppressor.

Victory comes only from God, the Mighty the Wise

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi

Mousavi and Karroubi Call for Demonstrations

In a clever move, Mousavi and Karroubi have called for public demonstrations in support of the people of Egypt and Tunisia seeking their freedom. Of course, the regime has praised these protests in particular in the last Friday Prayer sermon of Khamenei.

It seems likely that the regime will deny this request given their hypocrisy in suppressing freedom in Iran while praising others who seek freedom. It will also be interesting to see if the protests happen anyway without regime sanction.

Here is the text of the letter that Mousavi and Karroubi sent to Ministry of Interior:

Mr. Najar,

Minister of Interior,

Greetings,

Hereby, we request permit to call for a rally – as Article 27 of the constitution authorizes * – on Monday, Feb 14, 2011, at 3:00PM (local time) from Imam Hossein square to Azadi Square (Tehran) to show solidarity with the popular movements in the region and in particular the freedom-seeking movements of the Tunisian and Egyptian people against their autocratic regimes.

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi

* Article 27 provides for freedom of assembly, "provided arms are not carried" and the assemblies "are not detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam".

Mousavi, Karroubi, and Bayat-Zanjani Hold Meeting

Here is what they talked about:


Video Report: On Monday (Jan 31, 2011) Mir Hossein Mousavi met with Mehdi Karroubi in a surprise visit. In this visit Grand Ayatollah Bayat-Zanjani, senior religious figure and critic of government, who was previously prevented by security forces from visiting with Mehdi Karroubi was also present. This meeting took place since the security forces stationed in front of Mehdi Karroubi’s residence were absent on Monday.

In this meeting Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi objected to the numerous executions and rushing into conducting executions without completing the legal process in the country; and considered it the result of the government's recklessness and plans to create terror and fear in the society. They added: "Regardless of the people's charges and the validity of those charges, it is the legal and legitimate right of every human to be granted all his or her rights in a complete legal process."

Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi continued: "Does the execution of almost 300 people in the last year have any outcome for the public opinion other than creating fear and terror in the society, and making Iran even more isolated in the international scene? Is execution without completing the legal process and without the knowledge of the family of the accused, a humane and Islamic action? What is up with not releasing the bodies [of those who were executed] to the families, that has become a tradition?! Therefore, we, as citizens of this country and members of the noble nation of Iran, demand a stop to this process and we hope that the country's judiciary can independently and by extending the full legal and legitimate rights to those accused and considering the Islamic kindness and mercy, comes up with a solution so that we do not witness such unjust process in the country."

In another part of their remarks, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi stated: "Today, even in Arabic countries, we witness political and democratic growth. No power can suppress people's will and demand. Sooner or later, autocratic and tyrant powers are sentenced to vanish. Today, nations are aware and one after the other take control of their fate and this is the will of the nations that has shaken tyrants. Even though, in Egypt we witness that instead of accepting the will and demand of his nation, for many years Hosni Mubarak has tried to suppress the people by having engineered elections and establishing preset parliaments and using thugs and goons; but he did not succeed, just as today he cannot take control of the situation by suppression and treats either. Of course, the action of Egypt's army in announcing its neutrality and considering people's demand legitimate must be thanked and praised; and it appears that the army, unlike the tyrant and autocratic government of Egypt, has heard the voice of the people's revolution correctly."

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi continued: "We hope that the voice of the freedom-seeking revolution of the people in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen reaches the ears of the tyrant and autocratic rulers in the region and in the world so that they learn lessons and revisit and review their actions and behaviors. Today in Egypt, despite tensions and clashes; the protesters are given permission to demonstrate so that it becomes clear which side has the public support, therefore, we also believe that in Iran, the protestors to the [rigged presidential] election must be given the right to demonstrate so that it becomes clear which movement has social and public support."

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi in their meeting also pointed to the catastrophic economic situation of the country and expressed deep concerns regarding the hardships that the unprivileged and low-income layers of the society are suffering and added: “These days the simplest economic activities such as transferring money for business sectors has become a nightmare. Most of the international banks do not consider Iran for any kind of business activates and the government instead of reforming the situation has turned to censorship, diverting public mind and [secret] arrangements. According to credible reports currently the production costs have raised up to 40% due to international sanctions, which as a result has led many small and medium size business sectors to closure. According to chairman of Workers Unions more than 600 productions unites have been shutdown and thousands of workers lost their jobs. We believe that these hardships imposed on the people of the country are the outcome of the incompetence of the government officials and their adventurous and alarmist policies in international affairs. This is while in addition to the warnings of the economists inside the country, the international economists also warned that the economy of the country is in crisis and very bad shape.”

