By The Associated Press (AP) – 8 hours ago
Excerpts of the letter from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy that President Barack Obama delivered to Pope Benedict XVI earlier this year and an account of the pope's response, as read by Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington:
"Most Holy Father I asked President Obama to personally hand deliver this letter to you. As a man of deep faith himself, he understands how important my Roman Catholic faith is to me, and I am so deeply grateful to him. I hope this letter finds you in good health. I pray that you have all of God's blessings as you lead our church and inspire our world during these challenging times. I am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines.
"I was diagnosed with brain cancer more than a year ago and although I continue treatment, the disease is taking its toll on me. I am 77 years old and preparing for the next passage of life. I have been blessed to be part of a wonderful family and both of my parents, particularly my mother, kept our Catholic faith at the center of our lives. That gift of faith has sustained and nurtured and provides solace to me in the darkest hours. I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith I have tried to right my path. I want you to know Your Holiness that in my nearly 50 years of elective office I have done my best to champion the rights of the poor and open doors of economic opportunity. I have worked to welcome the immigrant, to fight discrimination and expand access to health care and education. I have opposed the death penalty and fought to end war.
"Those are the issues that have motivated me and have been the focus of my work as a United States senator. I also want you to know that even though I am ill, I am committed to do everything I can to achieve access to health care for everyone in my country. This has been the political cause of my life. I believe in a conscience protection for Catholics in the health field and I will continue to advocate for it as my colleagues in the Senate and I work to develop an overall national health policy that guarantees health care for everyone. I have always tried to be a faithful Catholic, Your Holiness, and though I have fallen short through human failings, I have never failed to believe and respect the fundamental teachings of my faith. I continue to pray for God's blessings on you and on our church and would be most thankful for your prayers for me."
___
An account from the Vatican of the pope's response, according to McCarrick:
"The Holy Father has the letter which you entrusted to President Barack Obama, who kindly presented it to him during their recent meeting. He was saddened to know of your illness, and asked me to assure you of his concern and his spiritual closeness. He is particularly grateful for your promise of prayers for him and for the needs of our universal church.
"His Holiness prays that in the days ahead you may be sustained in faith and hope, and granted the precious grace of joyful surrender to the will of God, our merciful Father. He invokes upon you the consolation and peace promised by the Risen Savior to all who share in His sufferings and trust in His promise of eternal life.
"Commending you and the members of your family to the loving intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of wisdom, comfort and strength in the Lord."
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
From the Baltimore Sun
By Patrick Whelan and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
August 30, 2009
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy wrote a letter to the pope. The urgency of the message was evident in the preeminence of the messenger: President Barack Obama himself had handed the letter to Pope Benedict XVI at the end of the historic first meeting between the two leaders in the Vatican last month. The papal spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, was peppered with questions by reporters from around the world. What did the letter say? Had the pope read the letter yet? Had President Obama asked the pope to pray for Senator Kennedy?With his warm eyes and lyrical laugh, Father Lombardi parried all their inquiries. The two had spoken about many issues: bioethics, Middle East peace, and the economic catastrophe posed to the world's poor by the international recession. There was optimism at the Vatican, he said, that a new era had begun for finding solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems. But in halting Italian, one reporter asked again: What was in that letter from Senator Kennedy? The Kennedy name has become intertwined with Catholicism in American political life. Rose Kennedy famously went to Mass twice a day, and it could reasonably be said that she had more to worry about than most Catholic mothers. It is easy to forget the hatred that, for more than 150 years, met Catholics who sought a greater role in public life. The history of American Catholicism is rooted in the Irish and Italian immigrant experience and the clash of cultures that it brought. In 1928, the Ku Klux Klan burned crosses along the path of a train that carried the Irish Catholic governor of New York, Al Smith, to a campaign rally in Oklahoma City, where he said, "I have the right to say that any citizen of this country ... [who] votes against me because of my religion, he is not a real, pure, genuine American."It took a non-Catholic governor of New York to bring real Catholic sensibilities to the White House. Franklin Roosevelt had a Catholic priest as one of his closest political confidantes. The legacy of the New Deal in a time of national crisis was one of caring for working people, lifting the elderly out of poverty, and helping lay the foundation for the civil rights movement.But it was President John F. Kennedy who truly tore down the ultimate barrier for Catholics in public life. His brother Ted, battered by the untimely deaths of four older siblings and his own survival of both a plane crash and a tragic car accident, found deep personal inspiration in his Catholic faith.One thing that troubled him most about the rising acrimony in politics was the conservative effort to appropriate Christian language as a political weapon to defeat New Deal Democrats. Senator Kennedy had spoken forcefully against abortion during his first decade in the Senate, but found himself being targeted by Catholic conservatives because of his support for the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. His friend Sen. John Kerry, only the third Catholic to be nominated for the presidency, was targeted in 2004 by conservatives who argued that some Democrats should be denied Communion. For the first time, the Catholic candidate lost the Catholic vote.Appalled by this politicization of the Holy Eucharist, Senator Kennedy elevated the discussion by helping organize a meeting in 2005 between 11 cardinals and bishops and an equal number of Catholic Democratic senators. Out of the public eye, Senator Kennedy envisioned a chance to find common ground with his church on a multitude of critical issues in the wake of the disastrous war in Iraq, official indifference to global warming, and the hostility in Washington to the plight of (mostly Catholic) Latino immigrants.In an otherwise cordial meeting, their differing approaches to abortion colored the discussion. Speaking of his Catholic Democratic colleagues in the Senate, Senator Kennedy said afterward, "None of us went into public life to become champions of abortion. We have poured ourselves into this work because we care about people." Without fanfare, he encouraged a more determined effort to decrease abortions by supporting women and families.In that spirit, his legislative career reads like a chapter from the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church: helping the poor and upholding the dignity of the individual, preserving God's creation, seeking peace at every level of our lives, and serving the common good. Senator Kennedy passed away Tuesday after a year of courageously confronting cancer, all the while laboring with his staff to lay the foundation for a new health care system. He read with dismay about the campaigns this summer by some surly conservative Catholic groups to use abortion to defeat the church's own longstanding efforts to provide universal access to healing and health.Rather than just asking Pope Benedict to pray for divine intervention to cure his own illness, it seems likely that Senator Kennedy wrote that letter in search of a better church - one that bridges the divide between conservative and progressive Catholics. Ted Kennedy exuded a spirit of selflessness in the thousands of other letters he wrote in his career: to families of the victims of Sept. 11, to the loved ones he met at the funerals of Massachusetts soldiers killed in Iraq, and to people both high and ordinary who were afflicted by every manner of cataclysm in their own lives.His life was truly a witness to what is dearest to us as Catholics: searching for truth, persevering in the face of adversity, and living primarily for the well-being of others. Dr. Patrick Whelan, president of Catholic Democrats, is a pediatric specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend serves on the board of Catholic Democrats and is Edward M. Kennedy's niece.
Copyright © 2009, The Baltimore Sun
I'm NiteOwl AKA Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator on twitter. I'm a journalist and a human rights activist and NOT Iranian. This is a compilation of news from Iran that I've gathered through twitter and Iranian sites that were advertised on twitter. Remember, this is all from tweets. (My work is released under Creative Commons (CC).) These are the important happenings that I can positively confirm from Wednesday, August 12 - Mordad 21.
Protests / Unrest 1. Tehran’s Grand Bazaar was more crowded than usual yesterday. In the streets leading up to the bazaar and inside the bazaar itself, there was a large concentration of security forces. Many of them taunted the people that were in the bazaar and tried to provoke confrontations. However, for the most part, it seems that the call for protest hadn't caught on with the Green Movement. 2. There were reports of skirmishes inside the bazaar and it was reported that some people were injured and others may have been arrested. Reports indicate that these clashes were not wide-spread, but rather confined to a few incidents. 3. It was reported that Zahra Rahnavard – the wife of Mir Hossein Mousavi – had indeed come to the bazaar, but as people chanted around her, she was promptly escorted out by security forces. This could not be fully confirmed and eye-witnesses have not been found to corroborate the story. 4. But it doesn’t end there. Some very reliable sources indicated that nothing actually happened in the bazaar, beyond the presence of security forces and people shopping. They reject that there were any clashes, injuries or arrests. However, they are in the minority. (The above information is from various sources and not MSM. However, in the absence of any YouTube videos or witnesses, which show anything other than many people in the bazaar, together with a lot of security forces, it is difficult to confirm exactly what happened.) 5. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Baloch fighters attacked Iranian security forces who were escorting detainees to a prison in Kerman province. Casualties were reported. This could not be confirmed independently. 6. Prayer services for the dead and detained protesters will be held on Thursday, as in the past few weeks. The prayer service this week will be held at the Daruzahra Cultural Institute in Tehran. One of Ayatollah Sane’ie’s important aides, Mohammad Taghi Khilji, will be speaking at the service. International Protests / Events 7. A Swiss-Iranian Green-supporter, who we affectionately call the Epic Protester, has been protesting in front of the Iranian Embassy in Bern for the past two months non-stop, generating quite a lot of buzz. There is a blog dedicated to his efforts which you can reach here: Epic Protester And you can read his interview here: Interview with the Epic Protester � Epic Protester -- (Courtesy of @Nedjarsen) 8. Amidst the stories of brutality being circulated, there are also some heart-warming instances of human compassion. One Hearts View is one such project that a world citizen is undertaking. Visit and comment at: One Hearts View: Iran wanted me to bear witness...and I have. 9. The meeting of Baha’is in support of human rights in San Francisco at Herbst Theater yesterday was a major success. 10. For a list of protests that are being planned in Germany, please visit this link: Julia's Blog: Protests and rallies in Germany (subject to change w/o notice) (English and German) (If you, your friends or your organization are holding events, protests or doing something else related to the Iranian elections internationally, please send me an email with details and I will give you coverage. (Will only cost you 10 million dollars!) My email is: dbosca@gmail.com Opposition 11. In a meeting with members of the Central Committee for Organizing Reforms today, with his wife Zahra Rahnavard present, Mousavi staunchly defended Karroubi against the attacks by Keyhan Daily. He said that what had taken place in the prisons and detention centers, had hurt Iran far more than America ever could. Mousavi added that the show trials were a good indicator that Iran needed profound reforms and the IRIB’s greatest mistake was to call people’s hunger for change, a foreign plot. It has been indicated that Mousavi might join the Friday prayers this week which are going to be led by Ahmad Khatami. Full confirmation is not yet available. 12. Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization, today released a statement blaming Ahmadinejad and Sadegh Mahsouli, the Minister of Interior, for the inhumane treatment of detainees at Kahrizak. The statement read that the two individuals were directly responsible for the torture and abuse of detainees at the detention center. The Organization also stated that it was in solidarity with the families of those affected. 13. Karroubi’s son, Hossein Karroubi today said that criticism of his father’s letter about prisoner abuse was unfounded. He added that it took people only one day to criticize his father and no investigation could be done in 24 hours to determine if prisoner abuse had taken place and how wide-spread it had been. 14. More than 200 former and current government officials of Iran sent a letter to the government asking it to pay heed to Rafsanjani, Karroubi, Khatami and Mousavi’s suggestions and stances on the country’s future. Signatories included former and current ministers, directors, governors, mayors and academics.
