2009 Iranian election protests
Encyclopedia
Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election
against the disputed victory of Iran
ian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi
and Mehdi Karroubi
occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13, 2009. The protests were given several titles by their proponents including Green Revolution, Green Wave or Sea of Green, reflecting presidential candidate Mousavi's campaign color, and also Persian Awakening. The creation of the Iranian Green Movement was developed during these protests. The events have also been nicknamed the "Twitter Revolution" because of the protesters' reliance on Twitter
and other social-networking Internet sites to communicate with each other. Islamic politician Ata'ollah Mohajerani
blasted the election as "the end of the Islamic Republic". In response to the protests, other groups rallied in Tehran
to support Ahmadinejad.
Widespread editorial analyses assert that the 2009 election marks the official end of the Islamic Republic
and the beginning of the Islamic emirate or an imamate regime. All three opposition candidates claimed that the votes were manipulated and the election was rigged, and candidates Mohsen Rezaee
and Mousavi have lodged official complaints. Mousavi announced that he "won't surrender to this manipulation" before lodging an official appeal against the result to the Guardian Council
on June 14.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
declared the unprecedented voter turnout and coinciding religious holidays as a "divine assessment" and urged the nation to unite, but later ostensibly ordered an investigation into the claims of voting fraud and irregularities as per the request of the Green movement leaders. Mousavi is not optimistic about his appeal, saying that many of the group's members "during the election were not impartial". Ahmadinejad called the election "completely free" and the outcome "a great victory" for Iran, dismissing the protests as little more than "passions after a soccer match".
Police and the Basij
, a paramilitary group suppressed both peaceful demonstrating and rioting using batons, pepper spray, sticks and, in some cases, firearms. The Iranian government has confirmed the deaths of 36 people during the protests, while unconfirmed reports by supporters of Mousavi allege that there have been 72 deaths (twice as many) in the three months following the disputed election. Iranian authorities have closed universities in Tehran, blocked web sites, blocked cell phone transmissions and text messaging, and banned rallies.
Protests
erupted again in February 2011, concurrent with the Arab Spring
.
The election of the president of Iran in 2009
was preceded by many Iranian surveys and a survey by the US-based Terror Free Tomorrow organization. The Terror Free Tomorrow opinion poll, conducted from 11 May to 20 May 2009 predicted the high participation and showed similar ratios for the candidates to the later official result, with over a quarter yet undecided. The many Iranian surveys show a wide range of differing results. An opinion in the New York Times claims that this is due to the high fluctuation among voters during the campaign season.
The election for presidency took place on 12 June 2009. Unlike the election in 2005
, the 2009 election featured high participation. The results of the elections were announced only 2 hours after the end of the votes, which may seem impossible. The official results were rejected by all three opposition candidates, who claimed that the votes were manipulated and the election was rigged. The last presidential election had already been controversial, but this time it escalated. Candidates Mohsen Rezaee
and Mousavi have lodged official complaints. Mousavi announced that he "won't surrender to this manipulation" before lodging an official appeal against the result to the Guardian Council
on 14 June.
The Supreme Leader of Iran
, Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei
, declared the unprecedented voter turnout and coinciding religious holidays as a "divine assessment", and urged the nation to unite, and later ordered an investigation into the claims of vote fraud. Referring to Mousavi's appeal letter about the irregularities, Khamenei said that "the Guardian Council has been emphasized to carry out investigation into this letter carefully," and probe allegations of electoral fraud
. Mousavi is not optimistic about his appeal, saying that many of the group's members "during the election were not impartial". Ahmadinejad called the election "completely free" and the outcome "a great victory" for Iran, dismissing the protests as little more than "passions after a soccer match".
According to an analysis by Professor Walter R. Mebane, Jr. from the Department of Statistics of the University of Michigan
, considering data from the first stage of the 2005 presidential election produces results that "give moderately strong support for a diagnosis that the 2009 election was affected by significant fraud".
The UK-based think-tank Chatham House also suspected fraud in the voting process for a number of reasons:
In response, a report was authored by Reza Esfandiari and Yousef Bozorgmehr that concluded the Chatham House report to be flawed - their analysis suggested that the results of the election comport to a natural outcome, allowing for the possibility of some fraud at the local level.
paramilitary group raided Tehran University, injuring many. On 15 June millions of protesters marched on Azadi street and Mousavi made his first post-election appearance.
On 16 June, protests continued, and the Guardian Council
announced a partial recount would be conducted; however, the vote was not annulled. On Wednesday 17 June another large protest occurred; some members of the Iranian national football team wore green wristbands in support of Mousavi during their game against South Korea. On Thursday, 18 June more than 100,000 protesters held a candlelight vigil in Tehran following Mousavi's call for a day of mourning for those killed in protests. The Guardian Council invited the three major challengers to meet to discuss their grievances.
On Friday, 19 June Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini spoke during religious services, saying the election was legitimate called the large voter turnout and resulting victory (for Ahmadinejad) a "divine assessment" and protests would no longer be tolerated. However, the opposition did not accept this, and the protests occurred albeit on a smaller scale. The next day, 20 June fewer protesters took to streets. At the protests that did occur, said to number in the tens of thousands of people, much violence occurred, causing many would-be protesters to stay in their homes the next day, Sunday, 21 June. On 20 June a young Iranian woman, identified as Neda Agha-Soltan, was shot by the Basij
and died in front of cameras on Kargar Avenue in Tehran. Highly graphic amateur videos of the killing rapidly spread virally
across the internet after being posted to Facebook
and YouTube
. On 22 June riot police broke up the main rally in Tehran with tear gas and live fire into the air.
During Friday, prayers broadcast live on television on 26 June Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami is reported to have said that "Anybody who fights against the Islamic system or the leader of Islamic society, fight him until complete destruction". and called for the execution of leading demonstrators as they are "people who wage war against God".
On Monday, 29 June 2009, the Guardian Council certified the results of the controversial election. This set off a wave of protests, disregarding the Iranian government's ban on street marches. The Iranian intelligence chief alleged that western and "Zionist" forces were responsible for inciting the protests. Four of the nine British officials arrested on 28 June 2009 remain in custody under those charges.
Late July, protest had reportedly entered a "Phase II", using tactics such as the boycott of goods advertised on state-controlled television; attempting to deny power to state-run TV evening news broadcasts by turning on all electric appliances just before the news; "blitz" street demonstrations "lasting just long enough to chant `Death to the dictator!` several times", but not long enough for security forces to arrive; identifying paramilitary Basij
vigilantes linked to the crackdown and putting marks in the opposition color green, or pictures of protest victims in front of their homes; scribbled anti-regime slogans on money. The new protest is reportedly based on the idea of Mohandas Gandhi that "even the most powerful cannot rule without the cooperation of the ruled."
On 5 August, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in for his second term as President of Iran in an official inauguration in Tehran. Protests were held outside the Parliament during the inauguration, with protesters chanting "death to the dictator".
Major protests would continue after the inauguration as well. Among the largest were protests which were held on Iranian holidays, such as Quds Day on 18 September, 13th of Aban on 4 November and Iranian Students Day on 7 December.
Another wave of protests
occurred following these election protests across Iran in 2011.
, the government arrested over 170 people, according to police officials. Among them were prominent reformist politicians, including MIRO
founder Behzad Nabavi
, IIPF
leader Mohsen Mirdamadi
, and former president Mohammad Khatami
's brother Mohammad-Reza Khatami, who was later released. Also arrested were Mostafa Tajzadeh
and Mohsen Aminzadeh
, whom the IRNA said were involved in orchestrating protests on 13 June. Unidentified sources said that the police stormed the headquarters of the IIPF and arrested a number of people. Iranian journalist Mashallah Shamsolvaezin
claimed that presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi
was put under house arrest, although officials denied this. An estimated 200 people were detained after clashes with students at the University of Tehran
, although many were later released.
Acting Police Chief Ahmad-Reza Radan
stated via the state press service on 14 June that "in the interrogation of related rebels, we intend to find the link between the plotters and foreign media". A judiciary spokesman said they had not been arrested but that they were summoned, "warned not to increase tension", and later released. Intelligence minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei
linked some arrests to terrorism supported from outside Iran, stating that "more than 20 explosive consignments were discovered". Others, he said, were "counter-revolutionary groups [who had] penetrated election headquarters" of the election candidates.
Relatives of several detained protesters have confirmed that the interrogation of prisoners is now being headed by Saeed Mortazavi
, a figure already known for alleged involvement in brutal interrogations and torture.
Mojtaba Khamenei
, the second son of Ayatollah Khamenei, has emerged as one of the driving forces behind the government's crackdown, diplomats and observers said. He is reported to have a strong influence over his father and is talked about as his possible successor. Mojtaba is affiliated with current Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
On 16 June, Reuters reported that former vice-president Mohammad-Ali Abtahi and former presidential advisor Saeed Hajjarian
had been arrested. Human rights lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani
, who had been demanding a recount of all votes, was also arrested on that Tuesday according to Shirin Ebadi
, who said that security officials had posed as clients. Over 100 students were arrested after security forces fired tear gas at protesters at Shiraz University
on the same day. Reporters Without Borders
reported that 5 of 11 arrested journalists were still in detention as of 16 June, and that a further 10 journalists were unaccounted for and may have been arrested.
On 17 June, former foreign minister and Secretary-General of the Freedom Movement of Iran
, Ebrahim Yazdi
, was arrested while undergoing tests at the Tehran hospital. In Tabriz
, other Freedom Movement activists and eight members of the IIPF were arrested, with reports of at least 100 civic figures' arrests. The total number of arrests across Iran since the election was reported as 500.
Aaron Rhodes
, a spokesman for the international campaign for human rights in Iran, stated that "Iranian intelligence and security forces are using the public protests to engage in what appears to be a major purge of reform-oriented individuals whose situations in detention could be life-threatening".
In Esfahan Province
, prosecutor-general Mohammadreza Habibi warned that dissidents could face the death penalty under Islamic law. He also accused the protesters of being a "few elements controlled by foreigners [who were] disrupting security by inciting individuals to destroy and to commit arson" and urged them to stop their "criminal activities". It was not clear if his warning applied only to Isfahan or to the country as a whole.
On 20 June Committee to Protect Journalists
reported that LIFE Magazine
photographer Amir Sadeghi was arrested by Iranian authorities. According to CPJ
report, he released from Evin Prison
on 28 June.
On 21 June Iranian officials detained Iranian-born, Canadian citizen and Newsweek
journalist Maziar Bahari
. He was later forced to confess in a series of trials for the detained protesters.
On 22 June The Guardian
s live blog reported that at approximately 1:30 pm, General Ali Fazli, the newly appointed commander of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran province, has been arrested for refusing to carry Khamenei's order to use force against demonstrators.