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi at the end of their meeting expressed hope that with God’s will and with the consciousness of the great nation of Iran, Iran can proudly and victoriously put these curtail and hard times behind as well.

Zahra Rahnavard on Recent Middle East Protests

After her husband put out a statement, Zahra Rahnavard also has put out a statement praising the recent uprisings in the Arab world:

Today more than any other time we witness revolutions, movements and the struggles of oppressed nations against dictatorship, economic gaps, deception, corruption and incompetence of governments. Therefore it is natural that the core goals of nations is to achieve freedom and democracy, people’s ability to determine their own destiny as well as the elimination of police and totalitarian regimes and put an end to governments’ interference in people’s personal lives.
You, the oppressed women of Egypt, Tunisia and other oppressed countries, by standing side by side your nations and by making sacrifices and resisting against tyranny and repression have opened new chapters in the history of the people’s struggles.

The Green Movement of Iran also started with a key slogan of “Where Is My Vote?” against a coup election and because of the use of violence and repression [by the totalitarian government], rapidly turned into the calls for freedom, democracy and free election as the core the diverse demands of the people.
In this unfair battle, women side by side the nation and often on the front lines sacrificed their properties, lives, children and spouses in the holy path.

Beloved youth, like Neda, Sohrab, Ashakan, Shabnam, Ali, Roholamini and many others are examples of the [Green] martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the path of freedom and defending people’s rights. Also in this path the prisons of Iran have been filled with many freedom-seeking youth - the prisons that in them they have been physically and psychologically tortured. Additionally heavy sentences of executions, imprisonments and exiles have been issued without considering the rights of those arrested and with this false assumption that these will intimidate the people and stop them from pursuing their legitimate rights.

Today we, the proud women of Iran, are honored that we are in the same front along with our brave sisters in struggling nations and stand side by side the other layers of the society and the heroic women and men of the countries suffering from dictatorship - like Egypt, Tunisia and etc. - so that sooner we all witness the triumph of freedom and democracy.

Egypt and Iran

The protests in Egypt and Tunisia have reminded me of the protests in Iran and I have also thought of two interconnected questions comparing those countries to Iran. Why has the protests in Tunisia and Egypt been largely successful in changing their regimes while the ones in Iran couldn't. Also could what is going on in Egypt inspire the Iranian people to once again rise up against their own regime.

With regards to the first question I think there are two reasons: the Revolutionary Guard and US pressure. The Iranian regime has the Revolutionary Guard which blindly follows the regime leaders and is willing to engage in the maximum level of violence to suppress the people. It seems clear that Mubarak does not have any sort of similar mass organization as a personal secret police. The only thing that crush the protests is the military and they have said that they are not willing to do Mubarak's dirty work for him. Such mass demonstrations can be broken up if there is man power using violence. Mubarak does not have have that power, but the regime leaders in Iran had such an ability in 2009.

Part of the reason the army turned against Mubarak and there was not a mass crackdown like in Iran very well could be the US. While Iran did not care about the international community and especially the US, America has influence over the Egyptian regime. In particular, I don't think the Egyptian military felt that it could have created a bloodbath without alienating the US and the leaders of the military want to maintain a good relationship with the US for national security reasons. Clearly the leaders of Iran and the Revolutionary Guard did not have the same concerns so they were able to launch a massive crackdown against the people. If Mubarak launched the same sort of suppression campaign as the Iranian regime, the protests would be crushed in the face of such brutality. However, Mubarak did not have that ability so that is why Egyptians have been able to bring such change to the regime.

As a result given the Revolutionary Guard and the regime's apathy towards the international community, it is very difficult to see a similar popular uprising taking place in Iran. Change will have to come through some sort of internal uprising or possible succession crisis if Khamenei dies. The other possibility would involve such a bad economic situation so that the Revolutionary Guard thugs no longer get pain enough to do the regime's dirty work. I still hold out hope that change can come to Iran and you never know what can happen.

One final connection that I see between Egypt and Iran is that many people are comparing this moment to the 1979 revolution in Iran. There are clear similarities with a pro-American aging leader facing a popular uprising against his rule. Of course the nightmare scenario is that radical Islamists will take over Egypt threatening peace with Israel and the stability of the region. I think as an Iranian, I worry about this more than the average Egyptian or even American because it happened in Iran. However, there does not seem like there is a charismatic Khomeini type leader and the protests have not been grounded in Islam so perhaps such concerns are overblown. Hopefully the people of Egypt and Iran will both soon be free and living in democratic societies.