Government / International 15. Ayatollah Dastegheyb has asked for an immediate session of the Assembly of Experts to be held, in order to review the demands of the people and the current situation in Iran. He added that Mousavi and Karroubi were the representatives of the people and the people demanded nothing but the upholding of the constitution. 16. It is being reported that Judiciary Chief Shahroudi will be appointed to the Guardian Council. This cannot be confirmed at this time. The same source also indicated that Jannati will remain as head of the Guardian Council. 17. Jamshid Ansari – a reformist MP from Zanjan – has asked the government to sack Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, the police chief of Iran. According to Ansari, Ahmadi-Moghaddam is responsible for the illegal arrests, beatings and the deaths of protesters during the unrest that followed the election. He also connected Ahmadi-Moghaddam with the torture and abuse of detainees at Kahrizak. 18. Only a day, after stating that the allegations of detainees being raped at government detention facilities be investigated, the head of Iran’s parliament Ali Larejani stated that no such thing had taken place. According to Larejani, the parliamentary committee to investigate the condition of detainees, had determined that the allegations were unfounded. 19. One day, after stating that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had sent a letter congratulating Ahmadinejad on his election, Mr. Ban’s spokesperson, Marie Okabe, said that “It is not accurate to refer to this as a congratulatory letter”. Previously on Tuesday, when she was asked if a congratulatory letter had been sent to Ahmadinejad by Mr. Ban, Ms. Okabe replied, “Yes”. She added that the letter took advantage of “the occasion of the inauguration to express the hope that Iran and the United Nations will continue to cooperate closely in addressing regional and global issues". 20. Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi today said that obeying Ahmadinejad was obeying God. Speaking to a group of Basiji artists in Qom, he also praised Khamenei and said the Supreme Leader was a light of the last Imam and that the unrest had been targeted at him. 21. Mohsen Rezaie reiterated his position, yet again today, that all government officials and members of security forces that were responsible for prisoner abuse be dismissed and prosecuted. 22. A letter from Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi, congratulating Ahmadinejad on his selection as Iran’s president is being circulated on the internet. My sources have confirmed that it is a fake. Ayatollah Shirazi has not and does not plan to congratulate Ahmadinejad. 23. The deputy commander of Iran’s police, Ahmad Reza Radan, today dismissed reformist claims that at least 69 people have so far been killed during the unrest. He called the claim propaganda and psychological warfare. Arrests / Releases / Deaths 24. Majid Ansari – a member of the Combatant Clerics Association – today stated that a report about the rape of detainees had been prepared and sent to government officials for review. He added that there was not just one instance, but several and that they had concrete evidence to back up their claim. 25. Mehr News reported that French citizen Clotilde Reiss has been released on bail. It was reported earlier that the French government had sent a letter to the Iranian government agreeing to post bail for her. Her current whereabouts are unknown but it was indicated previously, by the Iranian government, that if she were to be released on bail, she would be confined to the French Embassy in Tehran. The government also announced today that her trial was over and a verdict was expected in her case shortly. Her release could not be confirmed through other sources. 26. Reports indicate that the Iranian government, has officially informed the Swiss Embassy, about the arrest and detention of three American hikers who allegedly strayed into Iran two weeks ago. The Swiss Embassy represents US interests in America, as the US has not had an embassy in Iran since the 1979 revolution, nor diplomatic staff. 27. Alauddin Borujerdi A member of the committee formed by the parliament to investigate the condition of detainees today told reporters that detainees were content with the conditions at Evin. Another member told the press that they had met with Abtahi in his prison cell and found him in good health. He added that Abtahi also had access to a television and a radio whilst in detention. He added they were going to meet Tajzadeh and Mirdamadi soon. Reports indicate that they will only be visiting Evin and not other prisons. 28. Reporters Without Borders have confirmed that Amir Asslani – a student and CEO of an IT company, has been in detention since August 8. He was arrested for sending emails. His house and office were also raided by security forces. 29. Journalist Dr. Chobineh was released today. Miscellaneous 30. U2’s concert in Zagreb was overwhelmingly pro-Green Movement. Watch the YouTube video:
I'm NiteOwl AKA Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator on twitter. I'm a journalist and a human rights activist and NOT Iranian. This is a compilation of news from Iran that I've gathered through twitter and Iranian sites that were advertised on twitter. Remember, this is all from tweets. (My work is released under Creative Commons (CC).) These are the important happenings that I can positively confirm from Tuesday and Wednesday [Mod note: The days were unclear], August 11 - Mordad 20. Protests / Unrest 1. People are planning on flooding the bazaars of several major cities in Iran. Protesters are planning to go to the bazaars and urge shopkeepers to join them in the protest and call for a strike. (This is already underway at the time of the writing of this Brief.) Bazaars will be targeted in Tehran, Tabriz, Mashhad, Isfahan, Ahvaz and Shiraz. 2. The chants of Allah o Akbar continue every night in all the major cities in Iran and the numbers have increased considerably since the campaign for nightly chants began. International Protests / Events 3. [The “International Campaign to close down Iranian Embassies” is determined to close the Iranian Embassy in Canada. The campaign demands: all bank accounts of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran be frozen; the Islamic Republic of Iran be expelled from all International Agencies; all leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran be tried in an international court for their crimes against humanity.] For more information on the campaign’s goals and their upcoming meeting on August 12, visit: International Campaign Against Shari'a Court in Canada 4. Members of the Baha’i religious movement are holding a gathering in San Francisco on Wednesday which will focus on human rights in Iran and the case of 7 Baha’is who are currently in detention in Tehran because of their faith. For information on the event, visit: An Evening in Support of the Bahá'ís of Iran at Herbst Theater (Wednesday August 12, 2009) - Upcoming 5. For a list of protests that are being planned in Germany, please visit this link: Julia's Blog: Protests and rallies in Germany (subject to change w/o notice) (English and German) (If you, your friends or your organization are holding events, protests or doing something else related to the Iranian elections internationally, please send me an email with details and I will give you coverage. (Will only cost you 10 million dollars!) My email is: dbosca@gmail.com – I am also curious if anyone is doing something for the day of Ahmadinejad’s inauguration OUTSIDE Iran.) Opposition 6. Mahdi Karroubi’s letter to Hashemi Rafsanjani on prisoner abuse can be found here in English: Iran: The Karroubi Letter to Rafsanjani on Abuse of Detainees | Enduring America 7. It has now been confirmed that Rafsanjani will be skipping the Friday prayers. Reportedly, he wanted to avoid a government crackdown on protesters, who might join the prayers or hold gatherings outside the prayer venue. 8. It has now been partially confirmed that Rafsanjani spent the past several days in Mazandaran. Details are unclear at this point and full confirmation could not be obtained. We previously reported that Rafsanjani had left Tehran for another city until further notice. 9. Shirin Ebadi today, repeated her request that the government of Iran, promptly free journalists and lawyers that have been held in detention for weeks. She also asked the government to allow foreign journalists to return to the country and allow freedom of speech. In a separate statement, she also asked the government to hold a fresh election under the observation of the United Nations. 10. The Committee Responsible for the Defense of Mousavi’s Votes has released a statement accusing the Guardian Council of clearly taking sides during the election. It also accused the council of turning a blind eye to accusations of clear instances of fraud relating to the election and the counting of votes. The head of the committee, Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour – a former Minister of Interior – also criticized the council for its silence over a variety of other illegal activities – including the violent crackdowns on peaceful protesters – conducted by the government. 11. The government has apparently contradicted itself, again, over the number of protesters who have been detained. Alireza Jamshidi, a spokesperson for the country’s Judiciary – today stated that four thousand people had been arrested of which 3,700 had been already been released and the remainder were in detention. A few weeks ago, the commander of IRG Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, had announced that the government had detained just over a thousand people and most of them had been released. 12. Ayatollah Ezzuddin Hosseini Zanjani has released a statement calling the forced confessions un-Islamic and illegal. 13. Fresh allegations by groups tied to Ansare Hezbollah have surfaced against Rafsanjani and his family. These allegations, which were put forth by Lotfullah Ferozendeh – the head of Jamiyate Esargaran (Council of Sacrificers) – accuse Rafsanjani and his children of taking part in the recent unrests by providing money to protesters. Ferozendeh stated these allegations whilst in a meeting with members of Ansare Hezbollah. 14. The head of Mousavi’s electoral campaign Ghorban Behzadinezhad, vehemently denied any contact between Mousavi’s campaign and foreign embassies in Tehran. He added that the campaign had decided not to hold any meetings with members of foreign embassies from day one of the campaign. 15. In a meeting with lawyers, Rafsanjani on Tuesday asked that detainees’ rights be respected. “Judgment and proxy as well as (protecting) the rights of the accused can provide guarantees for the presence of justice in the final verdict,” Rafsanjani was quoted by ILNA. 16. Alireza Beheshti – a member of the committee formed by Mousavi and Karroubi’s campaigns to investigate the fate of detainees and protesters who have died during the unrest – today said a list of the names of the 220 detainees and the names of protestors who had been killed or died in detention had been handed over to the parliament. He added because of various reasons, information about the detainees was emerging sluggishly. Government / International 17. A letter signed by 202 MP’s addressed to Ahmadinejad and read in the Iranian parliament, called on him to choose his ministers based on their experience and their professional skills. The letter warned that anyone selected, not meeting the criteria, would not gain a vote of confidence from the parliament. 18. Fars News reports: [Commander of the Basij (volunteer) forces Hojjatoleslam Hossein Taeb here on Tuesday cautioned that enemies of the Islamic Republic have hatched plots to sow seeds of discord among the Iranian nation. Commenting on the recent post-election unrest and developments in Iran, Taeb reiterated, "The enemy stepped into the scene of the presidential election to harness the (Islamic) Revolution and to achieve its goals by means of its agents and elements in Iran". The commander further elaborated on other aspects of the enemies' plot, and underlined that enemies made a wide use of the media against the Islamic Republic in an attempt to fulfill their regime change plans in Iran. "Enemies made their utmost efforts to spark and spread pessimism among the people and break integration of the Iranian nation" Taeb stated.]
19. Ali Larejani – the speaker of Iran’s parliament – has called for a probe into allegations that detainees of recent protests had been raped in detention. PressTV reported that Larejani had asked the special committee, assigned to investigate the situation of detainees, to look into allegations of rape as well. (I confirmed instances of the rape of detainees in the Green Briefs almost six weeks ago and so have other sources. MSM has yet to confirm it, however.) 20. The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence has warned the media not to publish false news about the Intelligence Ministry claiming the media was releasing classified information. This is likely a backlash at reports by the media that Ahmadinejad had shuffled or sacked several high-ranking officials inside the ministry – which was confirmed weeks ago. 21. Iranian Ambassador to Paris, Sayed Mehdi Mirabotalebi said today that Iran had offered to allow the detained French teacher Clotilde Reiss, to stay at the French Embassy in Tehran during her trial, provided the French Embassy guarantee she will not leave Iran. However, he said the French government had not replied to the offer. 22. The British government today denied having any hand in the unrest that unfolded after the elections in Iran. Britain also denied allegations levied against Hossein Rassam – a senior British Embassy staffer, who is on trial in Tehran and questioned his confession that Britain had a hand in the unrest. 23. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, sent a letter congratulating Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his election as Iran’s president. His spokesperson, however, indicated that the letter does not mean Mr. Ban’s endorsement of the election. The letter will not be released to the press. 24. A spokesperson for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry told Radio Farda he could not confirm that Egyptian President Hosni Mobarak had congratulated Ahmadinejad on his reelection, as claimed by Iranian media. 25. The Swedish government summoned the Iranian Ambassador to Stockholm in protest to the ongoing trials of reformists, journalists, lawyers and foreign nationals in Tehran. Sweden, which heads the EU’s rotating presidency, has previously criticized Iran’s clamp down on protesters. 26. Amnesty International has demanded that international observers be present during the trials that are taking place in Tehran. Arrested / Released / Killed 27. Mostafa Ghaniyan, a 27 year old university student, is the latest victim who has been identified by his family. He was killed, by a single bullet, days after the elections while chanting Allah o Akbar on his roof. He died in Sa’adat Abad in Tehran in his father’s arms. 28. Arman Astakharian, 16, is another victim of the government’s brutality. He finally succumbed to his wounds, after spending 17 days in coma. He had been savagely beaten by security forces on June 24, during a protest in Shiraz. His family had been told by the security forces not to speak about his death to the press, however, word has finally got out. 29. The Iranian opposition is now claiming they have confirmed the deaths of at least 69 people during the unrest following the election. PressTV is also claiming the official government tally is 30 – up from 20, repeatedly reported by IRIB and the Iranian government. 30. The brother of Kianosh Asa has been arrested. Reports also indicate Caspian Makan – the fiancée of Neda Agha-Soltan – has been in detention for more than a month. Makan’s arrest could not be immediately confirmed. Roshanali Moradi – a political activist from Kermanshah – was arrested on Friday by security forces while he was walking home. 31. Photographer Majid Saeedi has been released on bail. Nazok Afshar – the French Embassy staffer in detention - Kazem Faridiyan – a renowned Iranian mountaineer and Amir Hossein Shamshadi have also been released. 32. The committee for the defense of the rights of detainees following the election, has released a statement calling the conduct of the Judiciary in handling detainees’ cases and the intimidation of detainees’ families unlawful. The committee also accused unnamed organizations within the government of meddling in the affairs of the Judiciary. 33. Ahmad Tavakoli – a conservative MP – in the parliament criticized the government over the illegal arrests of peaceful protesters. He also staunchly criticized the government for tampering with freedom of speech, torture and abuse in prisons, as well as the detention of university professors. He put the responsibility on the shoulders of the Chief of Judiciary Shahroudi and Ahmadinejad. 34. Reports indicate that the Iranian government is also continuing its repression of religious minorities. A Baha’i man was arrested at his home in Sari today. Also two female Muslim converts to Christianity - Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, and Mariam Rostampour, 27, who have been in detention at Evin’s ward 209 for the past five months – were brought to the security headquarters of Tehran’s police and were forcefully asked to recant their beliefs or face persecution. Both women rejected to do so. 35. The government has printed fake copies of reformist newspapers, showing them to detainees to break their morale. One example is this front page from Etemaade Melli in which the headline on the top left reads, “Mousavi and Karroubi Regretfully Tell National Media: No Fraud Has Taken Place”. Picture: 6800_120277771370_109834371370_2867932_6812990_n+( 1).jpg (image) 36. The government is continuously printing news reports denying the rape and death of Taraneh Mousavi, apparently claiming that no one by this name ever existed. (I have confirmed Taraneh’s rape and death in the past and in the face of mounting criticism, continue to stand by my earlier report. If, in the future, it comes to light that her story was indeed fake, I will not hesitate to retract my earlier report. As with Neda’s case, I am also respectfully going to decline reporting anything about her killer/killers and leave it to Iran’s next government.) *Apologies for being absent for the past several days. I was out of town and the internet connection where I was refused to allow me to write the Briefs. There will be no further delays or absentees in the foreseeable future. Thanks for all the messages of support.
I'm NiteOwl AKA Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator on twitter. I'm a journalist and a human rights activist and NOT Iranian. This is a compilation of news from Iran that I've gathered through twitter and Iranian sites that were advertised on twitter. Remember, this is all from tweets. (My work is released under Creative Commons (CC).) These are the important happenings that I can positively confirm from Wednesday and Thursday, August 4,5 - Mordad 13,14.