On August 11, 2009, the Iranian government confirmed that 4000 were detained in the protests
members were filmed firing into crowds and breaking into houses. A number of hospital staff protested after people have been transported to the hospitals dead or in critical condition with gunshot wounds. The IRG and the Basij also attacked Universities and students' dorms at night, and destroyed property.
The Los Angeles Times
reported that militiamen from the hard-line Iran-based Ansar-e Hezbollah group "warned that they would be patrolling the streets to maintain law and order".
attracted widespread media attention, The Guardian
is also maintaining a list of numerous other people who have ostensibly been either killed or arrested since the election. The government has issued very little official information on who has been killed or arrested (except Neda Agha-Soltan, whose video circulated quickly on the internet). Hospitals were prohibited from registering the dead bodies or injured people, as a medical student at Rasoul-Akram hospital witnessed on the night of June 15: "Nine people died at our hospital and another 28 had gunshot wounds... [the government] removed the dead bodies on back of trucks, before we were even able to get their names or other information... No one was allowed to speak to the wounded or get any information from them." Hospital staff protested due to the restrictions. The government admitted to at least 27 fatalities in Tehran, while CNN and other news organizations reported 150 unconfirmed casualties from June 20 protests. International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
counted 34 of them, claiming to have eyewitness reports of much higher numbers. Human rights activists in Iran called for independently collecting information about the killed, injured and arrested people.
Among those who are killed by the government forces, names such as Sohrab Aarabi
, Naser Amirnejad, Masoud Hashemzadeh and Mohammad Kamrani are confirmed. Among them, the death of Sohrab Aarabi received special news attention, after Mousavi and Karroubi visited his family.
The families of those who died were allegedly subjected to penalties and bureaucratic red tape
, such as being asked to sign paperwork that they do not have complaints against the government prior to being allowed to claim bodies. When the death was due to gunshot wounds, some were reportedly asked to pay a $3,000 fee, ostensibly for the bullet used by security forces. Restrictions on burial locations have also been reported, and the Iranian government did not permit a memorial service for Neda Agha-Soltan. Time magazine speculates that the Shi'ite cycle of mourning
on the third (June 23), seventh (June 27) and 40th (July 30) day after a person's death may give the protests sustained momentum, similar fashion to what occurred during the 1979 Iranian Revolution
.
In September 2010, a Twitter user called "Sarbaz01" published on Peyke-Iran website a list of 150 people killed by the Islamic regime from June 2009 to June 2010.
Former chairman of Iranian parliament Mehdi Karroubi
stated that male and female prisoners have been raped in the prison and their genitals were torn but it is not proved yet. He asked the head of the assembly to investigate the issue in a letter to the head of Assembly of Experts
. Iran's police chief, Gen. Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, acknowledged that the prisoners had been abused and raped.
Additionally, several of the detained died while in prison. Authorities claimed that the deaths were caused by "pre-existing conditions", however, examinations of the bodies showed signs of torture, including broken bones, finger nails torn off, and rape.
Iranian film maker Reza Allamehzadeh
made a documentary about Azar Al-Kanan, a prominent Iranian human rights activist and former political prisoner in Iran who became one of the victims of torture, sexual abuse, and finally, rape. The documentary was released after ex-chairman of Iranian parliament Mehdi Karroubi called for investigation of sexual abuse of protesters in prisons by Iranian police and the judicial system, both under the responsibility of the Supreme Leader. Karroubi's letter angered conservatives and the head of Iranian parliament Ali Larijani and senior cleric and representative of the supreme leader, Ahmad Khatami
denied the reports of sexual abuse. Following the denials, on August 16, 2009, Fereshteh Ghazi
, in an article in Rooz, wrote her story and described the torture and sexual violence in Iranian prison.
Testimonies of victims of rapes by the Islamic regime's agents in jail can be downloaded here : http://seculardemocracyiran.blogspot.com/2010/07/many-people-were-tortured-by-regime.html
's offices in Tehran were closed on 14 June for a week by Iranian authorities, who gave no explanation for the decision. NBC News
offices in Tehran were raided, with cameras and other equipment confiscated. Meanwhile, the director of BBC World Service
accused the Iranian Government of jamming its broadcasts to the country. Peter Horrocks said audiences in Iran, the Middle East and Europe had been affected by an electronic block on satellites used to broadcast the BBC Persian Television signal to Iran, adding: "It seems to be part of a pattern of behaviour by the Iranian authorities to limit the reporting of the aftermath of the disputed election". A BBC corporate official has referred to the network's conflict with the regime as 'electronic warfare
'.
On 15 June, Belgian
national television reporter Jef Lambrecht from the Flemish
public television broadcaster VRT
and his sound technician, were arrested in Tehran. They had been doing a story on the riots, and had gotten caught in the middle of the violence. While Lambrechts had taken a punch, Vandervorst was arrested by riot police. When Lambrecht went to check where Vandervorst was being taken, he was promptly arrested as well. Both were taken to the Ministry of Information and detained in the basement. They were both released after two hours with strict instructions not to make any photos or film recordings of the protests. At the same time, two Dutch reporters from Nova were also arrested and deported.
On 16 June, the Ministry of Culture
issued a directive banning all foreign media from leaving their offices. This directive stipulated that international news outlets could still talk about rallies in their live reports, however they were not allowed to leave their hotel rooms and offices to witness the protests. Iranian government-run television was not affected by the restrictions. On 20 June, the Ministry of Culture intensified the restrictions by banning international media from reporting on the demonstrations altogether unless they received permission from Iranian authorities.
On 5 August, the Association of Iranian Journalists was forcibly closed when its offices in Tehran were raided by government security forces. The International Federation of Journalists
released a statement criticizing the Iranian government for the forcible closure of the Association of Iranian Journalists and calling for freedom of the press.
BBC correspondent John Simpson was arrested, his material confiscated, and then released. Reporters from the Italian public television broadcaster RAI
stated that one of its interpreters was beaten with clubs by riot police and the officers then confiscated the cameraman's tapes. ABC News
reporter Jim Sciutto has also had material taken. People from the German public broadcasters ZDF
and ARD
have been harassed as well, with men carrying batons and knives reportedly storming the ARD
's Tehran office and taking the technician for further questioning (who was released the day after).
Ahmadinejad responded to civil liberties concerns by stating Iranians enjoyed
"absolute freedom" of speech. "Don't worry about freedom in Iran ... Newspapers come and go and reappear. Don't worry about it."
On 5 July 2009 the Sunday Times reported that the Iranian state media have been transmitting “confessions” by demonstrators against the alleged rigging of the presidential vote claiming they did so under the influence of the Voice of America, the BBC and other foreign media agencies. Their faces have been obscured in the TV broadcasts which the newspaper claims, after speaking to witnesses, is due to facial bruising resulting from torture whilst in custody including several instances of male rape.
On Saturday following the elections, Mir-Hossein Mousavi's supporters started DDoS attacks against president Ahmadinejad's site and exchanged attack tools through sites such as Facebook
and Twitter
. After the attacks, the government stopped internet access. On 13 June as the election results were being announced, Iran shut down all Internet access for about 45 minutes, then restarted it apparently with lower bandwidth
; this may have been in order to set up filters to block sites like YouTube
that could be used for political purposes. When thousands of opposition supporters clashed with the police on 13 June, Facebook
was filtered again. Some news websites were also blocked by the Iranian authorities. Mobile phone services including text messaging also had stopped or had become very difficult to use since the day before the election. Specifically, all websites affiliated with the BBC
were shut off, as well as those affiliated with The Guardian
. Iranian internet users used social media to trade lists of open web proxy servers
as means to get around the restrictions, but the Iranian authorities monitoring these media gradually blocked these proxies, so that after two weeks very few proxies were still working in Iran. Associated Press
labeled the actions as "ominous measures apparently seeking to undercut liberal voices". An anti-censorship software that was widely used and proven effective was freegate
developed by Global Internet Freedom Consortium
. The software was developed by oversea Chinese scientists to allow mainland Chinese users to break through the "great firewall" in China, but was found to be also very effective in Iran.
Iran was known to operate one of the world’s most sophisticated Web filtering systems, with widespread blockades on specific Web sites. During the protests, this has been intensified dramatically.
which directed $10 million towards groups opposed to the Iranian Government.
In 2007, ABC news
reported that U.S. president George W. Bush
had authorized a $400 million CIA covert operation to destabilize Iran. George W. Bush signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions.
In 2008, journalist Seymour M. Hersh reported in The New Yorker
that " Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran" and "the President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country’s religious leadership."
In an article in the U.S. Foreign Policy Journal, the question of whether there was U.S. involvement in fomenting unrest during the election was: "given the record of U.S. interference in the state affairs of Iran and clear policy of regime change, it certainly seems possible, even likely, that the U.S. had a significant role to play in helping to bring about the recent turmoil in an effort to undermine the government of the Islamic Republic." The article also quoted evidence concerning interference by the U.S. based Twitter
, asserting that “in terms of involving the huge Iranian diaspora and everyone else with a grudge against Ahmadinejad, it has been very successful.”
On 1 June 2009, Haaretz
reported that Israeli foreign ministry was organizing a public relations campaign 'to show the world that Iran is not a Western democracy'. In a classified telegram titled 'Activities in the Run-up to Iran's Presidential Election' issued to Israeli diplomats abroad, it listed actions which they were supposed to do before, during, and after the election in order to 'blacken Iran's international reputation'.
On 26 August 2009, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei released a statement through Iranian state television. He said that although he did not believe opposition leaders were working as agents of foreign governments, he did believe that the protests were organized and planned, possibly without the knowledge of the Iranian political opposition. He said that "This plot was defeated, since fortunately our enemies still do not understand the issue in Iran", specifically pointing to foreign involvement in the protests.
On 16 June, Der Spiegel
cited Voice of America
as reporting that the Iranian government had recruited as many as 5,000 Lebanese
Hezbollah fighters to clash with protesters. On 19 June CNN
reported that, according to media reports and online chatter, the Basij "seem to have added some Arabic-speaking members -- suspected of being [Lebanese] Hezbollah fighters." In response, a spokesman for Hezbollah denied any involvement with the turmoil in Iran and stated that Hezbollah is not taking sides in what it considers to be an internal Iranian affair.
On 17 June the Jerusalem Post quoted two Iranian protesters who stated that "Palestinian forces" (which the article states are members of Hamas
) were working with the Basij in helping crush the protests. A Jerusalem-based reporter for WorldNet Daily asked multiple Hamas officials to comment on this accusation, including spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, parliamentarian Mushir-al-Masri, and top Gaza political advisor Ahmed Yousef
. All Hamas officials strongly denied any Hamas involvement in responding to the Iranian election protests and called the accusations "completely untrue", questioning why the Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces would require help from Hamas.