Protest / Unrest 1. A protest is scheduled for today – August 6 - at Vanak Square and Valiasr Square. Should be underway by the time this Brief is out. Protests are also planned for Mashhad – at Malikabard Blvd - and other cities – but confirmation for cities other than Mashhad is not available. August 5 2. Mass protests were held in Tehran on August 5. The main location was at Baharestan Square, close to the parliament, 1,500 to 2,000 people gathered and chanted against the regime. Thousands gathered at other locations in the city, mainly the Bazaar, Vanak Square, Mirdamad, Yosufabad and Sa’aie Park. Baharestan was important both to the government and the protesters as that is where Ahmadinejad was being sworn in. Thousands of protestors were marching on the streets. Partially confirmed reports suggest that the bazaar was almost paralyzed by the crowd. 3. Thousands of security forces were employed, effectively blocking the parliament from outside access. It has been confirmed that Ahmadinejad flew in by helicopter to avoid the protesters. Helicopters flew overhead in many parts of central Tehran. Security forces were so numerous, that in some areas, they outnumbered protesters. 4. Protesters were again badly beaten during clashes in many parts of the city. Partially confirmed reports also indicated that tear gas was used to disperse protesters in some locations. Subway stations, including the one close to Baharestan, were closed by the police to stop protesters from getting into central Tehran. 5. At least 20 people were arrested according to confirmed sources. Dozens more were also reportedly arrested – but confirmation has not been reliable. It was, however, confirmed that a high school near Baharestan was converted into a temporary holding place for arrested protesters, until they could be moved to detention centers/prisons elsewhere. Reportedly, the number of people arrested may be very high. 6. Detainees’ families also gathered in front of Evin Prison today. 7. Cell phone service was cut off throughout central Tehran, once again. 8. There were also reports of a smaller protest in Sari. Opposition August 4 9. Ayatollah Montazeri released a statement denouncing the government’s obtaining confessions from prisoners and called them illegal and a major sin. 10. Karroubi released a statement saying that both he and Mousavi would continue their protests over the rigged elections. August 5 11. Mousavi, Rahnavard, Mirdamadi, Nabavi and Ramezanzadeh’s Facebook accounts were attacked today and were inaccessible at the time of the writing of this Brief. 12. Mousavi stated today, that the government thought it could quell the people’s demands by arresting reformist leaders and calling them leaders of a ‘velvet revolution’ but protesters have shown that people’s demands were not tied to individuals. He added that the arrests were not going to stop the political movement. 13. IIPF released a statement today calling the government illegal. The statement also asserted that the government had no longer remained true to the constitution and was not democratic. 14. Ayatollah Sane’ie and Ayatollah Zanjani joined Ayatollah Montazeri in calling the government’s confession program illegal and sinful. Sane’ie went as far as saying that those who were forcing prisoners to confess would soon see the results of their traitorous actions.
15. Ayatollah Moaghegh-Damad sent a letter to Judiciary Chief Shahrodi and literally blasted him for his conduct. Excerpts from his statement are here: Legal Scholar Blasts Judiciary Chief – Tehran Bureau 16. It is unclear whether Hashemi Rafsanjani will be leading Friday prayers this week, even though it is his turn to do so. Arrested / Released / Killed August 4 17. Mir hamid Hassanzadeh – the owner of Ghalam, a website that has gained a reputation as Mousavi’s semi-official page online – has been arrested and his computer together with other equipment was confiscated. Hassanzadeh is also the head of Mousavi campaign’s media outreach program. 18 Khomeini’s granddaughter asked the government to reveal the names of detainees so their release could be pursued through legal means by their families. Full story: Khomeini’s granddaughter speaks out – Tehran Bureau 19 Hoshang Baba’ie, the legal counsel of Tajzadeh, Nabavi and Mirdamadi, told ILNA that he would not be attending court on Saturday as the trial was illegal. August 5 20. Shocking news of Alireza, a 12 year old boy killed at Beheste Zahra, last Thursday, has now been confirmed. He had accompanied his father to the mourning for Neda and the other protestors at the cemetery. He was killed by the security forces after being hit on the head with a baton. His body was returned to his family four days after he was killed. (I have withheld publication of his death since Monday because I wanted full confirmation of this very serious incident.) There are reports of a parliamentary investigation into the circumstances of his death. 21. The body of an unnamed protester was returned to his family 20 days after his disappearance. His heart and kidneys were missing and stitches could be seen on his abdomen. His badly bruised body also lacked finger nails. 22. Mahdi Yazdani Khorram, an editor at Etemaade Melli newspaper, has been arrested. Reza Nourbakhsh – the chief editor of Farhikhtegan newspaper – also arrested, his equipment was ceased and his office was searched thoroughly. Fereydoon Amozadeh – the chief editor of Chilcheragh Weekly – arrested. 23. Ali Vaghefi, the head of Mousavi campaign’s students’ division in Tehran, was released on bail. Also released was Mehadi Hashemi’s wife. 24. The second session of reformists’ trial in Tehran has been postponed to Saturday. 25. The office of the Association of Iranian Journalists has been sealed by agents of the Judiciary. The office has been sealed by the order of Mortazavi. The association was supposed to be holding a meeting on Friday. Government / International August 4 26. Iran’s National Security Council has announced that the people in charge of Kahrizak, would be fired and prosecuted, if charges of misconduct are proven against them after investigations were done. (Take them to Evin, give them psychoactive drugs, rip their nails and lash them with different types of electrical cables and they’ll readily confess. You don’t need an investigation.) 27. In an open letter, 44 Nobel laureates have condemned the human rights violations in Iran. August 5 28. Ahmadinejad’s inauguration ceremony was held in the Iranian parliament with the absence of prominent reformists and Khamenei. Only Shahroudi was present as the highest ranking government official. Several embassies sent low-ranking officials rather than ambassadors to attend the ceremony. (The names of these embassies will be released as soon as I have confirmation. Count on it!) 29. Other people present were; Mohmmadi Golpaygani, Samara Hashemi, Sardar Jafari, Rahim Masha’ie and Mohseni Ejaie. Absentees including all reformist directly tied to the Green Movement, Ayatollah Yazdi, Ahmad Khatami – both staunch Ahmadinejad supporters - Ali Akbar Nategh Noori, former speaker of the house, Mohsen Reza’ie, a conservative and a candidate in the elections for president and Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, Tehran’s mayor. Even though the government had invited over 250 people besides the MPs, many seats were empty. Foreign media was barred from the event. 30. Dozens of reformist MPs walked out as Ahmadinejad started his speech. Ahmadinejad did not say a word regarding the protests and simply continued to call his ‘selection’ historic. 31. So far, the governments of France, Great Britain, the US and Belgium have declined to congratulate Ahmadinejad on his historic ‘selection’ as Iran’s president. In a separate statement, EU spokesperson Amadeu Altafaj made it clear that the EU was not going to send a letter either. 32. The Norwegian government summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires to protest human rights violations and imprisonment of opposition politicians. Miscellaneous 33. The first game of Iran’s Premier League will be held without spectators on Friday for fear of Green Movement participation.
I'm NiteOwl AKA Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator on twitter. I'm a journalist and a human rights activist and NOT Iranian. This is a compilation of news from Iran that I've gathered through twitter and Iranian sites that were advertised on twitter. Remember, this is all from tweets. (My work is released under Creative Commons (CC).) These are the important happenings that I can positively confirm from Monday, August 3 - Mordad 12. (Some reports are from August 4 as well)
Protests / Unrest 1. Protests were held in Tehran and at least one other city today. They were in retaliation to the official endorsement ceremony of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by Ayatollah Khamenei on August 2. 2. In Tehran, people gathered at Valiasr Square and Vanak Square at 6 PM Tehran time. People also protested in other parts of the city, Keshavarz Blvd, Kargar Street, Azadi Square, Takhte Tavoos, Mirdamad, Enghelab Square and 7 Tir Square, as well as other areas. Protests also took place in front of IRIB’s main office and the Ministry of Interior. 3. People marched peacefully on the sidewalks towards Fatemi Square and Sa’aie park. The number of security forces was in the hundreds. 4. Clashes broke out between protesters and security forces, yet again. Police used tear gas and fired guns in the air. Protesters were, yet again, harshly beaten injuring at least seven women. People retaliated in some areas by setting garbage dumpsters on fire to disperse the tear gas. 5. Clashes were mainly concentrated on Vanak, but were also reported from Fatemi Square and other parts of Tehran – albeit with less intensity. The protestors were joined by a very large number of cars on the streets, honking their horns in support. For the first time today protesters also gathered in South Tehran in Naziabad. 6. Protests continued late into the night with people walking on the streets until past midnight. To disperse protesters, lights were cut off in some parts of Tehran, to force people to go home. Sharif and Tarasht Metro Stations were closed to disrupt the flow of people in and out of Central Tehran. People opened their doors to protesters who were being chased by Basijis on motorbikes. 7. No reformist leaders were present during the protests in Tehran. Initial reports, on various MSM and Iranian websites, claimed that Mahdi Karroubi had passed through a protest in his car – if not outright joined one – but that claim was later denied by Karroubi’s office. 8. Numbers were hard to corroborate. From pictures and from at least one reputed source, it seems that somewhere between 2,000-5,000 people gathered at Vanak, although overall, across the city the number would be closer to 10,000. 9. Outside Tehran, there was a protest in Shiraz. Protesters were fired at by security forces resulting in 15 injuries and 3 deaths. This has been confirmed. Upcoming International Protests 10. A flash demonstration is being organized in Toronto at Dundas Square on Saturday – August 8 at 12 PM for about 2 minutes. For more information: Login | Facebook or Toronto - Saturday Aug.8 Flashmob freeze 11. A protest is being held today in Atlanta, USA on Lenox Square at the corner of Lenox and Peachtree between 6 and 9 PM. More information: People4Iran | Raising Awareness About The People of Iran 12. August 5 protest against Ahmadinejad's inauguration, London, in front of the Iranian Embassy from 18:00 to 21:00. 13. More protests being held in Germany. For time, place and information: Julia's Blog: Protests and rallies in Germany (subject to change w/o notice) (If you, your friends or your organization are holding events, protests or doing something else related to the Iranian elections internationally, please send me an email with details and I will give you coverage. (Will only cost you 10 million dollars!) My email is: dbosca@gmail.com – I am also curious if anyone is doing something for the day of Ahmadinejad’s inauguration OUTSIDE Iran.) Opposition 14. The reformist Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization today released a statement warning that Iran was on the brink of chaos. Their statement was mainly directed at the trial of reformists on August 1. The organization called the trial a ‘show’ and illegal on all counts. 15. The Assembly of Qom Seminary Scholars and Researchers also released a statement today calling the trial a ‘show’. The statement called the trial illegal and another mistake by the government. It called upon the government, once again, to pay heed to people’s demands and stop oppressing peaceful protesters and their supporters. 16. Ayatollah Mohaghegh-Damad has sent an open letter to Shahroudi and harshly criticized the legality of the trial of the reformists. He called the trial “an infamous blot on Islamic Jurisprudence”. He called it outright illegal. 17. 86 faculty members of Tehran University sent a letter to Shahroudi today asking for the release of Eng. Khodayari. 18. The Association of Combatant Clerics also released a statement today calling the trial of reformists a staged act. The statement added that the government was trying to distract people’s attention from the government’s inhumane treatment of its citizens.
Government / International 19. Mohsen Rezaie’s spokesperson today told Al-Alam TV that Rezaie’s attendance was merely a show of respect for the leader. He indicated that Rezaie reserved the right to protest the election and criticize it. 20. Ahmad Khatami today criticized the use of Allah o Akbar by protesters. 21. The King of Oman is on a state visit to Iran. He was one of the first heads of a state that congratulated Ahmadinejad on his ‘historic’ selection as Iran’s president. 22. According to reports, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is not going to congratulate Ahmadinejad on his selection as Iran’s president. Arrested / Released / Killed 23. Partially confirmed reports indicate that the director of Tehran’s main oil refinery has been arrested. He is considered to be close to Mousavi. 24. IRIB has reported that three detained American hikers, accused of working for the CIA were being questioned. The location of their detention was not disclosed. 25. Saeed Hajjarian’s confession will be shown soon on IRIB. 26. The spokesperson for the parliamentary commission reporting on the condition of the detainees from the recent protests, Kazem Jalali, said today that their report had been handed over to the government. He also added that he was resigning from his position. 27. The deputy prosecutor of Tehran said today that the reformists currently on trial, will be allowed to have attorneys present in the next session of the court on Thursday. 28. A group of families of the reformists, who were put on trial on August 1, have released a statement calling the trial a sham. The statement added that the trial was an indicator of the complete prostration of those who staged it. They further questioned the legality of the trial calling it “devoid of the most basic legal articles”. Media 29. Etemaade Melli, a newspaper belonging to Mahdi Karroubi’s party of the same name, has been warned by the government to tone down its criticism of the government. The government has also warned Etemaade Melli to stop questioning the legitimacy of the election via its interviews. Etemaade Melli has not been published for several days in the past few weeks because the government did not deem the material suitable for publishing.
I'm NiteOwl AKA Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator on twitter. I'm a journalist and a human rights activist and NOT Iranian. This is a compilation of news from Iran that I've gathered through twitter and Iranian sites that were advertised on twitter. Remember, this is all from tweets. (My work is released under Creative Commons (CC).) These are the important happenings that I can positively confirm from Saturday, August 2 - Mordad 11. (Some reports are from August 3 as well) Yesterday's Report on the Trial of Reformists is at the end of this brief as well. Protests / Unrest 1. On August 2, there was a gathering of detainees’ families in front of Khamenei’s house. The number of people gathered was estimated at a few hundred. 2. The Sea of Green will be holding protests August 3 and plan on increasing power consumption at 9 PM. Chants of Allah o Akbar are continuing. (By the time this is out, protests will have already taken place.) On August 5 – the day of Ahmadinejad’s inauguration – there will more gatherings and protests. Locations cannot be disclosed at this time, as previous policy. 3. August 3, approximately a thousand people gathered in front of Judiciary Chief Shahroodi’s office. The protesters went to show their opposition to the trial of reformists. 4. August 1, several dozen members of the Mourning Mothers group held a gathering at Laleh Park. 5. Iran’s national cell phone company sent an SMS to all of it’s customers that services will be disrupted for the next 72 hours. 6. Checkpoints are being set up in Tehran by Basijis and police, yet again. 7. Partially confirmed reports indicate that at least 10 more protesters were being put on trial today. Need full confirmation. 8. Reports suggest that when news of the trial of reformists, reached Evin Prison, dozens of prisoners started to chant Allah o Akbar to show defiance against the regime. 9. Protests are being held in Paris August 3 and 4 against the Iran regime. For further details: Where is my vote? - Paris *85 year old protester demands her vote be given back and says she wants to take it back from Khamenei: YouTube - ‫شیرزن ایرانی در روز 25 خرداد‬‎ (If you, your friends or your organization are holding events, protests or doing something else related to the Iranian elections internationally, please send me an email with details and I will give you coverage. (Will only cost you 10 million dollars!) My email is: dbosca@gmail.com – I am also curious if anyone is doing something for the day of Ahmadinejad’s inauguration OUTSIDE Iran.) Opposition 10. Mahdi Karroubi on Sunday said that the confessions of political prisoners in court had no value. He asked the government to find a solution the current problem and asked them to stop trials, arrests and creating panic and fear among the people. 11. Shirin Ebadi today said that the trial was not held for the defendants; but for legitimizing Ahmadinejad’s government by forcing people to say that there was no fraud during the elections. She added that the trials held no legal merit. 12. It has been confirmed that Hashemi Rafsanjani may have left Tehran for Kerman in order to avoid participating in Ahmadinejad’s confirmation by Khamenei. 13. Mohsen Rezaie today asked that if reformists could be put on trial, then the government should also put on trial members of security forces, who violated Iranian laws during the post-election unrest. 14. Ebrahim Yazdi – the Secretary-General of the Freedom Movement of Iran – today said that the prosecutor’s claims, during the trial of reformists, was an attack on the integrity of the regime. He called the confessions immoral and said that it was an example of the in-fighting amongst various factions of the regime. Government / International 15. The confirmation ceremony of Ahmadinejad by Khamenei was held today in Tehran. The ceremony was attended by Ayatollah Hashemi Shahrodi, Ali Larejani, Ahmad Jannati, Mohsen Rezaie, Ayatollah Golpaygani, Mojtaba Khamenei, Ahmad Najafi, Afshin Ghotbi, Hossein Rezazadeh, Hamid Reza Saakit, Jahangir Almasi, Mohammad Reza Sharifinya, Mohammad Saleh ‘Ala and Mahmood Khosravi Wafa. During the ceremony, Ahmadinejad did not kiss Khamenei’s hand as he normally does and instead planted a kiss on the Supreme Leader’s shoulder. 16. Neither Khatami nor Rafsanjani – two former presidents of Iran – attended the ceremony. It had been speculated that at least Rafsanjani might attend, but he has left Tehran and is reportedly in Kerman. No member of Imam Khomeini’s family attended the ceremony either. 17. IRIB did not broadcast the appointment ceremony live. Some government-run news outlets, however, did report the ceremony as it went along. (Picture Courtesy of Enduring America: The top shot shows the confirmation from today while the shot below is from Ahmadinejad’s confirmation 4 years ago.) http://enduringamerica.com/wp-conten...uguration3.jpg 18. Ali Akbar Javanfekr, who is a senior advisor to Ahmadinejad on media affairs – resigned on Monday. 19. The office of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court has warned people to not comment on or criticize the trial of reformist leaders, reporters and other detainees. It added that anyone who did so would be prosecuted. The warning came after not only reformists, but even some conservative Iranian members of parliament openly criticized the trial and questioned its legitimacy. 20. Members of Iran’s Parliament have asked Ahmadinejad to provide answers as to why he sacked two distinguished and high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Intelligence last week. The two officials are Haji Habibullah and Khazayee. The MPs want to know why their sacking was undertaken without consultation with the parliament first. 21. Partially confirmed reports suggest that Iran’s Police Chief, claimed today, that they had discovered books and other material on how to wage a guerilla war campaign, from the election offices of reformist candidates. Full confirmation is still unavailable. 22. Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier asked the Iranian regime to release all political prisoners and respect the civil and political rights of the citizens of Iran. He also harshly criticized the trial of reformists that was held two days ago and reminded Iran it had to remain committed to its international commitments of respecting human rights. 23. Hashemi Rafsanjani’s son, Mahdi Hashemi said today that the trial of detained reformists was going to weaken the regime and the Supreme Leader. He called it a show trial and laughable. Arrested / Released / killed 24. New reports indicate that 103 additional protesters have been moved to Evin that were arrested on Thursday. This number does not include the 50 protesters that the government announced it had detained. 25. New reports emerging from Evin suggest that Behzad Nabavi and Mohammad Ali Abtahi may have been tortured psychologically. The reports suggest that Behzad Nabavi was stripped naked and then taken to Abtahi’s cell and Abtahi was told to perform fellatio on him. Full confirmation is unavailable. 26. Pooya Maghsood Beigi is the newest victim whose death has been confirmed. He was arrested in Kermanshah on June 20 and died after suffering extreme torture in Kermanshah Prison. He died a few days after being released. Now reports have emerged that his mother, Zahra Nowrozi was arrested from Kermanshah yesterday. 27. Iranian media today reported that the three American hikers who were arrested from northwestern Iran, are being held on charges of espionage and were working for the CIA. 28. The commission for investigating the rights of detained protesters and other people who’ve been arrested in relation to the recent unrests, has confirmed the death of at least 62 people that they are aware of during these unrests. 29. The only good news from the past two days is the release of Masood Kordpour. *A responsible twitter - @NedaAgain - has focused my attention to the issue of the veracity of Abtahi and other detainees’ confessions on August 1. His evidence and similar evidence provided by other Iranian sources seem to make it doubtful that Abtahi’s confession was from August 1. Facts reported by Iranian media say that Abtahi and other detainees were brought to court and after the trial session, immediately met with reporters and then were taken to prison. However, pictures and video show that while he was wearing prison uniform in court, he had on a crisp new shirt during the confession. Does it make sense to anyone else? Picture during trial on right: http://i29.tinypic.com/25inm6g.jpg Video of Confession:
Report on the Trial of Reformists (August 1 - Mordad 10) Trial Proceedings Today, the Iranian government put more than 100 detainees on trial, who according the government, were responsible amongst other things for sabotage, anti-government activity, subversion and the instigation of a ‘Velvet Revolution’ with help from foreign elements. Prominent reformists were among the detainees, including: - Mohammad Ali Abtahi: A former Vice President of Iran and a close associate of former President Mohammad Khatami. He is a member of the central council of Association of Combatant Clerics (Majma'e Rowhaniyoon-e Mobarez). - Mohsen Mirdamadi: Leader of the Islamic Iran Participation Front. - Behzad Nabavi: A former Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Iran and one of the founders of the reformist party Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization. - Mohsen Aminzadeh: Deputy Foreign Minister under Khatami. - Abdollah Ramezanzadeh: A former spokesman and secretary of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran under Muhammad Khatami. - Mohammad Atrianfar: The head of the "Policymaking Council" of the daily newspaper Shargh, a member of the Executives of Construction Party, a senior political advisor to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former elected a member of the City Council of Tehran from 1999 to 2003 and the Vice Minister of Interior in Politics under Minister Abdollah Noori as well as a vice president in Defence Industries Organization of Iran and a former editor-in-chief of the newspaper Hamshahri. Other detainees included prominent political activists, reporters and other important Iranian personalities. The presiding judge was Judge Salavati of the 15th circuit of the Revolutionary Courts (could not find his first name). The government had previously announced that only 20 people would be put on trial on similar charges. It is worth noting that the lawyers of many defendants were not present during the trial. Saleh Nikbakht, who’s been appointed by the families of Abtahi, Nabavi, Safaie Farahani and Aminzadeh to represent the defendants, later claimed he had not been allowed to be in court for the trial. The government’s prosecutor quoted a ‘spy’ the government had apprehended and that could not be named because of ‘security’ reasons. According to the prosecutor, the spy had entered Iran recently. The prosecutor then continued to explain how the spy was involved in planning a ‘velvet revolution’. (I cannot confirm the name of the spy at this point as only one source has made a claim about his identity.) The prosecutor then talked about ‘velvet revolutions’ that were held in Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. He named some prominent politicians, activists, feminists and reporters who had taken part in the planning and attempts at executing the said ‘revolution’. Some of specific charges against the defendants were: - Attacks on Military Installations with firearms and bombs. - Attacks on government buildings and setting them on fire. - Destruction of public and private property. - Creating fear amongst the populace. - Establishing contacts with militant organizations. - Beating of ordinary citizens. - Distributing leaflets against the government. - Beating security forces. The prosecutor also connected the defendants with George Soros – a billionaire who regularly helps fund ‘revolutions’ according to the prosecutor – and the US State Department. He said that the connection was established to coordinate the ‘revolution’. It was claimed, during the initial trial, that some of the defendants had acknowledged the accuracy of the elections’ results and had denied that any fraud had taken place. Later, during ‘confessions’, Abtahi and Atrianfar declared that no fraud had taken place during the election. Abtahi also said that Rafsanjani, Khatami, Karroubi and Mousavi had made a pact to back each other up to discredit Ahmadinejad, in case he won the election. He also went on to say that the ‘velvet revolution’ had agents who were to incite women, minorities, human rights activists, laborers, NGOs and students to take part. He blamed Shadi Sadr and Shirin Ebadi for inciting women. Nowsheen Hamadani Khorasani, an unknown individual, was also blamed for inciting women. He further blamed, as being the ‘brains’ behind it, Hadi Qayemi – spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign in Iran – Mansoor Asanlo in charge of the Laborers wing, Sohrab Razaqi and Baqer Namazi of the NGOs wing and Abdul Kareem Sorosh. Later, four of the defendants, Abtahi, Atrianfar, Tajbakhsh and Mazyar Bahari (an Iranian-Canadian journalist) faced the government media for questions. Some read their ‘confessions’. Excerpt of Mohammad Ali Abtahi’s media ‘confession: “After the election [Mohammad] Khatami and Rafsanjani had sworn to have each other’s back, and I don’t understand the point of it, knowing the difference [in votes between Ahmadienjad and Mousavi] was 11 million….Hashemi wanted to take revenge on Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader…. Mousavi probably did not know the country, but Khatami, with all due respect… knew all the issues. He was aware of the capability and power of the leader, but he joined Mousavi and this was a betrayal, …I see myself as a reformist but stated that Khatami did not have the right to force [this] on Mousavi. I did not agree with Ahmadinejad’s presidency but believe in people’s votes, and congratulated as people’s choice as the president. It was wrong of me to take part in the rallies, but [Mehdi] Karroubi told me that we cannot call the people onto the streets with such a meager number of votes, so we had better go to the streets ourselves to demonstrate our protest.” Abtahi’s full confession in Farsi:
The prosecutor also accused many defendants of participating in ‘terrorist’ activities against the state of Iran. He also accused them of being in touch with the MKO – a leftist Iranian paramilitary organization. He claimed they had been trained at Ashraf Camp in Iraq with American Forces. They had received logistic and financial support from America together with intelligence. Reza Khademi, Naser Abdolhosseini, Mohammad Noori, Hossein Shermohammadi, Azra Saadat Qazi, Naseh Fareedi, Amir Hossein Fotoohi, Mahdi Shirazi, Hassam Salamat, Mohammad Reza Ali-Zamani, Ahmad Karimi and Hamed Rohinezhad were all accused of taking part in these ‘terrorist’ activities. Government Reaction The only government reaction came from Tehran’s representative in the parliament, Hamid Rasayee, who said that the trial had paved the way for the government to prosecute the real leaders of the riot (this is only partially confirmed at this point). Opposition Reaction Mousavi's statement: “It is being said that the sons of revolution have confessed to planning to overthrow the Islamic Republic and the role of foreigners in this. I personally and carefully examined their words and did not find any truth to any of them… What we saw and you saw is nothing but an unskilled preparation for the start of the government’s term. They want a court that is fraudulent to find instances of fraud in the elections.” He added that the defendants should know that people know the confessions were only made to save the lives of the defendants.
The IIPF released a statement which says, “The coup d’état led by the totalitarians has entered a new phase by the comedy show they have staged - disguised as a snazzy courtroom to put a number of the detainees on trial”. Full Statement here: IIPF Statement - Why We Protest - IRAN Abtahi’s wife said that Abtahi had been forced to take psychoactive medication, to break him down and to force him to say whatever he was told. Her statement was corroborated by Mohammad Reza Tabesh – a reformist member of parliament. He also condemned the trials as a sham. Abtahi’s wife called the trials inhumane and senseless. Mohsen Mirdamadi’s wife said that family members of defendants were not allowed to talk to them, before or after the trial and they were taken away just as soon as the session was adjourned. She said that her family were not even allowed to be present during the trial. Sayed Mohammad Khatami said the trials were against the constitution and that such acts were deeply endangering the regime. Rafsanjani’s office dismissed allegations of Rafsanjani’s participation in any ‘velvet revolution’ and called all statements against Rafsanjani ludicrous. Famous Iranian lawyer Mohammad Hossein Aghasi spoke to Voice of America from Iran and said that the trial could not be called one. He added that it was like ‘a theatre act’ staged by the government. International Reaction Reporters Without Borders released a statement calling the trial a joke and condemned it. Iranian Media Reformist media outlets were completely barred from attending the trial and the only news coming out was through government-run media. Fars News reported a statement attributed to Abtahi which was markedly different from what he actually said in court. Keyhan News used the trial for its front page headline. It accused reformist leaders of attempting to hold a ‘velvet revolution’ and called the confessions proof of what had actually occurred.