On Muslim cable TV show Ali Mallah, Vice President of the Canadian Arab Federation
(CAF) endorsed the election of President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and stated that Western governments, “starting with the US and France” had been working to unseat Ahmedinejad, and further criticized the “dehumanizing Ahmedinejad in the ugliest terms.” Mallah stated that “They [Western media] were really preparing the stage to really distort the truth about the outcome of the result even before the election was announced and that shows their questionable interests.” Finally, Mallah accused Western internet service providers of aiding and helping the Iranian opposition, claiming that “The videos and emails coming from inside Tehran are being supported by [American] Internet Service Providers.”
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. The invitation was signed by 42 scholars. The event was scheduled for 22–24 July 2009. Iranian journalist and writer, Akbar Ganji
, spearheaded the strike to call for the release of all those who have been arrested in Iran following the protests.
Among the intellectuals that signed the invitation are: Abdolkarim Soroush
, Hamid Dabashi
, Mohsen Makhmalbaf
, Abdol Ali Bazargan and Janet Afary
. Among the supporters of the initiative are Reza Baraheni
and pop singers Ebrahim Hamedi, Googoosh
and Shohreh Aghdashlou. US citizen Noam Chomsky
was present at the hunger strike.
A number of Iranians organized a two day strike at Brandenburger Tor in Berlin
, Germany. The event was scheduled for 24–25 July 2009. The invitation had a list of over twenty people as strikers so far and a considerable list of supporters. Among the strikers was Daryush Shokof
.
The number of cities joining the Iranian global hunger strike reached over fifty with Toronto, Vancouver, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, as well as Italy, Australia, and Ireland.
The hunger strikes are for freedom of all Iranian political prisoners and for "not" recognizing the presidential elections and its president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009.
Robert Redford
joined and supported the hunger strike in Washington on 20 July.
has described the overall reaction by the international community to the 2009 Iranian presidential election
as "muted". Mir-Hossein Mousavi
has not asked for any kind of foreign assistance or called on other leaders to comment. His spokesperson, Mohsen Makhmalbaf
, has criticized U.S. President Barack Obama
for maintaining that the difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi "may not be as great as has been advertised." Makhmalbaf retorted, "Does he like it himself [when someone is] saying that there is no difference between Obama and [George W.] Bush?" He also said that other nations must "not recognize the government of Ahmadinejad as a legitimate government" and that "it's not only an internal matter- it's an international problem".
However, in international popular culture, the protest has "morphed in the global consciousness, to the point that U2
and Madonna
have adopted the cause of Iranian democracy," according to the New York Times Protesters have gathered in cities all over the world to protest the violence and election results. One of the largest protests was organized by United For Iran and held on 25 July 2009 in over 100 cities all over the world.
Although the 2009 Iranian presidential election was widely disputed, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sent a traditional congratulatory message to Ahmadinejad upon his inauguration. He kept silent over the request of Shirin Ebadi
to visit Iran after the crackdown on peaceful post-election protests by the Iranian police. During the election protests, more than 4000 were arrested and nearly 70 were killed (with some sources, including Mohsen Kadivar
, citing hundreds of killed), some while being held in prison. In another incident, prominent activisit Akbar Ganji
went hunger strike for three days in front of the UN. The incident was followed by an official request by more than 200 intellectuals, human rights activists and reformist politicians in Iran for a reaction from the UN. Ban, however, took no action to help end the violence in Iran.
About eight players in the Iran national football team
playing in their World Cup qualifier
wore green wristbands in support for Mousavi for the first half of their game. During the break, they were ordered to remove them, seven of the eight complied. They were subsequently suspended.
A group of Iranian "artists and writers in exile" published an open letter in support of the protests. Significant protests have been held in major cities all throughout the world. Demonstrators in Los Angeles have protested daily calling not only for election reform but complete regime change. Demonstrators have been seen holding signs stating, "No Ahmadi(nejad), no Mousavi, no Islamic Republic!," "No more Islamic Republic."
reported that supporters of Mousavi have enlisted religious symbolism on their side. This directly appeals to the notion of injustice and redemption at the heart of Shia Islam.
Protesters have deliberately dressed modestly. The marches in Tehran saw women in chador
s and turbaned clerics, some of whom were seen thronging Mousavi's car during the June 15 rally at Revolution Square. According to Anna Johnson of Associated Press, conservative women in black chadors have joined the liberal youth for the common goal of trying to get their voices heard. The Time
reported that some protestors believed they had a religious duty to protest.
Protesters have also made use of slogans such as "Allahu Akbar" (a common Islamic Arabic saying that translates to "God is great") from the revolutionary era. Protestors on Twitter have urged marchers to carry copies of the Qur'an
with them, citing its verses bringing about peace. When mourning the deaths of slain protestors, the marchers chanted "Peace be upon (Prophet) Mohammed
and his family
."
A bystander, Neda Agha-Soltan, who was killed by authorities, has been mythologised by the opposition as a martyr. The status of a martyr is revered in Shia Islam. To prevent this from happening, the authorities have tried to call off funeral services for her, which according to Shia Islam, must be held on the third, seventh and 40th day after the martyr's passing. Robert Tait and Matthew Weaver of the Guardian noted that it was funeral procession
s on the 40th day of mourning
of fallen protesters in 1979 that created momentum in toppling the shah's regime
. The idea of martyrdom resonates deeply amongst the Shiite Muslim population of Iran. The Shiite faith was founded on the idea of self-sacrifice in the cause of justice.
Iranian presidential election, 2009
Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election...
against the disputed victory of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the seventy-ninth and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a Reformist candidate for the 2009 presidential election and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election...
and Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13, 2009. The protests were given several titles by their proponents including Green Revolution, Green Wave or Sea of Green, reflecting presidential candidate Mousavi's campaign color, and also Persian Awakening. The creation of the Iranian Green Movement was developed during these protests. The events have also been nicknamed the "Twitter Revolution" because of the protesters' reliance on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and other social-networking Internet sites to communicate with each other. Islamic politician Ata'ollah Mohajerani
Ata'ollah Mohajerani
Ata'ollah Mohajerani , , is an Iranian historian, politician, journalist, and author. Ata`ollah Mohajerani served as Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran under reformist President Mohammad Khatami until 2000 when he was resigned from office for alleged permissiveness."-Overview:Dr...
blasted the election as "the end of the Islamic Republic". In response to the protests, other groups rallied in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
to support Ahmadinejad.
Widespread editorial analyses assert that the 2009 election marks the official end of the Islamic Republic
History of the Islamic Republic of Iran
One of the most dramatic changes in government in Iran's history was seen with the 1979 Iranian Revolution where Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown and replaced by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...
and the beginning of the Islamic emirate or an imamate regime. All three opposition candidates claimed that the votes were manipulated and the election was rigged, and candidates Mohsen Rezaee
Mohsen Rezaee
Mohsen Rezaee Mirgha'ed, also spelled Rezai and Rezaie , born Sabzevar Rezaee Mirgha'ed , is an Iranian politician, economist and former military commander, currently the Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran...
and Mousavi have lodged official complaints. Mousavi announced that he "won't surrender to this manipulation" before lodging an official appeal against the result to the Guardian Council
Guardian Council
The Guardian Council of the Constitution , also known as the Guardian Council or Council of Guardians, is an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran....
on June 14.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Ali Khamenei
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i is the Supreme Leader of Iran and the figurative head of the Muslim conservative establishment in Iran and Twelver Shi'a marja...
declared the unprecedented voter turnout and coinciding religious holidays as a "divine assessment" and urged the nation to unite, but later ostensibly ordered an investigation into the claims of voting fraud and irregularities as per the request of the Green movement leaders. Mousavi is not optimistic about his appeal, saying that many of the group's members "during the election were not impartial". Ahmadinejad called the election "completely free" and the outcome "a great victory" for Iran, dismissing the protests as little more than "passions after a soccer match".
Police and the Basij
Basij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
, a paramilitary group suppressed both peaceful demonstrating and rioting using batons, pepper spray, sticks and, in some cases, firearms. The Iranian government has confirmed the deaths of 36 people during the protests, while unconfirmed reports by supporters of Mousavi allege that there have been 72 deaths (twice as many) in the three months following the disputed election. Iranian authorities have closed universities in Tehran, blocked web sites, blocked cell phone transmissions and text messaging, and banned rallies.
Protests
2011 Iranian protests
The 2011 Iranian protests are a series of demonstrations across Iran which began on 14 February 2011, called "The Day of Rage". The protests followed the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests and were influenced by other concurrent protests in the region...
erupted again in February 2011, concurrent with the Arab Spring
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...
.
Background
Iranian presidential election, 2009
Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election...
was preceded by many Iranian surveys and a survey by the US-based Terror Free Tomorrow organization. The Terror Free Tomorrow opinion poll, conducted from 11 May to 20 May 2009 predicted the high participation and showed similar ratios for the candidates to the later official result, with over a quarter yet undecided. The many Iranian surveys show a wide range of differing results. An opinion in the New York Times claims that this is due to the high fluctuation among voters during the campaign season.
The election for presidency took place on 12 June 2009. Unlike the election in 2005
Iranian presidential election, 2005
Iran's ninth presidential election took place in two rounds, the first on June 17, 2005, the run-off on June 24. Mohammad Khatami, the previous President of Iran, stepped down on August 2, 2005, after serving his maximum two consecutive four-year terms according to the Islamic Republic's constitution...
, the 2009 election featured high participation. The results of the elections were announced only 2 hours after the end of the votes, which may seem impossible. The official results were rejected by all three opposition candidates, who claimed that the votes were manipulated and the election was rigged. The last presidential election had already been controversial, but this time it escalated. Candidates Mohsen Rezaee
Mohsen Rezaee
Mohsen Rezaee Mirgha'ed, also spelled Rezai and Rezaie , born Sabzevar Rezaee Mirgha'ed , is an Iranian politician, economist and former military commander, currently the Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran...
and Mousavi have lodged official complaints. Mousavi announced that he "won't surrender to this manipulation" before lodging an official appeal against the result to the Guardian Council
Guardian Council
The Guardian Council of the Constitution , also known as the Guardian Council or Council of Guardians, is an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran....
on 14 June.
The Supreme Leader of Iran
Supreme Leader of Iran
The Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The post was established by the constitution in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
, Ayatollah
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Ali Khamenei
Ali Khamenei
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i is the Supreme Leader of Iran and the figurative head of the Muslim conservative establishment in Iran and Twelver Shi'a marja...
, declared the unprecedented voter turnout and coinciding religious holidays as a "divine assessment", and urged the nation to unite, and later ordered an investigation into the claims of vote fraud. Referring to Mousavi's appeal letter about the irregularities, Khamenei said that "the Guardian Council has been emphasized to carry out investigation into this letter carefully," and probe allegations of electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
. Mousavi is not optimistic about his appeal, saying that many of the group's members "during the election were not impartial". Ahmadinejad called the election "completely free" and the outcome "a great victory" for Iran, dismissing the protests as little more than "passions after a soccer match".
According to an analysis by Professor Walter R. Mebane, Jr. from the Department of Statistics of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, considering data from the first stage of the 2005 presidential election produces results that "give moderately strong support for a diagnosis that the 2009 election was affected by significant fraud".
The UK-based think-tank Chatham House also suspected fraud in the voting process for a number of reasons:
| Reason | Description |
|---|---|
| More than 100% | In two Conservative provinces, Mazandaran and Yazd, a turnout of more than 100% was recorded. |
| No swing | At a provincial level, there is no correlation between the increased turnout, and the swing to Ahmadinejad. This challenges the notion that his victory was due to the massive participation of a previously silent Conservative majority. |
| Reformist votes | In a third of all provinces, the official results would require that Ahmadinejad took not only all former conservative voters, and all former centrist voters, and all new voters, but also took up to 44% of former Reformist voters, despite a decade of conflict between these two groups. |
| Rural votes | In 2005, as in 2001 and 1997, conservative candidates, and Ahmadinejad in particular, were markedly unpopular in rural areas. The claim that this year Ahmadinejad swept the board in more rural provinces in 2009 flies in the face of these trends. |
In response, a report was authored by Reza Esfandiari and Yousef Bozorgmehr that concluded the Chatham House report to be flawed - their analysis suggested that the results of the election comport to a natural outcome, allowing for the possibility of some fraud at the local level.
Timeline
On Saturday 13 June after election results announced that Ahmadinejad had won, supporters of Mousavi took to the streets to protest. The next day, protests grew, as did violence. On the night of 14 June the pro-Ahmadinejad BasijBasij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
paramilitary group raided Tehran University, injuring many. On 15 June millions of protesters marched on Azadi street and Mousavi made his first post-election appearance.
On 16 June, protests continued, and the Guardian Council
Guardian Council
The Guardian Council of the Constitution , also known as the Guardian Council or Council of Guardians, is an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran....
announced a partial recount would be conducted; however, the vote was not annulled. On Wednesday 17 June another large protest occurred; some members of the Iranian national football team wore green wristbands in support of Mousavi during their game against South Korea. On Thursday, 18 June more than 100,000 protesters held a candlelight vigil in Tehran following Mousavi's call for a day of mourning for those killed in protests. The Guardian Council invited the three major challengers to meet to discuss their grievances.
On Friday, 19 June Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini spoke during religious services, saying the election was legitimate called the large voter turnout and resulting victory (for Ahmadinejad) a "divine assessment" and protests would no longer be tolerated. However, the opposition did not accept this, and the protests occurred albeit on a smaller scale. The next day, 20 June fewer protesters took to streets. At the protests that did occur, said to number in the tens of thousands of people, much violence occurred, causing many would-be protesters to stay in their homes the next day, Sunday, 21 June. On 20 June a young Iranian woman, identified as Neda Agha-Soltan, was shot by the Basij
Basij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
and died in front of cameras on Kargar Avenue in Tehran. Highly graphic amateur videos of the killing rapidly spread virally
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
across the internet after being posted to Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. On 22 June riot police broke up the main rally in Tehran with tear gas and live fire into the air.
During Friday, prayers broadcast live on television on 26 June Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami is reported to have said that "Anybody who fights against the Islamic system or the leader of Islamic society, fight him until complete destruction". and called for the execution of leading demonstrators as they are "people who wage war against God".
On Monday, 29 June 2009, the Guardian Council certified the results of the controversial election. This set off a wave of protests, disregarding the Iranian government's ban on street marches. The Iranian intelligence chief alleged that western and "Zionist" forces were responsible for inciting the protests. Four of the nine British officials arrested on 28 June 2009 remain in custody under those charges.
Late July, protest had reportedly entered a "Phase II", using tactics such as the boycott of goods advertised on state-controlled television; attempting to deny power to state-run TV evening news broadcasts by turning on all electric appliances just before the news; "blitz" street demonstrations "lasting just long enough to chant `Death to the dictator!` several times", but not long enough for security forces to arrive; identifying paramilitary Basij
Basij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
vigilantes linked to the crackdown and putting marks in the opposition color green, or pictures of protest victims in front of their homes; scribbled anti-regime slogans on money. The new protest is reportedly based on the idea of Mohandas Gandhi that "even the most powerful cannot rule without the cooperation of the ruled."
On 5 August, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in for his second term as President of Iran in an official inauguration in Tehran. Protests were held outside the Parliament during the inauguration, with protesters chanting "death to the dictator".
Major protests would continue after the inauguration as well. Among the largest were protests which were held on Iranian holidays, such as Quds Day on 18 September, 13th of Aban on 4 November and Iranian Students Day on 7 December.
Another wave of protests
2011 Iranian protests
The 2011 Iranian protests are a series of demonstrations across Iran which began on 14 February 2011, called "The Day of Rage". The protests followed the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests and were influenced by other concurrent protests in the region...
occurred following these election protests across Iran in 2011.
Arrests
On the weekend of 13/14 June, in a series of raids across TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, the government arrested over 170 people, according to police officials. Among them were prominent reformist politicians, including MIRO
Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization
Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization , sometimes abbreviated to MIRO, is a reformist Iranian political organization. It is a small yet influential organization, and participates in political activities similar to a political party...
founder Behzad Nabavi
Behzad Nabavi
Behzad Nabavi is an Iranian politician. He served as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Iran and was one of the founders of the reformist party Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization...
, IIPF
Islamic Iran Participation Front
The Islamic Iran Participation Front is a reformist political party in Iran...
leader Mohsen Mirdamadi
Mohsen Mirdamadi
Mohsen Mirdamadi, was an organizer of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, a member of the parliament of Iran from 2000-2004, and the "head of the largest pro-reform party" in Iran, Islamic Iran Participation Front since 2006....
, and former president Mohammad Khatami
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar, philosopher, Shiite theologian and Reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture in both the 1980s and 1990s...
's brother Mohammad-Reza Khatami, who was later released. Also arrested were Mostafa Tajzadeh
Mostafa Tajzadeh
Seyyed Mostafa Tajzadeh is an Iranian progressive, reformist politician, and a member of Islamic Iran Participation Front .-Political career:...
and Mohsen Aminzadeh
Mohsen Aminzadeh
Mohsen Aminzadeh , born 1957 in Mashhad, Iran, is an Iranian reformist diplomat and politician. Aminzadeh was a founding member of the largest reformist party, the Islamic Iran Participation Front...
, whom the IRNA said were involved in orchestrating protests on 13 June. Unidentified sources said that the police stormed the headquarters of the IIPF and arrested a number of people. Iranian journalist Mashallah Shamsolvaezin
Mashallah Shamsolvaezin
Mashallah Shamsolvaezin is an Iranian newspaper and magazine publisher who edited many of post-revolutionary Iran's first and most widely-circulated independent newspapers, including Kayhan, Jame'eh, Neshat, and Asr-e Azadegan...
claimed that presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the seventy-ninth and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a Reformist candidate for the 2009 presidential election and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election...
was put under house arrest, although officials denied this. An estimated 200 people were detained after clashes with students at the University of Tehran
University of Tehran
The University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...
, although many were later released.
Ahmad-Reza Radan
Brigadier-General Ahmad Reza Radan is Deputy Commander of the Iranian police and as Tehran's police chief, infamous for his crackdown on "unIslamic" hair and dress style....
stated via the state press service on 14 June that "in the interrogation of related rebels, we intend to find the link between the plotters and foreign media". A judiciary spokesman said they had not been arrested but that they were summoned, "warned not to increase tension", and later released. Intelligence minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei
Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei
Hojjatol-Islam Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i was the head of the Ministry of Intelligence in Iran from 2005 to July 2009, when he was abruptly dismissed. On August 24, 2009 he was appointed prosecutor general of the country by new judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani. He has also held a number...
linked some arrests to terrorism supported from outside Iran, stating that "more than 20 explosive consignments were discovered". Others, he said, were "counter-revolutionary groups [who had] penetrated election headquarters" of the election candidates.
Relatives of several detained protesters have confirmed that the interrogation of prisoners is now being headed by Saeed Mortazavi
Saeed Mortazavi
Saeed Murtazavi is a controversial Iranian jurist and former prosecutor of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, and Prosecutor General of Tehran, a position he has held from 2003 to 2009. He has been called as "butcher of the press" and "torturer of Tehran" by some observers...
, a figure already known for alleged involvement in brutal interrogations and torture.
Mojtaba Khamenei
Mojtaba Khamenei
Mojtaba Khamenei is an Iranian hard-line cleric and the second son of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran. Mojtaba has reportedly taken control over the Basij militia being used to suppress the protests over the 2009 election and is also reported to be "being groomed" to succeed his father as...
, the second son of Ayatollah Khamenei, has emerged as one of the driving forces behind the government's crackdown, diplomats and observers said. He is reported to have a strong influence over his father and is talked about as his possible successor. Mojtaba is affiliated with current Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
On 16 June, Reuters reported that former vice-president Mohammad-Ali Abtahi and former presidential advisor Saeed Hajjarian
Saeed Hajjarian
Saeed Hajjarian is an Iranian intellectual, prominent journalist, pro-democracy activist and university lecturer. He has been an intelligence official, a member of Tehran's city council, and advisor to president Mohammad Khatami...
had been arrested. Human rights lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani
Abdolfattah Soltani
Abdolfattah Soltani is a well-known Iranian human rights lawyer, and spokesman for the Defenders of Human Rights Center, which was co-founded by the Nobel Peace Prize-winner Shirin Ebadi. He has twice been incarcerated in the Islamic Republic of Iran for political offences in 2005 and 2009...
, who had been demanding a recount of all votes, was also arrested on that Tuesday according to Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
, who said that security officials had posed as clients. Over 100 students were arrested after security forces fired tear gas at protesters at Shiraz University
Shiraz University
Shiraz University , formerly known as Pahlavi University, is a public university located in Shiraz, Iran. It is one of the major universities of Iran....
on the same day. Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
reported that 5 of 11 arrested journalists were still in detention as of 16 June, and that a further 10 journalists were unaccounted for and may have been arrested.
On 17 June, former foreign minister and Secretary-General of the Freedom Movement of Iran
Freedom Movement of Iran
The Freedom Movement of Iran is an Iranian political organization which was founded in 1961 by Mehdi Bazargan, Mahmoud Taleghani, Yadollah Sahabi, Mostafa Chamran, Ali Shariati, Sadegh Ghotbzadeh and some other political or religious figures...