I'm NiteOwl AKA Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator on twitter. I'm a journalist and a human rights activist and NOT Iranian. This is a compilation of news from Iran that I've gathered through twitter and Iranian sites that were advertised on twitter. Remember, this is all from tweets. (My work is released under Creative Commons (CC).) These are the important happenings that I can positively confirm from Saturday, August 1 - Mordad 11. The Report on the Trial of Reformists is at the end of the Brief Protests / Unrest 1. A protest has been planned for today at 11 AM Tehran time, in front of the Judiciary Chief Shahroodi’s office. The protest is being held against the trial, by the Iranian government, of around 100 reformist leaders, political prisoners and journalists. The families of the detainees have released statements asking for the people of Iran, to stand by them, in this time of need. 2. Protests are also planned for August 3 – the day of Ahmadinejad’s official appointment by Khamenei, as Iran’s president, August 5 – the day of Ahmadinejad’s inauguration – and August 7 – Imam Mahdi’s birthday celebration. 3. A group of students from Tehran’s San’ati Sharif University, held a candlelight vigil to mourn the death of protesters during the violent crackdown by government forces. 4. People are planning to overload electricity during the times when IRIB will be broadcasting the ‘confessions’ of the detained reformists. 5. There were reports of an extremely loud explosion in the southwestern city of Ahvaz today. The cause could not be confirmed. 6. People again climbed on their roofs and chanted Allah o Akbar, continuing their nightly ritual. Tonight, chants of “Free Political Prisoners!” could also be heard. 7. A new petition in support of Human Rights has been created. 28,000+ have already signed it. (Including me) Here’s the link if you want to join the petitioners: http://bit.ly/DRrQa Opposition 8. In an interview with GhalamNews today, Mousavi said that the Sea of Green had no contact with foreign elements. He also denounced propaganda aimed at connecting the Sea of Green with foreign countries. He said the Sea of Green was a public uprising, aimed at getting their deserved rights, guaranteed to them by the constitution. Mousavi added that people’s demands were within the framework of the Islamic Republic’s constitution and laws. 9. Conservative MP Emaad Afroogh said today, he was curious as to how the government intended to prove that a ‘Velvet Revolution’ was being planned. He added that calling people’s legitimate demands a ‘Velvet Revolution’ was an insult to the Iranian people and anyone propagating such insults should be prosecuted. 10. Hashemi Rafsanjani’s office today dismissed Mohammad Ali Abtahi’s ‘confession’ which implicated him in the ‘Velvet Revolution’. According to the office, Rafsanjani had not made a pact with Karroubi, Khatami and Mousavi that he would not support them in any ‘revolution’. They further asserted that Rafsanjani had, at no point, been involved with the protests and had not declared his support for any candidate during the elections. 10. Khamenei’s brother Hadi Khamenei, today criticized the government’s actions in the post-election violence. He said the cases of detention centers that have been closed, because of the inhumane conduct with detainees, needs to be investigated and the people involved violating human rights should be prosecuted. In a meeting with freed prisoners, Hadi Khamenei – who is a member of the Imam’s Way faction of parliament – said that the Guardian Council had erred in supporting a specific candidate and that the killing of peaceful protesters must end. 12. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Rafsanjani has moved out of Tehran to a safer area close to the city. This has been reportedly done to ensure his safety. 13. Members of the Imam’s Way faction of MPs will be holding a meeting with Mahdi Karroubi tomorrow. Arrested / Released / Killed 14. It has now been confirmed 3 American hikers, have been arrested by Iranian border guards, after they mistakenly entered Iranian territory while hiking in Northeastern Iran. The Iranian media ran the story saying that the hikers repeatedly ignored warnings by the guards. The US has asked the Swiss Embassy in Tehran – which carries out diplomatic ties on behalf of the US with Tehran – to intervene and secure the release of the hikers as soon as possible. (This might not seem relevant to the Iran Elections – yet we all know that this COULD become ugly if Iran decides to use the hikers to blame the US of intervention in Iran.) 15. Behazad Mohajer is the latest protester whose death has been confirmed. His body, which was kept at Kahrizak’s morgue, was handed over to his family yesterday. He was 47. 16. One of Mousavi’s close aides, Alireza Beheshti – the son of Ayatollah Beheshti – has stated in an interview they have so far gathered the names of 1,700 detainees whose whereabouts are unknown. 17. Reports from Mashhad indicate that during the protests on Thursday, more than 30 people were arrested. 18. The Association for the Defense of Children’s Rights have sent a letter to Ayatollah Shahrodi – the head of Iran’s Judiciary – asking him to investigate the cases of underage detainees who were arrested in the post-election turmoil. The association has also shown a willingness to represent these children in court, if they were put on trial. Media 19. Keyhan Daily has published a report claiming evidence of Mousavi and Khatami’s betrayal of Iran has been gathered and will be published soon. 20. Press TV published an article today, citing government sources, saying that the Sea of Green was planning on planting bombs to create an atmosphere of unrest and violence in the country. (Don’t worry, this is the least bit of shocking news you’ll get.) Picture of the day (Front Page of Keyhan Daily): http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...g?t=1249226639 (The large red circle says: “Evidence of Mousavi’s Betrayal of Iran Exposed!” while the small red circle says: “Evidence of Inhuman Torture of Detainees by Americans in Bagram Prison [Afghanistan]). Report on the Trial of Reformists Trial Proceedings Today, the Iranian government put more than 100 detainees on trial, who according the government, were responsible amongst other things for sabotage, anti-government activity, subversion and the instigation of a ‘Velvet Revolution’ with help from foreign elements. Prominent reformists were among the detainees, including: - Mohammad Ali Abtahi: A former Vice President of Iran and a close associate of former President Mohammad Khatami. He is a member of the central council of Association of Combatant Clerics (Majma'e Rowhaniyoon-e Mobarez). - Mohsen Mirdamadi: Leader of the Islamic Iran Participation Front. - Behzad Nabavi: A former Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Iran and one of the founders of the reformist party Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization. - Mohsen Aminzadeh: Deputy Foreign Minister under Khatami. - Abdollah Ramezanzadeh: A former spokesman and secretary of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran under Muhammad Khatami. - Mohammad Atrianfar: The head of the "Policymaking Council" of the daily newspaper Shargh, a member of the Executives of Construction Party, a senior political advisor to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former elected a member of the City Council of Tehran from 1999 to 2003 and the Vice Minister of Interior in Politics under Minister Abdollah Noori as well as a vice president in Defence Industries Organization of Iran and a former editor-in-chief of the newspaper Hamshahri.
Other detainees included prominent political activists, reporters and other important Iranian personalities. The presiding judge was Judge Salavati of the 15th circuit of the Revolutionary Courts (could not find his first name). The government had previously announced that only 20 people would be put on trial on similar charges. It is worth noting that the lawyers of many defendants were not present during the trial. Saleh Nikbakht, who’s been appointed by the families of Abtahi, Nabavi, Safaie Farahani and Aminzadeh to represent the defendants, later claimed he had not been allowed to be in court for the trial. The government’s prosecutor quoted a ‘spy’ the government had apprehended and that could not be named because of ‘security’ reasons. According to the prosecutor, the spy had entered Iran recently. The prosecutor then continued to explain how the spy was involved in planning a ‘velvet revolution’. (I cannot confirm the name of the spy at this point as only one source has made a claim about his identity.) The prosecutor then talked about ‘velvet revolutions’ that were held in Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. He named some prominent politicians, activists, feminists and reporters who had taken part in the planning and attempts at executing the said ‘revolution’. Some of specific charges against the defendants were: - Attacks on Military Installations with firearms and bombs. - Attacks on government buildings and setting them on fire. - Destruction of public and private property. - Creating fear amongst the populace. - Establishing contacts with militant organizations. - Beating of ordinary citizens. - Distributing leaflets against the government. - Beating security forces. The prosecutor also connected the defendants with George Soros – a billionaire who regularly helps fund ‘revolutions’ according to the prosecutor – and the US State Department. He said that the connection was established to coordinate the ‘revolution’. It was claimed, during the initial trial, that some of the defendants had acknowledged the accuracy of the elections’ results and had denied that any fraud had taken place. Later, during ‘confessions’, Abtahi and Atrianfar declared that no fraud had taken place during the election. Abtahi also said that Rafsanjani, Khatami, Karroubi and Mousavi had made a pact to back each other up to discredit Ahmadinejad, in case he won the election. He also went on to say that the ‘velvet revolution’ had agents who were to incite women, minorities, human rights activists, laborers, NGOs and students to take part. He blamed Shadi Sadr and Shirin Ebadi for inciting women. Nowsheen Hamadani Khorasani, an unknown individual, was also blamed for inciting women. He further blamed, as being the ‘brains’ behind it, Hadi Qayemi – spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign in Iran – Mansoor Asanlo in charge of the Laborers wing, Sohrab Razaqi and Baqer Namazi of the NGOs wing and Abdul Kareem Sorosh. Later, four of the defendants, Abtahi, Atrianfar, Tajbakhsh and Mazyar Bahari (an Iranian-Canadian journalist) faced the government media for questions. Some read their ‘confessions’. Excerpt of Mohammad Ali Abtahi’s media ‘confession: “After the election [Mohammad] Khatami and Rafsanjani had sworn to have each other’s back, and I don’t understand the point of it, knowing the difference [in votes between Ahmadienjad and Mousavi] was 11 million….Hashemi wanted to take revenge on Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader…. Mousavi probably did not know the country, but Khatami, with all due respect… knew all the issues. He was aware of the capability and power of the leader, but he joined Mousavi and this was a betrayal, …I see myself as a reformist but stated that Khatami did not have the right to force [this] on Mousavi. I did not agree with Ahmadinejad’s presidency but believe in people’s votes, and congratulated as people’s choice as the president. It was wrong of me to take part in the rallies, but [Mehdi] Karroubi told me that we cannot call the people onto the streets with such a meager number of votes, so we had better go to the streets ourselves to demonstrate our protest.” Abtahi’s full confession in Farsi:
I'm NiteOwl AKA Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator on twitter. I'm a journalist and a human rights activist and NOT Iranian. This is a compilation of news from Iran that I've gathered through twitter and Iranian sites that were advertised on twitter. Remember, this is all from tweets. (My work is released under Creative Commons (CC).) These are the important happenings that I can positively confirm from Friday, July 31. I am writing a one time only special report on today's trials. Should be out soon as I want to pay attention to other matters in GB 46.
Protests / Unrest 1. Hundreds of citizens of Qazvin have sent protest letters to Ali Larijani – head of Parliament – and to their two representatives in the legislative body. They have demanded the elections be annulled, fresh elections be held, all prisoners to be freed and the people responsible for violence against the protesters be put on trial. 2. 12 prominent Iranian filmmakers also sent a letter to members of the parliament asking them to do their constitutional duty and help solve the crisis. The filmmakers have demanded the release of the detainees and a peaceful solution to the turmoil that has been plaguing the country for weeks. 3. The government is now indiscriminately blocking access to satellite channels in a bid to stop the flow of news to the protesters. The tactic is reportedly an attempt by the government to stop the protesters from knowing about other protests being held around the country. 4. In Thursday’s protests, Iranians burned a Russian flag. Picture: http://bit.ly/19jsNv Opposition 5. Reports suggest that the majority of Iranian Ayatollahs are conducting frantic meetings across the country, in an attempt to sway each over the conflict. 6. Assembly of Qom Seminary Scholars and Researchers has issued a statement urging the protesters to continue their protests and that the protestors had the support of the Assembly. The statement called the violence against the protestors following the election, one of the worst acts that one could commit. The Association’s members include prominent clerics such as Ayatollah Mohammad Va'ez Abaee-Khorasani, Ayatollah Mousavi Tabrizi and Ayatollah Asadollah Bayat-Zanjani. 7. The son of Ayatollah Beheshti – one of the founders of the Islamic Republic - Alireza Beheshti, said in an interview that the regime never thought the people would stand behind Mousavi. He also added that the real number of people arrested was unknown and hinted that the government was deliberately attempting to distort the facts about detainees, making it more difficult to obtain their release. 8. Ayatollah Hojjati Kermani, today in an interview questioned the validity of the government’s claim that post-election violence was the work of foreigners. He said in the past 30 years the government had used ‘blaming others’ for too many problems. He added that the country’s freedom was at stake, people’s lives and their faith was in danger. 9. During Friday prayers in Qom, Ayatollah Ebrahim Amini said that the youth wanted change and couldn’t tolerate tyranny, so they would always rebel against it. He said that their voices needed to be heard if their demands are legitimate. He also asked for prisoners to be treated humanely and within the law, welcoming the Judiciary’s order to complete investigations within a week about all detainees. 10. Sayed Mohammad Khatami, today met with the families of protesters who were killed in the past few weeks, again. He met the families of Ashkan Sohrabi and Kyanosh Aasa at Sohrab A’rabi’s house. He also met with the family of Masood Hashemzadeh. He asked each of the families for details about the death of their loved ones and asked the government to investigate the cases of the protesters who’ve been killed as well as the detainees. 11. The spokesperson for the US State Department on Thursday criticized the Iranian government for using force against peaceful mourners and protestors. Government / International 12. A German firm which had warned its employees they could risk getting fired if they protested in Iran, in any way, has withdrawn the threat. Knauf Gips KG had issued a letter – written by Isabel Knauf – threatening all employees in Iran they would be dismissed if they took part in political demonstrations. German Firm Withdraws Threat to Fire Employees in Iran: http://iranquest.com/blog/?p=8695 13. Khamenei has supposedly ordered a commission to be formed to meet with the families of protesters who have been killed and detained in the past weeks. The commission will address the families’ grievances. To date the commission has met with the father of Mohsen Rohulamini. 14. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday said that his relationship with Khamenei was like that between a father and a son and that it will not deteriorate. Ahmadinejad who is in Mashhad also said that Ejaie had reportedly not carried out some of his orders and indicated that it was part of the reason why Ejaie had been dismissed. 15. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, yesterday claimed that the West had directly interfered in Iranian affairs during the election. It blamed the UK especially and said that foreign countries had used their media outlets to instigate protests, which had shown protesters how to make explosives and commit violence. 16. In his Friday Sermon, Ayatollah Jannat warned those responsible for the protests that they will be prosecuted and that the situation was not going to remain the same forever. He blamed Mousavi and Karroubi for the death of protesters, asked them to apologize to the families of those protesters and to take the blame. He said that protesters who had committed violence will not be released and yet again called the elections free and fair, adding that the opposition couldn’t see a man like Ahmadinejad be elected by the people. Arrests / Releases / Deaths 17. Three American tourists were arrested by Iranian border guards in northwestern Iran after the tourists, who were on a hiking trip in Iraq, mistakenly crossed the border into Iran. 18. The government has confirmed the arrest of at least 50 mourners from Beheshte Zahra on Thursday. Detainees include at least one cleric, Hojjatul-Islam Dr. Soleimani – a member of the Assembly of Qom Seminary Scholars and Researchers. 19. It has now been confirmed that Ali Asghar Hadizadeh, a gold medal-winning para-Olympian and a former MP, has also been arrested from Enghelab Square on July 15. 20. The parliamentary commission assigned to report on the condition of detainees and their cases has not been allowed by the government to meet with political prisoners. The spokesperson for the commission, Mahdi Sanayee told ILNA that as of yet, he wasn’t sure when the government would allow them to meet with political prisoners. 21. A political prisoner who was recently released from Evin recounts that they were interrogated specifically to get confessions that implicated a foreign hand in the recent unrests. 22. Maryam Khazayee, a children’s rights activist, has been detained by intelligence agents. Her whereabouts are unknown at this point. Seema Nasrati, blogger and reporter, has been released from prison. 23. Mohammad Aowlyaee-fard, an prominent Iranian lawyer, stated in an interview that there are other clandestine detention centers where prisoners are being treated the same as they were being treated at Kahrizak. He said that they were looking into the matter and details would be released soon. Media 23. Fars News has asked the government to detain and prosecute Rafsanjani, Khatami, Mousavi and Karroubi for instigating violence and disrupting the country’s peace. 24. Keyhan Daily criticized Shirin Ebadi for her statements and actions during the post-election violence and called her a ‘murderous hag’. 25. On Friday, IRIB finally stopped playing Shajarian’s patriotic songs after several complaints by him and other organizations. 26. Fars News has published an outrageous report. It is so shocking that you just have to read the source: Fars News Agency :: Thousands of Inmates Freed in Iran after Amnesty by Leader. Miscellaneous 27. Statues in Italy, adorned with green ribbons and bands: IranianZ.com ~ PersianToronto.com
I'm NiteOwl AKA Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator on twitter. I'm a journalist and a human rights activist and NOT Iranian. This is a compilation of news from Iran that I've gathered through twitter and Iranian sites that were advertised on twitter. Remember, this is all from tweets. (My work is released under Creative Commons (CC).) These are the important happenings that I can positively confirm from Wednesday, July 29.