, Ebrahim Yazdi
Ebrahim Yazdi
Ebrahim Yazdi is an Iranian politician and diplomat who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the interim government of Mehdi Bazargan, until his resignation in November 1979, in protest to the Iran hostage crisis...
, was arrested while undergoing tests at the Tehran hospital. In Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
, other Freedom Movement activists and eight members of the IIPF were arrested, with reports of at least 100 civic figures' arrests. The total number of arrests across Iran since the election was reported as 500.
Aaron Rhodes
Aaron Rhodes
Aaron Rhodes is an international human rights activist, university lecturer and essayist based in Hamburg, Germany. He served as Executive Director of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights between 1993 and 2007, during which period the IHF was engaged inter alia in human rights...
, a spokesman for the international campaign for human rights in Iran, stated that "Iranian intelligence and security forces are using the public protests to engage in what appears to be a major purge of reform-oriented individuals whose situations in detention could be life-threatening".
In Esfahan Province
Esfahan Province
Isfahan Province , also transliterated as Esfahan, Espahan, Sepahan or Isphahan, is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is located in the center of the country. Its capital is the city of Isfahan.- Geography :...
, prosecutor-general Mohammadreza Habibi warned that dissidents could face the death penalty under Islamic law. He also accused the protesters of being a "few elements controlled by foreigners [who were] disrupting security by inciting individuals to destroy and to commit arson" and urged them to stop their "criminal activities". It was not clear if his warning applied only to Isfahan or to the country as a whole.
On 20 June Committee to Protect Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York City that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
reported that LIFE Magazine
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
photographer Amir Sadeghi was arrested by Iranian authorities. According to CPJ
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York City that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
report, he released from Evin Prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
on 28 June.
On 21 June Iranian officials detained Iranian-born, Canadian citizen and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
journalist Maziar Bahari
Maziar Bahari
Maziar Bahari Maziar Bahari Maziar Bahari (مازیار بهاری, (born 1967) is an Iranian Canadian journalist, film maker and human rights activist. He was a reporter for Newsweek from 1998 to 2011...
. He was later forced to confess in a series of trials for the detained protesters.
On 22 June The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s live blog reported that at approximately 1:30 pm, General Ali Fazli, the newly appointed commander of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran province, has been arrested for refusing to carry Khamenei's order to use force against demonstrators.
On August 11, 2009, the Iranian government confirmed that 4000 were detained in the protests
Militia violence
BasijBasij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
members were filmed firing into crowds and breaking into houses. A number of hospital staff protested after people have been transported to the hospitals dead or in critical condition with gunshot wounds. The IRG and the Basij also attacked Universities and students' dorms at night, and destroyed property.
The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported that militiamen from the hard-line Iran-based Ansar-e Hezbollah group "warned that they would be patrolling the streets to maintain law and order".
Casualties
While the incident involving NedaDeath of Neda Agha-Soltan
Footage of the death of Neda Agha-Soltan drew international attention after she was killed during the 2009 Iranian election protests. Her death was captured on video by bystanders and broadcast over the Internet and the video became a rallying point for the opposition...
attracted widespread media attention, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
is also maintaining a list of numerous other people who have ostensibly been either killed or arrested since the election. The government has issued very little official information on who has been killed or arrested (except Neda Agha-Soltan, whose video circulated quickly on the internet). Hospitals were prohibited from registering the dead bodies or injured people, as a medical student at Rasoul-Akram hospital witnessed on the night of June 15: "Nine people died at our hospital and another 28 had gunshot wounds... [the government] removed the dead bodies on back of trucks, before we were even able to get their names or other information... No one was allowed to speak to the wounded or get any information from them." Hospital staff protested due to the restrictions. The government admitted to at least 27 fatalities in Tehran, while CNN and other news organizations reported 150 unconfirmed casualties from June 20 protests. International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran is a non-government organization that works to bring international attention on what it views as the Iranian government’s repression of human rights and civil liberties in Iran. It is based in the United States...
counted 34 of them, claiming to have eyewitness reports of much higher numbers. Human rights activists in Iran called for independently collecting information about the killed, injured and arrested people.
Among those who are killed by the government forces, names such as Sohrab Aarabi
Sohrab Aarabi
Sohrab Aarabi was an Iranian pro-democracy student whose death became a symbol of protests during 2009 post election unrests in Iran.-Family and background:Sohrab was raised in a middle class Iranian family...
, Naser Amirnejad, Masoud Hashemzadeh and Mohammad Kamrani are confirmed. Among them, the death of Sohrab Aarabi received special news attention, after Mousavi and Karroubi visited his family.
The families of those who died were allegedly subjected to penalties and bureaucratic red tape
Red tape
Red tape is excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making...
, such as being asked to sign paperwork that they do not have complaints against the government prior to being allowed to claim bodies. When the death was due to gunshot wounds, some were reportedly asked to pay a $3,000 fee, ostensibly for the bullet used by security forces. Restrictions on burial locations have also been reported, and the Iranian government did not permit a memorial service for Neda Agha-Soltan. Time magazine speculates that the Shi'ite cycle of mourning
Arba'een
Arba'een or Chelom , is one of the largest pilgrimage gatherings on Earth, in which over 10 million people go to the city of Karbala in Iraq. As it is known by Persian-speaking and Urdu-speaking Muslims in Central and South Asia, Arba'een is a Shia Muslim religious observation that occurs 40 days...
on the third (June 23), seventh (June 27) and 40th (July 30) day after a person's death may give the protests sustained momentum, similar fashion to what occurred during the 1979 Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
.
In September 2010, a Twitter user called "Sarbaz01" published on Peyke-Iran website a list of 150 people killed by the Islamic regime from June 2009 to June 2010.
Torture of prisoners
Opposition leaders have claimed that the prisoners have been tortured and raped in prison. Opposition leaders, and world leaders condemned the abuse. Iran's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, however denied that prisoners were abused.Former chairman of Iranian parliament Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
stated that male and female prisoners have been raped in the prison and their genitals were torn but it is not proved yet. He asked the head of the assembly to investigate the issue in a letter to the head of Assembly of Experts
Assembly of Experts
The Assembly of Experts of Iran , also translated as Council of Experts, is a deliberative body of 86 Mujtahids that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.Members of the assembly are elected from a government-screened list of candidates by...
. Iran's police chief, Gen. Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, acknowledged that the prisoners had been abused and raped.
Additionally, several of the detained died while in prison. Authorities claimed that the deaths were caused by "pre-existing conditions", however, examinations of the bodies showed signs of torture, including broken bones, finger nails torn off, and rape.
Iranian film maker Reza Allamehzadeh
Reza Allamehzadeh
Reza Allamehzadeh is a Persian-born Dutch film-maker, film critic and writer who lives in the Netherlands. He is mostly famous because of his films about refugees, such as The Guests of Hotel Astoria , and the documentary Holy Crime , which is about the murder of opposition figures in Europe by...
made a documentary about Azar Al-Kanan, a prominent Iranian human rights activist and former political prisoner in Iran who became one of the victims of torture, sexual abuse, and finally, rape. The documentary was released after ex-chairman of Iranian parliament Mehdi Karroubi called for investigation of sexual abuse of protesters in prisons by Iranian police and the judicial system, both under the responsibility of the Supreme Leader. Karroubi's letter angered conservatives and the head of Iranian parliament Ali Larijani and senior cleric and representative of the supreme leader, Ahmad Khatami
Ahmad Khatami
Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami is a senior Iranian Ayatollah, as well as a senior member of the Assembly of Experts. In December of 2005, Ali Khamenei appointed him as Tehran’s substitute Friday prayer leader.He was born in the town of Nīr, Northern Iran...
denied the reports of sexual abuse. Following the denials, on August 16, 2009, Fereshteh Ghazi
Fereshteh Ghazi
Fereshteh Ghazi is an Iranian journalist and human rights activist.In 2004 she worked for the newspaper Etemad. She is well known for the coverage of Zahra Kazemi's murder in Evin prison. She was herself arrested and imprisoned on two occasions in 2004 During her imprisonment she shared a cell...
, in an article in Rooz, wrote her story and described the torture and sexual violence in Iranian prison.
Testimonies of victims of rapes by the Islamic regime's agents in jail can be downloaded here : http://seculardemocracyiran.blogspot.com/2010/07/many-people-were-tortured-by-regime.html
News media
According to the Telegraph, on 14 June "Iran's regime was doing its utmost to choke off the flow of news from its capital". Al Jazeera English has leveled allegations of direct media censorship by the Iranian government, stating that "some of the newspapers have been given notices to change their editorials or their main headlines". The Al ArabiyaAl Arabiya
Al Arabiya is a Pan-Arabist Saudi-owned Arabic-language television news channel. Launched on March 3, 2003, the channel is based in Dubai Media City, United Arab Emirates, and is majority-owned by the Saudi broadcaster Middle East Broadcasting Center ....
's offices in Tehran were closed on 14 June for a week by Iranian authorities, who gave no explanation for the decision. NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
offices in Tehran were raided, with cameras and other equipment confiscated. Meanwhile, the director of BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
accused the Iranian Government of jamming its broadcasts to the country. Peter Horrocks said audiences in Iran, the Middle East and Europe had been affected by an electronic block on satellites used to broadcast the BBC Persian Television signal to Iran, adding: "It seems to be part of a pattern of behaviour by the Iranian authorities to limit the reporting of the aftermath of the disputed election". A BBC corporate official has referred to the network's conflict with the regime as 'electronic warfare
Electronic warfare
Electronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
'.
On 15 June, Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
national television reporter Jef Lambrecht from the Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
public television broadcaster VRT
Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
The Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie , or VRT, is a publicly-funded broadcaster of radio and television in Flanders ....
and his sound technician, were arrested in Tehran. They had been doing a story on the riots, and had gotten caught in the middle of the violence. While Lambrechts had taken a punch, Vandervorst was arrested by riot police. When Lambrecht went to check where Vandervorst was being taken, he was promptly arrested as well. Both were taken to the Ministry of Information and detained in the basement. They were both released after two hours with strict instructions not to make any photos or film recordings of the protests. At the same time, two Dutch reporters from Nova were also arrested and deported.
On 16 June, the Ministry of Culture
Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance
The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is the ministry of Culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is responsible for restricting access to any media of which the Islamic Regime in Tehran does not approve....
issued a directive banning all foreign media from leaving their offices. This directive stipulated that international news outlets could still talk about rallies in their live reports, however they were not allowed to leave their hotel rooms and offices to witness the protests. Iranian government-run television was not affected by the restrictions. On 20 June, the Ministry of Culture intensified the restrictions by banning international media from reporting on the demonstrations altogether unless they received permission from Iranian authorities.
On 5 August, the Association of Iranian Journalists was forcibly closed when its offices in Tehran were raided by government security forces. The International Federation of Journalists
International Federation of Journalists
International Federation of Journalists, IFJ, is a global union federation of journalists' trade unions—the largest in the world. The organization aims to protect and strengthen the rights and freedoms of journalists...
released a statement criticizing the Iranian government for the forcible closure of the Association of Iranian Journalists and calling for freedom of the press.
BBC correspondent John Simpson was arrested, his material confiscated, and then released. Reporters from the Italian public television broadcaster RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
stated that one of its interpreters was beaten with clubs by riot police and the officers then confiscated the cameraman's tapes. ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
reporter Jim Sciutto has also had material taken. People from the German public broadcasters ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
and ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
have been harassed as well, with men carrying batons and knives reportedly storming the ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
's Tehran office and taking the technician for further questioning (who was released the day after).
Ahmadinejad responded to civil liberties concerns by stating Iranians enjoyed
"absolute freedom" of speech. "Don't worry about freedom in Iran ... Newspapers come and go and reappear. Don't worry about it."
On 5 July 2009 the Sunday Times reported that the Iranian state media have been transmitting “confessions” by demonstrators against the alleged rigging of the presidential vote claiming they did so under the influence of the Voice of America, the BBC and other foreign media agencies. Their faces have been obscured in the TV broadcasts which the newspaper claims, after speaking to witnesses, is due to facial bruising resulting from torture whilst in custody including several instances of male rape.
Internet censorship
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. After the attacks, the government stopped internet access. On 13 June as the election results were being announced, Iran shut down all Internet access for about 45 minutes, then restarted it apparently with lower bandwidth
Bandwidth (computing)
In computer networking and computer science, bandwidth, network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources expressed in bits/second or multiples of it .Note that in textbooks on wireless communications, modem data transmission,...
; this may have been in order to set up filters to block sites like YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
that could be used for political purposes. When thousands of opposition supporters clashed with the police on 13 June, Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
was filtered again. Some news websites were also blocked by the Iranian authorities. Mobile phone services including text messaging also had stopped or had become very difficult to use since the day before the election. Specifically, all websites affiliated with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
were shut off, as well as those affiliated with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. Iranian internet users used social media to trade lists of open web proxy servers
Open proxy
An open proxy is a proxy server that is accessible by any Internet user. Generally, a proxy server allows users within a network group to store and forward Internet services such as DNS or web pages to reduce and control the bandwidth used by the group...
as means to get around the restrictions, but the Iranian authorities monitoring these media gradually blocked these proxies, so that after two weeks very few proxies were still working in Iran. Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
labeled the actions as "ominous measures apparently seeking to undercut liberal voices". An anti-censorship software that was widely used and proven effective was freegate
Freegate
Freegate is software that enables internet users from mainland China, Syria, Iran, Vietnam and United Arab Emirates, among others, to view websites blocked by their governments. The program takes advantage of a range of open proxies, which allow users to penetrate firewalls used to block web sites....
developed by Global Internet Freedom Consortium
Global Internet Freedom Consortium
The Global Internet Freedom Consortium is a consortium of organizations that develop and deploy anti-censorship technologies for use by Internet users in countries whose governments restrict Web-based information access...
. The software was developed by oversea Chinese scientists to allow mainland Chinese users to break through the "great firewall" in China, but was found to be also very effective in Iran.
Iran was known to operate one of the world’s most sophisticated Web filtering systems, with widespread blockades on specific Web sites. During the protests, this has been intensified dramatically.
Foreign involvement
In 2006, the United States congress passed the Iran Freedom and Support ActIran Freedom and Support Act
The Iran Freedom Support Act is an Act of Congress that appropriated $10 million and directed the President of the United States to spend that money in support of groups opposed to the Iranian government. Opponents claimed the bill was a first step towards a US-led invasion of the country.In...
which directed $10 million towards groups opposed to the Iranian Government.
In 2007, ABC news
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
reported that U.S. president George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
had authorized a $400 million CIA covert operation to destabilize Iran. George W. Bush signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions.
In 2008, journalist Seymour M. Hersh reported in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
that " Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran" and "the President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country’s religious leadership."
In an article in the U.S. Foreign Policy Journal, the question of whether there was U.S. involvement in fomenting unrest during the election was: "given the record of U.S. interference in the state affairs of Iran and clear policy of regime change, it certainly seems possible, even likely, that the U.S. had a significant role to play in helping to bring about the recent turmoil in an effort to undermine the government of the Islamic Republic." The article also quoted evidence concerning interference by the U.S. based Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, asserting that “in terms of involving the huge Iranian diaspora and everyone else with a grudge against Ahmadinejad, it has been very successful.”
On 1 June 2009, Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
reported that Israeli foreign ministry was organizing a public relations campaign 'to show the world that Iran is not a Western democracy'. In a classified telegram titled 'Activities in the Run-up to Iran's Presidential Election' issued to Israeli diplomats abroad, it listed actions which they were supposed to do before, during, and after the election in order to 'blacken Iran's international reputation'.
On 26 August 2009, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei released a statement through Iranian state television. He said that although he did not believe opposition leaders were working as agents of foreign governments, he did believe that the protests were organized and planned, possibly without the knowledge of the Iranian political opposition. He said that "This plot was defeated, since fortunately our enemies still do not understand the issue in Iran", specifically pointing to foreign involvement in the protests.
On 16 June, Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
cited Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
as reporting that the Iranian government had recruited as many as 5,000 Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
Hezbollah fighters to clash with protesters. On 19 June CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
reported that, according to media reports and online chatter, the Basij "seem to have added some Arabic-speaking members -- suspected of being [Lebanese] Hezbollah fighters." In response, a spokesman for Hezbollah denied any involvement with the turmoil in Iran and stated that Hezbollah is not taking sides in what it considers to be an internal Iranian affair.
On 17 June the Jerusalem Post quoted two Iranian protesters who stated that "Palestinian forces" (which the article states are members of Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
) were working with the Basij in helping crush the protests. A Jerusalem-based reporter for WorldNet Daily asked multiple Hamas officials to comment on this accusation, including spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, parliamentarian Mushir-al-Masri, and top Gaza political advisor Ahmed Yousef
Ahmed Yousef
Ahmed Yousef is a senior adviser to Gaza's Prime Minister Ismail Haniya.-Bibliography:-References:...
. All Hamas officials strongly denied any Hamas involvement in responding to the Iranian election protests and called the accusations "completely untrue", questioning why the Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces would require help from Hamas.
On Muslim cable TV show Ali Mallah, Vice President of the Canadian Arab Federation
Canadian Arab Federation
The Canadian Arab Federation was formed in 1967 to represent the interests of Arab Canadians with respect to the formulation of public policy in Canada. It presently consists of over 40 member organizations....
(CAF) endorsed the election of President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and stated that Western governments, “starting with the US and France” had been working to unseat Ahmedinejad, and further criticized the “dehumanizing Ahmedinejad in the ugliest terms.” Mallah stated that “They [Western media] were really preparing the stage to really distort the truth about the outcome of the result even before the election was announced and that shows their questionable interests.” Finally, Mallah accused Western internet service providers of aiding and helping the Iranian opposition, claiming that “The videos and emails coming from inside Tehran are being supported by [American] Internet Service Providers.”
Government figures
- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiAli KhameneiAyatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i is the Supreme Leader of Iran and the figurative head of the Muslim conservative establishment in Iran and Twelver Shi'a marja...
initially urged the nation to unite behind Ahmadinejad, labeling a victory by him as a "divine assessment". On 15 June, however, Iran's supreme leader ordered an investigation into the claims of vote fraud. Referring to Mousavi's appeal letter about the irregularities, Khamenei said that "the Guardian Council has been emphasized to carry out investigation into this letter carefully". On 19 June he condemned the conduct of the Western WorldWestern cultureWestern culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
during the elections, claiming that the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is the most "evil". This claim was immediately rejected by the UK Foreign Office as being, "unacceptable and not based in fact" and, "a step too far." Iran then expelled two British diplomats from the embassy in Tehran, accusing them of being, "involved in activities incompatible with their status." Gordon Brown informed the House of Commons on 23 June that the Iranian claims were, "absolutely without foundation," and that two Iranian diplomats of equal rank at the London embassy were to be expelled. - Interior Minister Seyed Sadeq Mahsouli said that he had not received any "written complaint" about election fraud or irregularities. He also remarked that the vote proceeded in a way that "ruled out the possibility of cheating". Later has accused also the US intelligence agency CIACentral Intelligence AgencyThe Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
to helping and funding the rioters in the country: "Britain, America and the Zionist regime [Israel] were behind the recent unrest in Tehran" and "Many of the rioters were in contact with America, CIA and the MKOPeople's Mujahedin of IranThe People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....
and are being fed by their financial resources". - Chairman of the Assembly of ExpertsAssembly of ExpertsThe Assembly of Experts of Iran , also translated as Council of Experts, is a deliberative body of 86 Mujtahids that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.Members of the assembly are elected from a government-screened list of candidates by...
Akbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAkbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAyatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
was reported to have called a meeting of the Assembly, as they have the constitutional power to elect and dismiss the Supreme Leader. - Speaker of ParliamentMajlis of IranThe National Consultative Assembly of Iran , also called The Iranian Parliament or People's House, is the national legislative body of Iran...
Ali LarijaniAli LarijaniAli Ardashir Larijani is an Iranian philosopher, politician and the chairman of the Iranian parliament. Larijani was the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from August 15, 2005 to October 20, 2007, appointed to the position by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,replacing Hassan Rowhani...
condemned the attack by police and militia at Tehran UniversityUniversity of TehranThe University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...
, saying that the "[I]nterior minister is responsible in this regard". - Iranian Minister of Intelligence told in a TV interview that he is not in favor of anyone spending even a night in prison or get hurt but his ministry is charged with keeping law and order. He further said, there is no practical possibility of a velvet revolutionVelvet RevolutionThe Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
in Iran though he accused United States and Britain of trying to orchestrate one. He disclosed that people such as Ramin Jahanbaglou and Haleh EsfandiariHaleh EsfandiariHaleh Esfandiari is an Iranian American academic and the Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Her areas of expertise include Middle Eastern women's issues, contemporary Iranian intellectual currents and politics, and...
had been arrested in connection with such plots to instigate the Iranian intelligentia but due to legal complications, no prosecution could take place.
- In reaction to huge amount of complaints by people and opposition political figures about using plain clothes forces by the authorities to crush the protests instead of uniform wearing police, brigadier general Ahmadi-Moghaddam, the chief of Iranian police told the press, Why shouldn't we use plain clothes forces while all the people who were protesting in the streets were also wearing civilian clothes?