Protests / Unrest 1. Gatherings to honor protesters who’ve died in the post-election violence will be held today in Tehran and other parts of Iran. Mousavi, Karroubi and many other reformists are expected to join the protests. 2. Beheshte Zahra Cemetery, where most of Tehran’s protesters who were killed are buried, is currently in a state of lockdown. Plans have been put in place by the government, to stop the flow of protesters into the main grounds of the cemetery. 3 Neda’s mother has declined to join the mourners. She released a statement saying that she does not want to share the blame for the beatings, arrests or deaths of any mourners. However, she has indicated that others could do as they please and join the gatherings if they wanted to. Sohrab A'rabi's mother will be joining the mourners, though. 4. The main gathering will be at Tehran Mosala, after a visit to Beheshte Zahra Cemetery. Thousands of people are expected to attend. It has been reported that protesters may march towards Neda’s house, after the gathering at Mosala. 5. SMS services have been disconnected throughout Tehran in anticipation of the protests on Thursday. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Khamenei has ordered Basijis and plainclothes men not to interfere with the mourners. He has stated that, at all costs, the Basijis and plainclothes men are to avoid gathering near Mosala. Other security forces are said to be in charge of keeping the peace. 6. At least 50 students of San’ati Sharif University have been forced to write forms stating they will not chant Allah o Akbar from their dorm rooms at night. Opposition 7. The Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF) – the main reformist party – issued a statement on Wednesday. They stated that the Judiciary Chief’s one-week investigation, into the fate of arrested detainees, is a complete sham. The statement also said that crimes against citizens were continuing and were being perpetrated by the government. The only way to end turmoil – according to the statement – was the fall of Ahmadinejad’s government. 8. Ayatollah Mortaza Motahhari’s son, Mohammad Motahhari, has joined the Green Movement and issued a scathing criticism of the government. Mortaza Motahhari was one of Khomeini’s closest disciples and was a founding figure of the Combatant Clergy Association. 9. Ayatollah Montazeri has, yet again, released a statement criticizing the government, telling it to learn from what happened to the Shah. He added that the shutdown of Kahrizak detention facility was merely a government ploy to distract people. He asked the government to stop the Basij and IRG from killing innocent people and criticized the government for letting a few people control the fate of the whole nation. Government / International 10. For the first time, the government has admitted that security forces might have been involved in violence during the protests. The overall head of Iran’s security forces, General Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, said today that some members of security forces have overreacted. Moghaddam also added that the government had paid at least 197 Iranians money, to compensate for damages to their property, sustained during the protests. The total amount of payments is about $50,000. 11. Kazem Jalali, the spokesperson for a parliamentary committee that is investigating the condition of detainees, as well as recent arrests, said today that the committee had received news of an underground detention facility, operated by the Ministry of Intelligence. The facility might be located beneath the ministry – according to Jalali. He said investigations were ongoing and declined to comment further. Arrest / Released / Killed 12. Partially confirmed reports suggest that Javad Abbasi Kangevari - also known as Javad Azadeh Amoli - has been appointed as the chief interrogator for high-profile detainees. He has been appointed after a special order by Khamenei as other interrogators have so far failed to extort confessions from these detainees. Amoli is famous for being a proficient torturer and brutal interrogator. Hossein Ghorbanzadeh – also known as Hossein Gestapo - who is another notorious torturer – is at the moment the main man for extorting confessions from other detainees. 13. Alireza Eftekhari, a former report for Abrare Eghtesad, was killed on June 15 after sustaining massive head trauma. He had been hit badly by security forces armed with batons. It has been also confirmed that Amir Hossein Toofanpour has been killed in the unrest. No other information could be obtained about him or the circumstances of his death. A 16 year old protester Hossein Akbari’s body has also been handed over to his family. He had been missing for a month and his head, chest and limbs had sustained severe injuries from a blunt object – possibly a baton. 14. Saeed Hajjarian still remains in prison, even though it had been reported he would be released today. Today, Shayesteh Amiri – a former aide of Khatami -, Saeed Shariati – a high-ranking member of IIPF – and Fariborz Raees Dana were all arrested by security forces. Emad Behavar – a student activist - and Abolreza Tajik were released today. 15. Reports have partially confirmed that starting Saturday, trials for detained protesters and political prisoners, will commence in Tehran. IRNA also reported on Wednesday, that indictments had been issued against nearly 20 detainees, allegedly involved in “planning and carrying out sabotage”. Their trials are set for Saturday, IRNA reported. Among the detainees are members of MKO, as well as some members of Iran's Baha'i minority. This could not be confirmed as of yet. 16. PressTV has announced that Iranian security forces have arrested a group of photographers who had been hired by foreign media outlets, to get photos and video of protests in Iran. Majid Saeedi and Satyar Imami – two photographers who have been detained for some time - were forced weeks ago to give confessions and have been introduced to the public as Iranians who are working for foreign elements. Media 17. Hossein Shariatmadari – the representative of Khamenei in Keyhan Daily – wrote in his column today that the protesters killed in the past few weeks, had been killed by hired thugs, who had been paid for their services by Mousavi and Khatami. Miscellaneous 18. The Italian government has named a street in Rome after Neda Agha-Soltan. Article in Italian: Neda: Roma le dedica una via
I'm NiteOwl AKA Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator on twitter. I'm a journalist and a human rights activist and NOT Iranian. This is a compilation of news from Iran that I've gathered through twitter and Iranian sites that were advertised on twitter. Remember, this is all from tweets. (My work is released under Creative Commons (CC).) These are the important happenings that I can positively confirm from Tuesday, July 28. (Some reports maybe from the 29th as well) Protests / Unrests 1. The Ministry of Interior refused to issue a permit for gatherings on Thursday for mourning the 40th day of Neda’s death. However, Mousavi and other reformists have indicated that they would proceed with plans for gatherings, even if a permit is not issued. Mousavi and other reformist leaders will also visit the graves of protesters who have been killed during the unrests. Mousavi has reportedly suggested that his supporters make use of religious holy days for gatherings and rallies – full confirmation of this could not be obtained. 2. Two minutes of silence will be publicly observed in many parts of the world on Thursday. For more details on this and how to participate, please follow this link: The Silent Wave. The Silent Wave – Be still for Iran on Thursday July 30, 2009. 3. Saifullah Daad’s funeral will be held on Monday (Iran Time) and many reformists and Green Movement supporters are expected to attend. Partially confirmed reports suggest that Mir Hossein Mousavi will also be present. 4. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi and the Secretary General of Amnesty International Irene Khan have published a joint statement, declaring that the situation in Iran was getting worse. They expressed concern that violent repression was possible in retaliation to protests that might be held on the day of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s inauguration. 5. Mehr News has reported today that a bomb had been defused near Saderat Bank in Karaj. This remains unconfirmed for now. 6. Mousavi stencils in green are appearing all over Tehran. Picture: http://tinyurl.com/mnowfy Opposition 7. Full Text of Mousavi’s Speech on Monday (English): Mir Hossein Mousavi میر حسین موسوی: Mousavi: “Religious celebrations are opportunities for the display of the “Green” movement’s creativity.” | Facebook (I went through as much of it as I could and the translation seems to be impeccable. Hopefully, those who were looking for it will find it useful). 8. Ninety two professors and faculty members of universities in Tabriz have sent a letter of support to Mousavi. The letter also asks the government to release political prisoners, ensure freedom of speech and stop violently oppressing peaceful protests. 9. Ayatollah Sayed Jalalludin Taheri Isfahani has written a letter supporting Rafsanjani’s stance in regard to the elections. He asked the political elite to join hands in finding a solution for the current turmoil. He stated that the regime and spirituality were in danger because of the present situation. 10. Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani also wrote a letter today to the reformist leadership. The letter states that the blood spilled, during the post election violence, was on the hands of those who have always thought little of people and have ignored their votes. He urged the reformists to continue to stand against the oppression that was taking place and said those who ignore such atrocities also share the blame. 11. In an interview, published in Etemaade Melli newspaper, Fakhrusadaat Mohtashamipour blamed the Guardian Council of overly supporting Ahmadinejad and hurting the oppositions’ campaigns using censor tactics and media as a tool. 12. Reformist leaders continue to meet with the families of protesters who’ve been killed or detained. On Monday, Mohammad Khatami met with the family of detained reporter Mohammad Ghochani and Mahdi Karroubi met with the family of Neda Aga-Soltan. Karroubi told the family of Neda that she had merged into the people’s movement and had become a symbol for freedom. Government / International 13. Reports suggest that Ahmadinejad has assumed the responsibilities of the Minister of Intelligence after he sacked Ejaie from the post. This can only be partially confirmed at this point. There are other reports suggesting that he has appointed another high-ranking official at the Ministry as the “caretaker”. 14. Congressman Ted Poe, R-Texas, on Monday praised the women of Iran for their bravery in pursuit of their rights and freedoms. He mentioned Shadi Sadr and the fact she had been arrested. Video: YouTube - Congressman Poe Impressed By The Women Of Iran 15. Iranian MP Ali Motaheri today criticized the government’s decision to close just one detention center. He said the closing of only one detention center didn’t mean that there were not other places where people were deprived of their liberty and tortured. 16. Reports suggest that Ahmadinejad is losing support in parliament. At least two parliament members have reportedly suggested in recent days that Ahmadinejad’s government could face a vote of no confidence. However, this remains only partially confirmed. Ahmadinejad is also still under pressure by some conservatives for keeping Esfandiar Mashaie as his Chief of Staff. 17. MP Hamid Reza Katouzian of Tehran today criticized Ahmadinejad harshly over his continued support for Mashaie. He also accused Ahmadinejad of not being loyal to the Supreme Leader. Also on Tuesday, conservative MP Gholamreza Mesbahi-Moghaddam expressed support for Rafsanjani and said that most of the detainees should be released since they were simply young and excited youngsters. Arrested / Released / Killed 18. After the order by Shahrodi which stipulated a speedy release for detained protesters with minor offences, Ali Larijani – the head of the Iranian parliament – announced today that a special committee would be reviewing the situation from the beginning of the tension. The three member committee will meet with prisoners and write a detailed report about their status, rights and the interrogations they’ve gone through. The committee would also gather complaints from people who’ve been beaten or have suffered financial loss during the unrest. 19. Saeed Hajjarian is reportedly being released today. He is in failing health and human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that if not released, he could die in detention. 20. More deaths during the protests have been confirmed. - Hossein Akhtar-Zand, 32, was killed by Basijis in Isfahan on June 15th. It has been alleged that he was thrown from a building. I have seen pictures of his body. I am not going to post the link as they are too graphic. - Saeed Abbasi was killed on June 20 after being shot in the head on Rodaki Ave.- - Sajjad Qayed Rahmati, was killed on June 21 by IRG members near Navab Metro Station. - Davood Sadri, 25, was killed on June 15 after being shot by Basijis from the rooftop of their headquarters at Moghdad near Jinnah Avenue in Tehran. - Amir Javadi Langroodi has also died after suffering days of torture at Evin. - A 16 year old detainee was brutally beaten in front of more than 200 other detainees at Kahrizak and died on the spot. - Hossein Akbari was killed by security forces in the first week of unrests. He had gone missing, but his family didn’t know of his death for almost a month. His body was given to his family on July 22 and he was buried four days later. - Mansour Ghoujazadeh, a resident of Khoy, was beaten so badly during a protest that he couldn’t survive his injuries. He was quietly buried after his family was threatened by security forces. (But they aren’t just names, they have faces too: Faces of the Iranians killed and Arrested)
21. Reports today confirmed the detention center, ordered to be shut down by Khamenei, is Kahrizak Detention Center located south of Tehran. Horrendous reports of torture and abuse are surfacing about the facility. - One detainee reportedly suffered so much trauma to the head at Kahrizak that he went blind and died in detention. - Detainees are forced to strip, then, electric cables are used to lash them for hours ripping into their bodies and inflicting terrible damage. - Other detainees are crammed into small cells where many have contracted infectious diseases. - Tehran’s Police Chief, Ibrahim Reza Radan has personally beaten and tortured detainees on his visits to the facility. His weapon of choice was reportedly a plastic hose. 22. Reports from other detention facilities describe incidents like these: - A female detainee was supposedly forced to sign a confession to admit she had not been mistreated while in detention. She was repeatedly beaten, harassed by male interrogators, her hair was pulled and male interrogators repeatedly touched her body inappropriately to force her to confess. - One detainee was forced to lick the commode of the detention facility’s toilet and guards forced his head down to the ground with their boots. He was also repeatedly beaten with batons. - Guards who would refuse to subjugate prisoners to such torture were reprimanded. One guard was detained and tortured after he refused to torture a detainee. - One Iranian expatriate, who had been detained after returning from London, was beaten so badly and harassed that he has become mentally unstable. After his release, his family has been forced to restrain him so he does not attempt to commit suicide. (The committee formed by the parliament to investigate the cases of detainees most probably will not be visiting Kahrizak as it has already been closed. For accounts of what happened at Kahrizak, visit this link: كودن با استعداد: The Holocaust denier is casting his own version) 23. The number of protesters who have been killed in detention or on the streets has climbed to 78. According to multiple sources this number is much higher. Here is an updated list of the dead and detained Leaving Facebook... | Facebook. 24. The government is continuing to charge people money for returning the bodies of their loved ones. They are also being forced to sign papers that absolve the government of the blame for the victim’s death. Unless these two conditions are met, bodies are not returned. 25. Reports suggest that in the past two days, at least 140 prisoners were freed from Evin and other prisons. They include Mohammad Tavsoli who had been in detention for the past 43 days. Aida Mesbahi was also released today. The government has announced that the remaining detainees – which according to it number in less than 200 – have committed major crimes such as damaging property or providing weapons to other protesters that were used in violence. 26. Ali Maghami - a member of Karoubi’s campaign HQ – was arrested yesterday. 27. Unconfirmed reports indicate that two political prisoners were hung in Zahedan, Sistan o Baluchestan province. The prisoners were primarily persecuted because they belong to the Sunni branch of Islam which is a minority in Shia-majority Iran. There is still no news on the fate of seven detained members of the Baha’i faith. Media 28. Javan Daily has accused the Association of Anonymous Addicts of also having a hand in the current turmoil. (Next, it will be the Pope!) 29. Khanaye Moseeqi (House of Music), an organization of Iranian musicians, has released a letter defending Saeed Shajarian. He has been repeatedly insulted by the government owned media after he asked them to stop broadcasting his patriotic songs. Miscellaneous 30. Francesco Totti, top Italian footballer, sent a message in Farsi to Iranian youth fighting or their freedom:
I'm NiteOwl AKA Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator on twitter. I'm a journalist and a human rights activist and NOT Iranian. This is a compilation of news from Iran that I've gathered through twitter and Iranian sites that were advertised on twitter. Remember, this is all from tweets. (My work is released under Creative Commons (CC).) These are the important happenings that I can positively confirm from Sunday/Monday, July 26/27. (Some reports maybe from the 28th as well) Protests / Unrest
1. There are reports that a small gathering of people chanting against the government was held on Tuesday held in retaliation of the government’s decision to ban Mohsen Rohulamini’s funeral ceremony from being public. I can only partially confirm this at this point. 2. Plans are underway to hold a day of silence around the world to commemorate the 40th day of Neda’s death (I’m not sure if this has a lot of backing, but here’s the link: Example Tweets for Thursday 3...). Protests are planned in Iran on that day as well. 3. Basijis are apparently wearing jeans and shaving their beards in order to infiltrate the ranks of protesters. Opposition 4. Mousavi urged the government to not interfere with the mourning gathering to commemorate Neda’s death. He said he hadn’t planned a speech and only Koran will be recited during the mourning. He, however, declared that the Green Movement will continue. The gathering will be held at Grand Mosala. He added, “How can it be that the leaders of our country do not cry out and shed tears about these tragedies?” 5. Two days ago, Hashemi Rafsanjani stated in a meeting with faculty members of a university in Tehran denied there was a power struggle in the nation. But, in order to resolve the current situation, he said that he still stood by his comments made during his Friday sermon. 6. Ayatollah Montazeri has released a statement that expresses concern over the current state of affairs. He also applauded the efforts made by various people to resolve the current state of turmoil. It has been also confirmed that Ayatollah Montazeri has met with Ayatollah Mousavi Ardabeli and Ayatollah Shabiri Zanjani. 7. Partially confirmed reports suggest that Ayatollah Saneie has announced his intention of attending the mourning rallies of the 40th day of Neda’s death. On Sunday, he also criticized the government’s wide-spread clamp downs on peaceful protesters and called on it to release all detainees. In a letter to Mousavi, Khatami and Karroubi, he also said that the path to attaining peoples’ rights must continue without violence or bloodshed. Ayatollah Mousavi Ardabeli also joined his call for the release of all prisoners and asked the government to halt cruelty against peaceful protesters. It is worth noting that both Ayatollahs' statements come as a response to a letter sent to Iranian Ayatollahs by the reformist leaders, asking for their support. 8. Ayatollah Hassan Zarandi – a member of the Assembly of Experts, representing Kermanshah – has written a letter, supporting Rafsanjani’s Friday sermon. 9. Reformist MP Alikhani has criticized the government’s decision to continue using Russian-made airplanes. He accused the government of treating the lives of Iran’s citizens as worthless. Government / International 10. It has now been confirmed that the resignation letter of the Minister of Culture has been rejected by Ahmadinejad. So far, only the Minister of Intelligence has been sacked. Reports of the sacking of two other ministers could not be confirmed. 11. It has been confirmed that sacked Intelligence Minister Ejaie has sent a letter to Khamenei criticizing Ahmadinejad rather harshly. 12. Although it had been reported that Ahmadinejad’s inauguration would be held on August 2, new reports suggest that it might have been changed to August 5 and still others claim August 4 to be the day. For now, August 2 seems to remain in effect. 13. MP Hamid Reza Katouzian has stated that Mohsen Rohulamini’s only fault was to Ahmadinejad and called the killing of dissidents by the government ugly and shameful. This is while another MP Ali Motaher – who has sided with reformists in the past weeks – asked Iran’s judiciary to give up the name of Mohsen’s killer. 14. Mohsen Rezaie has thanked judiciary chief Ayatollah Hashemi-Shahroudi for ordering a quick review of the cases of the detainees of the post-vote unrest in Iran. 15. It has been confirmed that besides Intelligence Minister Ejaie, as many as 20 high-ranking officials from that ministry have been sacked. Reports suggest that Ahmadinejad has sacked these officials for their failure to provide concrete evidence that attempts at staging a ‘velvet revolution’ were being made in Iran by foreign powers. 16. As reported in the Green Brief two weeks ago, several prominent Shi’ite clerics are going to make a decision about leaving Iran and settling in Najaf, Iraq. It is expected that the final decision will be made within days. 17. In a meeting held by a committee set up by the reformist camp to investigate the fate of detainees, Ali Larijani – the head of Iran’s Parliament – has asked them to continue their investigation. He has also asked for the release of those detainees who have not committed serious crimes. However, he reiterated that government’s official policy of blaming foreign media outlets for the current unrest in Iran. Arrests / Released / Killed 18. It has been confirmed that Khamenei has ordered the closure of a single detention center because detainees were being ill-treated there and Iranian laws were broken. Khamenei’s spokesperson – while announcing the Supreme Leader’s decision – said that this had been done to ensure that detainees remain safe from cruelty while in detention. We cannot confirm which prison it is at the moment; however, it seems Khamenei must not be aware of what’s happening at Evin… 19. Famous Iranian actress Pegah Ahangarani has been detained. Partially confirmed reports suggest that prominent feminist, lawyer and human rights activist Shadi Sadr has been released.
20. The spokesperson for Iran’s Judiciary has announced that Shahrodi - the director of the Judiciary – ordered that within a week the fate of all prisoners detained after protests started must be determined. He said that some will be released very soon because they might not have committed any serious crimes, but claimed that only 300 remained behind bars. It has also been confirmed that 7 members of parliament went to visit Evin and Rajayi prison to assess the condition of detainees on Monday. 21. The director of Mazandaran province’s detention facilities has told a human rights organization that the provincial prison at Sari held a thousand prisoners – four times more than it could actually hold. He also claimed that up to 60 people were being held at cells designed for 12. 22. Ramin Qahremani – a protester detained for two weeks – has died only two days after being released because of internal and external injuries. He had been extensively tortured and was reportedly hung upside down for extended periods of time while in detention. 23. Faizullah Arab-Sorkhi, Saeed Hajjarian, Behzad Nabavi and Mostafa Tajzadeh, who are all reformists politicians currently in jail and in bad health, have been moved to IRG Hospital #66. It has been reported that they will be questioned by a special team from now on that is being headed by a representative of the Supreme Leader. 24. In more tragic news, the family of a protester who went to a rally in Rasht was recently notified to pick up his body by the authorities of the city. The protester’s brother was asked upon arrival by the authorities to sign a statement, saying that the protester had died because he was suffering from a terminal illness. When he refused, the protester body was not returned. 25. As chants of Allah o Akbar continue throughout the night, security forces are actively hunting people who are taking part in this form of protest. Reportedly, people are being fined hundreds of dollars if caught in the act. Media 26. Reformist newspaper Sadaye Adalat’s permit has been cancelled by the government. 27. Several state-owned media outlets, mainly Ansar News, IRIB, PressTV and Keyhan have recently started to criticize Ahmadinejad rather harshly. The spate of criticisms started after Ahmadinejad’s appointment of Mashaie as his vice president and the six-day long battle between Ahmadinejad and conservatives to remove him. (I don’t particularly like Fareed Zakariya but this is just brilliant!
I'm NiteOwl AKA Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator on twitter. I'm a journalist and a human rights activist and NOT Iranian. This is a compilation of news from Iran that I've gathered through twitter and Iranian sites that were advertised on twitter. Remember, this is all from tweets. (My work is released under Creative Commons (CC).) These are the important happenings that I can positively confirm from Thursday, July 23 .
Protests / Unrest 1. Dozens of Iranian-Armenians and Iranians protested in front of Caspian Airline’s office in Tehran today. A journalist covering the protests was arrested, but later freed. The protesters demanded to know why a Caspian Airline’s flight from Tehran to Yerevan, Armenia crashed near Qazvin more than a week ago. Security forces dispersed the protesters. Iranian Government Officials have said that it will take another 2 months to complete their investigation. 2. The hunger strike in front of the UN building in New York continued today, despite the pouring rain. Protesters sang songs from the revolution of 1979 and demanded that Iranian rights be safeguarded. Protesters declared their opposition to any military action against Iran. See pictures below – compliments of Mehdi Saharkhiz: onlymehdi, People singing so many ppl even in the rain 3. The citizens of Tehran have planned a protest for this Saturday. Details of the protest will be provided after it has transpired. People continued to chant “Allah-o-Akbar” last night in Tehran. Others walked the streets chanting “Death to the Dictator,” and “Allah-o-Akbar.” Opposition 4. In a statement released today, Mousavi said, “We will not stop until the last detainee has been released by the government.” Mousavi’s wife, Zahra Rahnavard, stated, “The government can fabricate as many lies as it wants to, but the people of Iran will never believe any of the allegations against my detained brother.” She added, “My brother is only one amongst many other Iranian brothers and sisters who have been imprisoned – this is why I have not given his name to the media.” Lastly, she indicated that she will fight for her brother’s freedom. 5. Hossein Khomeini – a grandson of Imam Khomeini – has told the BBC in an interview that an Islamic Government had no legal basis in Islam unless the prophet or one of the 12 Imams was leading it. Hence, hinting that the current regime had no legal basis in Islam. He also added that the current constitution and government could not be changed as long as a post for a spiritual leader as the country’s Supreme Leader existed, adding that spiritual leadership was for the prophet and the 12 Imams – 11 of which are dead and one is believed to be in hiding for more than a millennium. He condemned the government’s killing of peaceful protesters and of the indiscriminate arrests. Government / International 6. It has been confirmed that Mohammad Yazdi - Secretary of the Assembly of Experts - has written a letter condemning Rafsanjani’s speech during Friday Prayers. Yazdi has asked him to revoke his stance. Although the letter is being circulated in the name of the entire Assembly, reports indicate that only a quarter of the members have signed it - another quarter has declined to do so. 7. IRIB has published Ahmadinejad’s letters of appointment for several of his new staff members. The list includes: 1: Asfandyar Rahim Mashaie as 1st Vice President 2: Mehrdad Bazrpash as Director of the National Youth Organization 3: Parvez Davoodi as 1st Advisor to the President 4: Sayed Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi as 1st Assistant to the President 5: Ali Akbar Salehi as Director of the National Atomic Energy Agency 6: Mohammad Javad Hajali Akbari as Presidential Advisor on Youth Affairs 7: Masood Zaribafan as Director of Martyrs Foundation and Veterans Affairs 8: Hamid Baghaie as Director of the Office of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts 8. The Minister of Communication announced that SMS services will be reactivated step-by-step. SMS services have been essentially suspended in Iran for more than a month. Protesters were thought to rely on SMS services for coordinating their protests. 9. Ahmad Khatami – a member of the Assembly of Experts Leadership Council and hard-line cleric – announced today that, “Ahmadinejad will prove his loyalty to Khamenei by quickly removing Mashaie from his post as VP.” Khamenei has already shown his express desire for Mashaie’s removal. 10. In a statement released today, Ayatollah Dastegheyb yet again praised Rafsanjani’s Friday Sermon and asked the government to listen to Mousavi, Karroubi and Rezaie’s demands. He called for unity among Iranians. He added, “Foreigners are never going to be Iran’s friend- unity among Iranians is the only solution to Iran’s problems.” 11. On the other spectrum, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Gharshi also released a written statement that was sent to government officials and opposition leaders criticizing Rafsanjani’s Friday Sermon. Gharshi - who is a representative for Western Azerbaijan Province in the Assembly of Experts (which Rafsanjani heads) - told Rafsanjani, “It caused me much pain and distress to see that you were unable to keep yourself away from the turmoil on the streets." He asked Rafsanjani to stop before his “achievements and bright past” go to waste. 12. Ayatollah Abolghasem Khazali has also criticized Rafsanjani’s Sermon and said that the elections had been a marvelous event. He hinted that prisoners should not be released because they had been implicated in violence. It is worth mentioning that Ayatollah Khazali’s son was detained during the protests and has now been freed on bail. 13. In an interview with the BBC, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “The internal debates going on inside Iran have made it difficult, if not impossible, for them to pursue any diplomatic engagement, not just with us but anyone, like the P5+1 [permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany]. There is so much that is on hold.” 14. Sweden - which heads the rotating presidency of the EU for six months – has asked the Iranian Government to promptly release Clotilde Reiss, a French citizen who has been imprisoned at Evin Prison for weeks.