- Former Iranian president Abolhassan BanisadrAbolhassan BanisadrAbulhassan Banisadr is an Iranian politician, economist and human rights activist who served as the first President of Iran from 4 February 1980 after the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the abolition of the monarchy until his impeachment on 21 June 1981 by the Parliament of Iran...
was quoted by AFP as saying “Khamenei ordered the fraud in the presidential elections and the ensuing crackdown on protesters”
Candidates
- Incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a live address on state run television on 13 June, called the election "completely free" and the outcome "a great victory" for Iran. He also said, "[T]oday, the people of Iran have inspired other nations and disappointed their ill-wishers ... propaganda facilities outside Iran and sometimes inside Iran were totally mobilized against our people". Ahmadinejad praised the country’s youth as well, but made no direct mention of the protests. He later dismissed the protests, comparing them to "the passions after a soccer match".
- Mir-Hossein MousaviMir-Hossein MousaviMir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the seventy-ninth and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a Reformist candidate for the 2009 presidential election and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election...
, the main opposition candidate, issued a statement saying, "I'm warning that I won't surrender to this manipulation." Mousavi lodged an official appeal against the result to the Guardian CouncilGuardian CouncilThe Guardian Council of the Constitution , also known as the Guardian Council or Council of Guardians, is an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran....
on 14 June. He is not optimistic about his appeal, saying that many of the group's members "during the election were not impartial". - Reformist cleric Mehdi KarroubiMehdi KarroubiMehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
, another opposition candidate, echoed Mousavi's demand for the election to be canceled. He said, "I am announcing again that the elections should not be allowed and the results have no legitimacy or social standing ... Therefore, I do not consider Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president of the republic." He later declared in a speech to his supporters in Khoramabad that "this phase [Election dispute] will not subside until we [Reformist leaders] suggest so". - Conservative candidate Mohsen Rezai, on 17 June, gave an ultimatum to Interior Ministry to release details of the results by that day, otherwise he would call for re-election. He said that "unprecedented delay has raised doubts about the possibility of manipulation in the results." Later he withdrew the election fraud claims, saying that the Guardian Council is not cooperating with him.
Clerics
- The Association of Combatant Clerics, a reformist clerical party headed by Mohammad KhatamiMohammad KhatamiSayyid Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar, philosopher, Shiite theologian and Reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture in both the 1980s and 1990s...
, issued a statement posted on reformist web sites saying the election was rigged and calling for it to be canceled, warning that "if this process becomes the norm, the republican aspect of the regime will be damaged and people will lose confidence in the system". - In a letter published on his website, Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali MontazeriGrand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali MontazeriGrand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri Najafabadi was a prominent Iranian scholar, Islamic theologian, Shiite Islamic democracy advocate, writer and human rights activist. He was one of the leaders of the Iranian Revolution in 1979...
stated that government used elections "[in] the worst way possible. Declaring results that no one in their right mind can believe, and despite all the evidence of crafted results, and to counter people protestations, in front of the eyes of the same nation who carried the weight of a revolution and 8 years of war, in front of the eyes of local and foreign reporters, attacked the children of the people with astonishing violence. And now they are attempting a purge, arresting intellectuals, political opponents and scientists". - Several clerics in the religious center QomQomQom is a city in Iran. It lies by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 957,496, in 241,827 families. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River....
were given house arrest and cut off from communication. - The clerics Hashemi Rafsanjani and Hasan Rowhani are trying to assemble an emergency meeting of the Assembly of ExpertsAssembly of ExpertsThe Assembly of Experts of Iran , also translated as Council of Experts, is a deliberative body of 86 Mujtahids that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.Members of the assembly are elected from a government-screened list of candidates by...
in QomQomQom is a city in Iran. It lies by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 957,496, in 241,827 families. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River....
that could depose the Supreme Leader Khamenei. However, official Iranian media report that on 21 June the Assembly expressed "strong support" for the Supreme Leader. It remains unclear whether the statement has been signed by all experts and reflects their voice. However, Rafsanjani's son apparently reported to the New York Times that his father is currently hiding until he can get the top clerics together as he is indeed trying to depose Khamenei. - Referring to the 2009 presidential election protests, supreme leader's representative Ahmad KhatamiAhmad KhatamiAyatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami is a senior Iranian Ayatollah, as well as a senior member of the Assembly of Experts. In December of 2005, Ali Khamenei appointed him as Tehran’s substitute Friday prayer leader.He was born in the town of Nīr, Northern Iran...
stated that the leaders of the protests should be dealt with "severely and ruthlessly". "I want the judiciary to... punish leading rioters firmly and without showing any mercy to teach everyone a lesson". - Grand Ayatollah Yousef Sanei considers the election results fraudulent.
- Grand Ayatollah Javadi Amoli has criticized the government's conduction of the election.
- Grand Ayatollah Bayyat Zanjani called the election results a "gross injustice."
- Grand Ayatollah Abdolkarim Mousavi ArdebiliAbdolkarim Mousavi ArdebiliGrand Ayatollah Seyed Abdul-Karim Mousavi Ardebili is an Iranian politician and Twelver shi'a marja.-Early Life:He was born on 28 January 1926 in City of Ardabil. His father, Mir-Abdul Rahim was a cleric and his mother died when he was a child.-Education:His father sent him to Mula-Ebrahim School...
called for the state to give protesters a legal voice. - The Assembly of Qom Seminary Scholars and ResearchersAssembly of Qom Seminary Scholars and ResearchersThe Assembly of Qom Seminary Scholars and Researchers is an association of Shia Islamic clerics in Iran's religious capital of Qom.-International notice:...
, described as the "a leading clerical body in Qom, ... a mainstream group that includes many reformists in its ranks" issued a statement calling the vote count a fraud and condemning the killing of peaceful protesters.
Exiled groups
- Reza Cyrus PahlaviReza PahlaviReza Pahlavi may refer to:*Reza Shah , aka Reza Shah Pahlavi, Shah of Persia from 1925 until 1935 and Shah of Iran from 1935 until 1941* Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979, son of Reza Shah...
, son of the former Shah of IranPahlavi dynastyThe Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi (reg. 1925–1941) and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty ...
Mohammad Reza PahlaviMohammad Reza PahlaviMohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia , ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979...
who was ousted in 1979, said: "I would love to help them [the protesters] reach complete, real freedom under a secular democratic system where there's a true separation of religion from government". - People's Mujahedin of IranPeople's Mujahedin of IranThe People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....
leader Maryam RajaviMaryam RajaviMaryam Rajavi is an Iranian politician who is President elect of National Council of Resistance of Iran, a front group for People's Mujahedin of Iran, since 1993. She is the wife of Massoud Rajavi, a founder of the People's Mujahedin of Iran...
said that the "religious dictatorship and all its suppressive institutions must be done away with so that the Iranian people can hold free UN-supervised elections". - The Tudeh Party of IranTudeh Party of IranThe Tudeh Party of Iran is an Iranian communist party. Formed in 1941, with Soleiman Mohsen Eskandari as its head, it had considerable influence in its early years and played an important role during Mohammad Mosaddeq's campaign to nationalize the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and his term as prime...
declared that "the Supreme Leader and the coup d'état perpetrators under his leadership must be defeated vigilantly and by relying on the power of the masses".
Hunger strike
A number of Iranian intellectuals organized a three day hunger strike in front of the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. The invitation was signed by 42 scholars. The event was scheduled for 22–24 July 2009. Iranian journalist and writer, Akbar Ganji
Akbar Ganji
Akbar Ganji is an Iranian journalist and writer. He has been described as "Iran’s preeminent political dissident", and a "wildly popular pro-democracy journalist" who has crossed press censorship "red lines" regularly...
, spearheaded the strike to call for the release of all those who have been arrested in Iran following the protests.
Among the intellectuals that signed the invitation are: Abdolkarim Soroush
Abdolkarim Soroush
Abdolkarim Soroush , born Hosein Haj Faraj Dabbagh , is an Iranian thinker, reformer, Rumi scholar and a former professor at the University of Tehran. He is arguably the most influential figure in religious intellectual movement in Iran. Professor Soroush is currently a visiting scholar at the...
, Hamid Dabashi
Hamid Dabashi
Hamid Dabashi born 1951 in Ahvaz is an Iranian-American Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York City.He is the author of over twenty books...
, Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Mohsen Makhmalbaf is an Iranian film director, writer, editor, and producer. During 2007 he was the president of Asian Film Academy.Makhmalbaf's films have been widely presented in international film festivals in the past ten years. The multi-award-winning director, belongs to the new wave...
, Abdol Ali Bazargan and Janet Afary
Janet Afary
Janet Afary is an Iranian author, feminist activist and researcher in history, Religious Studies and women studies. She now lives in the United States of America, and currently teaches at the University of California, Santa Barbara....
. Among the supporters of the initiative are Reza Baraheni
Reza Baraheni
Reza Baraheni is an exiled Iranian novelist, poet, critic, and political activist.Former president of PEN Canada, the often called "Iran's finest living Writer" lives in Toronto, Canada, where he used to teach at the Centre for Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto.He’s the author of...
and pop singers Ebrahim Hamedi, Googoosh
Googoosh
Faegheh Atashin also known by her stage name Googoosh is an Iranian singer and actress. She is known for her contributions to Iranian pop music, but also starred in a variety of movies from the 1950s to the 1970s. She achieved the pinnacle of her fame and success towards the end of the 1970s...
and Shohreh Aghdashlou. US citizen Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
was present at the hunger strike.
A number of Iranians organized a two day strike at Brandenburger Tor in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany. The event was scheduled for 24–25 July 2009. The invitation had a list of over twenty people as strikers so far and a considerable list of supporters. Among the strikers was Daryush Shokof
Daryush Shokof
Daryush Shokof is an Iranian artist, film director, philosopher, writer, art director, and film producer, and singer...
.
The number of cities joining the Iranian global hunger strike reached over fifty with Toronto, Vancouver, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, as well as Italy, Australia, and Ireland.
The hunger strikes are for freedom of all Iranian political prisoners and for "not" recognizing the presidential elections and its president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009.
Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
joined and supported the hunger strike in Washington on 20 July.
International response
BBC NewsBBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
has described the overall reaction by the international community to the 2009 Iranian presidential election
Iranian presidential election, 2009
Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election...
as "muted". Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the seventy-ninth and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a Reformist candidate for the 2009 presidential election and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election...
has not asked for any kind of foreign assistance or called on other leaders to comment. His spokesperson, Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Mohsen Makhmalbaf is an Iranian film director, writer, editor, and producer. During 2007 he was the president of Asian Film Academy.Makhmalbaf's films have been widely presented in international film festivals in the past ten years. The multi-award-winning director, belongs to the new wave...
, has criticized U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
for maintaining that the difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi "may not be as great as has been advertised." Makhmalbaf retorted, "Does he like it himself [when someone is] saying that there is no difference between Obama and [George W.] Bush?" He also said that other nations must "not recognize the government of Ahmadinejad as a legitimate government" and that "it's not only an internal matter- it's an international problem".
However, in international popular culture, the protest has "morphed in the global consciousness, to the point that U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
and Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
have adopted the cause of Iranian democracy," according to the New York Times Protesters have gathered in cities all over the world to protest the violence and election results. One of the largest protests was organized by United For Iran and held on 25 July 2009 in over 100 cities all over the world.
Although the 2009 Iranian presidential election was widely disputed, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sent a traditional congratulatory message to Ahmadinejad upon his inauguration. He kept silent over the request of Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
to visit Iran after the crackdown on peaceful post-election protests by the Iranian police. During the election protests, more than 4000 were arrested and nearly 70 were killed (with some sources, including Mohsen Kadivar
Mohsen Kadivar
Mohsen Kadivar is an Iranian philosopher, University lecturer, cleric and activist. A political dissident, Kadivar has been a vocal critic of the doctrine of clerical rule, also known as Velayat-e Faqih , and a strong advocate of democratic and liberal reforms in Iran...
, citing hundreds of killed), some while being held in prison. In another incident, prominent activisit Akbar Ganji
Akbar Ganji
Akbar Ganji is an Iranian journalist and writer. He has been described as "Iran’s preeminent political dissident", and a "wildly popular pro-democracy journalist" who has crossed press censorship "red lines" regularly...
went hunger strike for three days in front of the UN. The incident was followed by an official request by more than 200 intellectuals, human rights activists and reformist politicians in Iran for a reaction from the UN. Ban, however, took no action to help end the violence in Iran.
About eight players in the Iran national football team
Iran national football team
The national football team of Iran represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran...
playing in their World Cup qualifier
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - AFC Fourth Round
The AFC Fourth Round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification was decided by a random draw conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 27 June 2008. The round commenced on 6 September 2008, and finished on 17 June 2009....
wore green wristbands in support for Mousavi for the first half of their game. During the break, they were ordered to remove them, seven of the eight complied. They were subsequently suspended.
A group of Iranian "artists and writers in exile" published an open letter in support of the protests. Significant protests have been held in major cities all throughout the world. Demonstrators in Los Angeles have protested daily calling not only for election reform but complete regime change. Demonstrators have been seen holding signs stating, "No Ahmadi(nejad), no Mousavi, no Islamic Republic!," "No more Islamic Republic."
Religion
The EconomistThe Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
reported that supporters of Mousavi have enlisted religious symbolism on their side. This directly appeals to the notion of injustice and redemption at the heart of Shia Islam.
Protesters have deliberately dressed modestly. The marches in Tehran saw women in chador
Chador
A chādor or chādar is an outer garment or open cloak worn by many Iranian women and female teenagers in public spaces. Wearing this garment is one possible way in which a Muslim woman can follow the Islamic dress code known as ḥijāb. A chador is a full-body-length semicircle of fabric that is...
s and turbaned clerics, some of whom were seen thronging Mousavi's car during the June 15 rally at Revolution Square. According to Anna Johnson of Associated Press, conservative women in black chadors have joined the liberal youth for the common goal of trying to get their voices heard. The Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
reported that some protestors believed they had a religious duty to protest.
Protesters have also made use of slogans such as "Allahu Akbar" (a common Islamic Arabic saying that translates to "God is great") from the revolutionary era. Protestors on Twitter have urged marchers to carry copies of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
with them, citing its verses bringing about peace. When mourning the deaths of slain protestors, the marchers chanted "Peace be upon (Prophet) Mohammed
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
and his family
Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
."
A bystander, Neda Agha-Soltan, who was killed by authorities, has been mythologised by the opposition as a martyr. The status of a martyr is revered in Shia Islam. To prevent this from happening, the authorities have tried to call off funeral services for her, which according to Shia Islam, must be held on the third, seventh and 40th day after the martyr's passing. Robert Tait and Matthew Weaver of the Guardian noted that it was funeral procession
Funeral procession
A funeral procession is a procession, usually in motor vehicles, from a church, synagogue, or mosque to the cemetery. The deceased is usually transported in a hearse, while family and friends follow in their vehicles.- Standard procedure :...
s on the 40th day of mourning
Mourning
Mourning is, in the simplest sense, synonymous with grief over the death of someone. The word is also used to describe a cultural complex of behaviours in which the bereaved participate or are expected to participate...
of fallen protesters in 1979 that created momentum in toppling the shah's regime
Pahlavi dynasty
The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi (reg. 1925–1941) and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty ...
. The idea of martyrdom resonates deeply amongst the Shiite Muslim population of Iran. The Shiite faith was founded on the idea of self-sacrifice in the cause of justice.
Inspired art
- AhooraAhooraAhoora is an Iranian alternative rock band from Tehran, formed in 2001.The band currently features Milad Tangshir Ashkan Hadavand and Mamy Baei...
released "Crimson Baby" as a single track from their third album Awkward Diary. This song is dedicated to Neda Agha-soltanDeath of Neda Agha-SoltanFootage of the death of Neda Agha-Soltan drew international attention after she was killed during the 2009 Iranian election protests. Her death was captured on video by bystanders and broadcast over the Internet and the video became a rallying point for the opposition...
and all the victims of Iran's 2009 post election conflicts. - Hamed Nikpay and his team made the song "The Owner of This Land!" in response to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's statement in which he called the protesters brushwood and thorns.
- Folk singer and activist Joan BaezJoan BaezJoan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
performed in support of Iranian protesters. - Jon Bon JoviJon Bon JoviJon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
, Richie SamboraRichie SamboraRichard Stephen "Richie" Sambora is an American rock guitarist, producer, musician, singer, and songwriter who is the longtime lead guitarist of the rock band, Bon Jovi. He and frontman Jon Bon Jovi form the primary songwriting unit of the band...
and Andy MadadianAndy MadadianAndranik Madadian , better known by his stage name, Andy , is a famous Iranian-Armenian singer-songwriter. He is a naturalized American and currently lives in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
record a musical message of worldwide solidarity with the people of Iran. The handwritten PersianPersian languagePersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
sign in the video translates to "we are one". - Rock music band, U2U2U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, performed "Sunday Bloody SundaySunday Bloody Sunday"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a song by U2.It may also refer to:*Sunday Bloody Sunday , a 1971 film*"Sunday, Bloody Sunday"...
" in support of Iranian protests on the U2 360° TourU2 360° TourThe U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. It was named for a stage configuration that allowed the audience to almost completely surround the stage...
. - Musicians, Mohsen NamjooMohsen NamjooMohsen Namjoo, , is an Iranian musician, singer-songwriter. born in 1976 in Torbat-e Jam, a small town in northeastern Iran. The New York Times called Namjoo "Iran's Bob Dylan".-Career:...
, Abjeez Band, GoogooshGoogooshFaegheh Atashin also known by her stage name Googoosh is an Iranian singer and actress. She is known for her contributions to Iranian pop music, but also starred in a variety of movies from the 1950s to the 1970s. She achieved the pinnacle of her fame and success towards the end of the 1970s...
, DariushDariushDariush is a common Persian male given name. People with this name include:*Dariush Ashoori, Iranian intellectual*Dariush Eghbali, Iranian pop singer...
, Shadmehr AghiliShadmehr AghiliShadmehr Aghili born 27 January 1973 in Tehran, Iran) is the most favorite Iranian pop singer, musician, composer, music arranger, producer and song-writer, and formerly an actor. He emigrated to Canada first, but currently resides in Los Angeles, California.-Career:Shadmehr was a child prodigy...
, Hassan Sattar also had performances in honor of the victims of the protests and to support the movement. - On the European 2009 leg of MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's Sticky & Sweet TourSticky & Sweet TourThe Sticky & Sweet Tour was the eighth worldwide concert tour by American singer Madonna to promote her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It began in August 2008 and was Madonna's first tour from her new recording and business deal with Live Nation. The tour was announced in February 2008, with...
, an interlude called Get Stupid, was updated, with some videos and pictures from the Iranian protests. - On September 4, 2009 Shajarian released Zaban e Atash o Ahan (The language of Fire and Iron), a song he made with Majid DerakhshaniMajid DerakhshaniMajid Derakhshani is an acclaimed Iranian musician.He was born into a family of artists from the Iranian province Semnan. During his studies of string instruments and composition at the University of Tehran, the legendary Mohammad Reza Lotfi became his teacher.Subsequent to his emigration to...
in during the election protests. - AKA Jahan Azadi shot and smuggled out one of the only documentaries without regime minders in the weeks surrounding the June election 2009 which is presently being released at Azadi DJ.
- GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
based IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian-KurdishKurdish peopleThe Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
rapper AzadAzad (rapper)Azad Azadpour is a German rapper of Kurdish descent based in Frankfurt am Main.-Career:After having arrived in Germany from Iran as young as 10, he was into hip hop, rap, beatboxing and graffiti. In 1988 he joined D-Flame , A-Bomb, and Combad in Cold-N-Locco...
held the "where is my vote?" flag on numerous occasions during his summer tour. He covered Amir Tataloo's "Irane Sabz" during his concert in Frankfurt. - Daryush ShokofDaryush ShokofDaryush Shokof is an Iranian artist, film director, philosopher, writer, art director, and film producer, and singer...
made a historic and shocking 2009 movie, Iran ZendanIran ZendanIran Zendan is a feature film by Daryush Shokof about the situations of political prisoners currently in Iran. The film is a semi-documentary picture with images taken from the actual events during the mass protests of the 2009 Iranian presidential election and what happens to some of protesters...
, about the conditions and the struggle of Iranian political prisoners under the Islamic regime in BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He was kidnapped for 12 days after screening the movie at Babylon Cinema in Berlin, before the kidnappers freed him under the condition that he was not to release the film. After his release, Shokof placed the film on the Internet to view free of charge.
See also
External links
- Coverage from FARS News, Tehran Times, Aljazeera, BBC, New York Times, Where Is My Election?
- "Not Learning Our Lesson in Farsi" SaturdayEveningPost.com;
- Documentary, 8min, that was shot during the weeks surrounding the Iranian elections and later smuggled out of Iran by AKA Jahan Azadi Azadi DJ
- Azad: a Green Movement Movie
- Ali Samadi Ahadi: documentary-collage/motion-comic, 2011: The Green Wave
- Iranian Stories a webdocumentary disseminating and collecting eye witness video testimonies of 2009 Iran election.
- Iran: The Green Movement by Slater Bakhtavar