Arrested / Released / Killed 15. Saeed Shojaiezadeh and Khosro Mousvivand – students at Ahvaz’s Naft University – were detained yesterday. The father of martyred protester, Masood Hashemzadeh has been detained from his house by plainclothesmen. His house was searched and many items belonging to Masood were confiscated. Masood died during protests on June 21st on Shademan Ave, north of Azadi Street. 16. More people have been detained during the past few days including: Ahmad Bahri – the founder of Mahabad Monthly who was arrested in Mahabad, Jafar Agha-Mohammadi – an activist from Maghan who was arrested in Maghan. Ramin Sultankhwah, Saeed Kashani, Zafar Mogheemi, Saeed Shamsaie and Abbas Zareh-Haqeeqi were arrested in Gonabad. 17. More reports indicate that missing protester, Alireza Eftekhari, was actually killed during protests. Mohsen Rohulamini – the son of the former Director of Pasteur Institute in Tehran and a top advisor to Mohsen Rezaie – who was feared to be in detention, has now also been confirmed to have died at Evin. Fahimeh Solahshoor – another protester – is confirmed to have died at a hospital after sustaining head injuries during protests on June 14th. Finally, Maisam Ebadi – a 17 year old protester – has also been confirmed to have died on June 13th. 18. The son of Isa Saharkhiz, Mehdi Saharkhiz, has reported that his father called home from Evin Prison. According to Mehdi, his father is currently being held in solitary confinement. Mehdi said that his father reported of having several broken ribs. He did not reveal if he had been tortured or not. 19. Partially-confirmed reports indicate that many detainees are now being held in a building that was previously used as a drug rehabilitation center in Shorabad (close to Beheshte Zahra Cemetery in Tehran). According to the reports, Evin Prison is now full to capacity and only important prisoners are being kept there. The rest of the “street protesters” are being moved to temporary holding spots. 20. It has been confirmed that Khamenei has plans to pardon and/or reduce the sentences of many detainees in order to foster reconciliation. 21. The mothers of Sohrab A’rabi and Ashkan Sohrabi went to meet Neda Agha-Soltan’s mother today. Many other feminists and women’s rights activists accompanied them. 22. An Iranian photographer, Ali Zareh, who was detained and released after 40 hours in detention by the security forces has released a Youtube video chronicling his arrest, detention and torture. In the video, Zareh confirms that two of the men responsible for his arrests were Lebanese. The Green Brief has repeatedly confirmed the presence of foreigners amongst the ranks of Iranian Security Forces. This is the first solid confirmation. Here’s a link to the video: YouTube - Ali Zare, photographer, talks about his detention in Iran Media 23. Ayatollah Nasser Makarem-Shirazi today criticized IRIB for using what he called ‘aggressive’ and ‘unfriendly’ language against the opposition and asked for compassion and friendship.
I'm NiteOwl AKA Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator on twitter. I'm a journalist and a human rights activist and NOT Iranian. This is a compilation of news from Iran that I've gathered through twitter and Iranian sites that were advertised on twitter. Remember, this is all from tweets. (My work is released under Creative Commons (CC).) These are the important happenings that I can positively confirm from Wednesday, July 22 . Protests / Unrest 1. Dozens of people gathered nearby Sohrab A’rabi’s house in Tehran tonight. They chanted “Death to Dictator” and demanded freedom for the Iranian people. A’rabi is among those killed during the aftermath of the elections by the Iranian government. 2. Families of detainees again rallied in front of Evin Prison. Dozens assembled to ask for the release of their loved ones. Others demanded to know the whereabouts of their missing family members. The whereabouts of large numbers of Iranian protesters detained are unknown and the government refuses to provide information about them. 3. The planned hunger strike in support of the Green Movement commenced in front of the United Nations building in New York today. Akbar Ganji is one of the organizers of the event. Participants include Gogoosh -Iran’s most famous Pop Diva, and Shohreh Aghashedlo- an Academy Award-nominated Iranian actress. It is worth mentioning that many other prominent Iranians and non-Iranians were present as well. The strike is planned to last until July 25th. Here’s BBC’s page on the strike with a video: http://tinyurl.com/nsbqyx Opposition 4. Mir Hossein Mousavi met with university professors and reporters in Tehran, where he criticized the government and said, “They can’t even tolerate the presence of people like Rafsanjani today.” He went on to say, “People should continue their quest to ensure that their demands are met in a civil manner.” He again asserted the election results as fraudulent, and said that, “A government that does not have legitimacy would only increase internal and external problems for Iran.” Mousavi went on to say, “People have the key to resolve the question” and “I do not recognize Ahmadinejad’s Government.” He stated, “We all witnessed the power of the people as they gathered under the same banner - regardless of their affiliations.” Mousavi affirmed his intent of creating a new political front - one that would include several well-known politicians. The new front’s main objective will be to achieve the demands of the Iranian people, and that it would be unveiled next week. 5. In a separate two-hour meeting with reporters and other media personalities, Mir Hossein Mousavi discussed the current situation in Iran. He called for the immediate release of detainees and asked the government to ensure press freedom and to lift the media censorship. 6. Abdollah Nouri – another reformist who has joined the Green Movement – said that in the mid 70s, “No one thought that the Shah would be overthrown one day and that he would be forced to flee the country.” 7. Ayatollah Sayed Ali Mohammad Dasteghaib – an eminent cleric from Shiraz – has announced his support for Rafsanjani’s sermon. He is now backing Mousavi and Karroubi and asked other clerics to join the growing support for the reformists. He stated, “Clerics should NOT be divided on an issue that has so much mass support amongst its people.” During the past month, several Ayatollahs have made their position well-known. For a full listing of Ayatollahs and their positions, please visit Tehran Bureau’s website (I can attest to most of its authenticity): http://tehranbureau.com/ayatollah-watch/ 8. Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani - in response to a question from one of his followers – said, “The appointment of someone to a leadership position who’s gained it through fraud is illegitimate.” He added, “However, people need to have evidence and need to be certain that such an individual had indeed used illegal means to get to that position for his presidency to be illegitimate.” He acknowledged, “Complaints of other candidates cannot delegitimize a president unless those complaints are found to be accurate.” He clarified, “Only the Presidency would lose its legitimacy; not the Regime nor the people working for the Regime." 9. Partially-confirmed reports indicate that Ayatollah Wahid Khorasani – another important cleric – warned Sadegh Larejani today that, “He would ruin his afterlife if he accepts the appointment to head Iran’s Judiciary.” Sadegh Larejani is a member of the Guardian Council, and is a staunch conservative being groomed to replace the current head of Judiciary. Larejani had reportedly stated in 2006 that people’s vote didn’t give a government its legitimacy. 10. Hashemi Rafsanjani’s brother - Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani - has dismissed claims made by Mojtaba Zounnour (Khamenei’s representative to the Revolutionary Guard) that he had donated more than five million dollars to Mohsen Rezaie’s campaign. Mohammad declared that he did not donate money to any of the candidate’s campaigns. Rezaie’s camp on the other hand, vowed that if Zounnour could not prove his allegations, they would take him to court. 11. Mohsen Rezaie blamed Ahmadinejad’s supporters of attempting to damage his credibility. According to Rezaie’s website, an active campaign primarily instigated by Ahmadinejad’s Party, had begun to discredit him and his achievements. 12. A committee that has been formed to follow the cases of detainees and to provide legal help to their families met with Mahdi Karroubi for the third time today - and asked for his continued support. Karroubi asked the committee to designate lawyers for following the cases of individual detainees as soon as possible. The committee later announced that they will soon be holding meetings with the Parliamentary Commission on National Security and Judicial Affairs as well as Iran’s Attorney General. 13. Mohammad Khatami reiterated his position today and called for a referendum on the government’s legitimacy. He insisted that people needed to make their voices heard. He said, “If this demand is not accepted, all legal channels for people to reach their goals would be closed.” Khatami criticized detractors of claiming that he, Mousavi, and other reformists were working against the regime. He stated, “The referendum is an insurance policy,” and urged the government to hold one as soon as possible. Government / International 14. Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi has joined the battle over the appointment of Asfandyar Mashaie as one of Ahmadinejad’s Vice Presidents. He called his appointment “absolutely illegitimate.” Khamenei has opposed Mashaie’s appointment, yet Ahmadinejad has refused to back down. Mashaie released a statement today on his official blog, calling himself “a staunch conservative.” He declared that his earlier statement, in which he called “The people of Iran friends of the Israeli people,” was the official government position at the time. It has also been partially-confirmed that during today’s Cabinet meeting, Ahmadinejad had a verbal altercation with Hossein Saffar Harandi -Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance – over Mashaie’s appointment, causing Harandi to leave the meeting. 15. Ahmadinejad signed into law - and issued an order for its implementation –a decree that severely damages freedom of expression in Iran. According to Press TV, the law requires internet service providers to save virtually ALL data that has been sent and received by their clients for a period of three months. 16. Mojtaba Zounnour - Khamenei’s representative to the IRG - declared today, “Protesters armed themselves with pickaxes, shovels, and even purchased tear gas BEFORE the election in order to take part in post-election violence.” He proclaimed that an “underground armed resistance group,” with over 300,000 members, had been formed before the election. He insisted, “This group’s mission was to trigger a revolution against the Islamic Republic - with help from the BBC.” He also confirmed that at least two Basiji Members had been killed by protesters during the violence.
17. UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, announced today that the British Government supported the rights of the Iranian protesters. He called the arrests of British Embassy staff and the expulsion of two British diplomats “unacceptable.” Because of mounting international pressure, all staff members were released. Brown told reporters, "We have to be concerned if individual rights of citizens are being affected." 18. Reports indicate that 306 conservative clerics in Qom have released a statement in support of Ayatollah Yazdi’s dismissal of Rafsanjani’s demands during his Friday Sermon. 19. Swedish Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt, told reporters yesterday, “The legitimacy of Ahmadinejad’s Government was being challenged by the people.” Sweden currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU for six months, so this comes as more of a European position than a Swedish. Arrested / Released / Killed 20. Three journalists have now been confirmed to have been detained by the government. They include: Sayed Emar Kalantari – the editor-in-chief of Ayandeh website, Hossein Aghaie and Reza Rafi’ee Foroushani. Mohammad Reza Azeemi and Mostafa Sha’bani were also reportedly arrested today. Both men are lawyers who work for Raad - a legal institution that operates in Tehran. 21. Towhid Begi, Karroubi’s campaign photographer, and Mojtaba Tehrani, a photographer working for Etemaade Melli Newspaper, were released today. 22. Reports surfaced yesterday that two people had died and several were injured in clashes with security forces in the city of Orumieh in Western Azerbaijan Province. Based on reports from today, I can now partially-confirm this. 23. Mohseni Ejaie, Iran’s Minister of Intelligence, has recently said that more confessions of detainees will be broadcasted soon on National television. 24. The Revolutionary Road blog has published the names of 65 people who they claimed have died in the unrests, along with many more who have been detained. I cannot confirm the list, but here is the link for your review: http://tinyurl.com/lz6gcg Scott Lucas, and his team over at Enduring America, has kindly translated all the names to English. If you want to see the list, please check-out their very informative and accurate website: http://tinyurl.com/lu6a6g **Special Note: This is a personal request. Today, a very disturbing picture was disseminated on Twitter. It contained several dead bodies piled-up against a wall - with the poster claiming that these were the bodies of tortured detainees from Evin Prison. The picture was later discredited as being from Iraq. In the future, if such pictures make their way to you, please make sure it is authentic. Graphic pictures cause extreme pain and trauma to many people who are following and reporting on Twitter. Thank you.
