July 10th Update on Iran
"Russia, Iran will never forgive you."
Tehran 18 Tir 1388 after the protests
Click to view
As Joe Friday said, "Just the facts."
July 12, 2009 post | July 11, 2009 post | July 10, 2009 post | July 9, 2009 posts | July 8, 2009 post | July 7, 2009 post | July 6, 2009 post | July 5, 2009 post | July 4, 2009 post
Twitter crashed repeatedly yesterday...either that or my stupid tweetdeck did.
Fact, the protests have gone nationwide. Reports are that the protesters in Tehran (taking into account the ebb and flow of the flash mob protesters and those who helped them escape the govt troops) were at least 35,000 and that nationwide it was twice that amount. The police and the Basiji did not back away and actively fought the protesters and there are confirmed reports of them shooting into the crowds and so far only one person has been killed. Dorms and universities were raided and attacked. They have escalated the attacks on the women protesters as well. More information can be found in the Green Briefs.
One way to tell that the vids you are watching are from 18 Tir 1388 (July 9, 2009) is to hear, “Mojtaba Bemiri, Rahbari Ro Nabini (cnn has it as Nagiri)” which basically translates to, "Mojtaba may you die and never become the leader." Mojtaba is the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's third eldest son and it was reported on July 8, 2009 that he was now heading up the Basij and Iranians are worried that Iran has become a dictatorship or monarchy without a king. Remember that Ayatollah Khamenei never really had the religious credentials to become an Ayatollah and so they feel that this means that the son is being set in place to 'inherit' the throne of his father. This is also causing increasing disillusionment within the regime leaders. They really really really do not like the son and the implication of what this all means.
Also, there will be articles related to the Uighur protests and situation in China because there are confirmed reports of protests that took place in front of the Chinese Embassy in Tehran. This is most probably because of the recent clashes in China and just goes to show how much encompassing this movement is. Iran's relations with North Korea, China and Russia and the West are going to be focal points in relation to how Iran will respond to the protests and what the protesters in turn will do. What is really ironic is that the Iranian government is speaking out against the suppression of the G8 protesters. Oh and they are really upset at China's treatment of the Uighurs. No, I'm not joking. They have come out in support of the Chinese Muslims against the Chinese govt stomping on them for protesting. More information on that in the Press TV link.
Another thing, keep an eye out on Egypt. Things are really heating up there and I think they are about to toss out their leader or the leader is going to cross some very big lines ala Iranian style.
TehranLive.org This site was instrumental in feeding pictures to the rest of the world when the protests first started and then it went completely quiet. No updates since the 17th of June and relatives said that the blogger didn't return home one night. Amir is back and on the 26th of June he posted:
I gotback home.
I am Amir…
I am FREE.
Thank you All friends around the world for your prayers, activities and helps. LOVE you ALL.
However, there are no new updates.
Blogs
Demotix <- The mighty photojournalism site Iran election page pictures of demostrations outside Iranian embassy in London
Mightier Than
ABC reporter jim sciutto's twitblog
LA Times - Babylon & Beyond First images to emerge of July 9, 2009 protests large crowd gets dispersed by teargass on July 9, 2009 protests
iran.whyweprotest.net 18 Tir / 9 July forum thread <- lots of vids and first hand account by a protester in Iran
goftaniha.org Ex-Basij Founder's Blog being used to ID Basij - in Farsi
Ayatollah Watch <- Information on Ayatollahs
Ahmedi's takeover has been planned since 2004
Out the Basij
ID the Basiji
twit blog about how another Ayatollah has gone against the regime
Lara Setrakian - ABC News reporter's blog TEHRAN UNREST: "IT WAS NOTHING LESS THAN WAR. PRAY FOR US."
National Iranian American Council's Blog July 9, 2009 protest coverage <- vids and pics
NY Times - The Lede Blog July 9, 2009 protest coverage
I will never forget the guy’s face across from me as he looked out over the plaza. His eyes got really big … and I then realized the bad medicine was coming our way. I stepped out for a preemptive move and it looked like whack-a-mole. Every 5 yards some riot cop was swinging like it was T-ball tryouts. I dropped my bag and my sunglasses in an “oh crap” moment, quickly picked them up, and amazingly started to Frogger my way through this parody of Chicago ’68. People on the right and left of me got whacked by the rubber batons as I darted through. One guy put his hands up, so I did. Then a goon hit him quite hard, so I figured that symbol of peace wasn’t working. I made it to the sidewalk just in time to see a black-clad riot cop charging at me - his baton hit me cleanly across the back of my ducking neck. I ended up on the street and luckily missed another cop who had decided to take a swing at the less uncouth guy on my left.
Retweeters to watch
@LaraABCNews <- Reporter out of Dubai who's been in contact with Iranians
@Pray4FreeIran <- retweeter who spreads messages about Iran
@AustinHeap <- The genius behind ProxyHeap and Haystack (says that Node 1 is a go?)
@StopAdmedi <- twitter account for Mousavi supporters
@nicopitney <- I didn't know he had a twitter account
@Iran_Translator <- NiteOwl
@iranriggedelect
@tehranbereau
@bistoon <- IRGC already actively hunt him b/c of student revolt in 1999 so I can rec him
Useful Resources
News: NIAC Insight | Kodoom
Translations: Google Translate | TehranBroadcast.com | Translate4Iran
Helping Iranians use the web: Haystack | Tor Project (English & Farsi) | IranHelp.org (Farsi) Demonstrations: Facebook | sharearchy | WhyWeProtest
Activism: Avaaz.org | National Iranian American Council
Mousavi's FB
Haystack's how you can help digg page
Haystack <- The all powerful proxy (still in testing) Want to help? Don't know anything techwise? Then donate some cash and keep this revolution going, you may just save someone(s) life! Haystack is needing donations! Donate Here.
Protest Advice
Brainstorm Ideas
Torrent/dl list of videos showing police brutality in Iran
Blog that has links to LA Protest that 35-50,000 people turn out
the pictures
Want to know how the power check system in Iran works? The Wall Street Journal has an excellent graph.
Bearing Witness In Iran Weighs Heavily On Cohen: Roger Cohen on NPR
Voice of the Voiceless
YekIran <- Worldwide Protest Map
Wiki on 18th Tir Protests 1999
Wiki of Iranian Election Protests
Reporters Without Borders <- List of how many reporters are in prison in Iran
radionomy anonymous Sea of Green radio
Eng Trans of Mousavi FB that has protest instructions and routes
Mightier Than Iran: The Rooftop Project <- Site trying to find vids of the roof top shoutings for every single night since the protests began.
Iran News <- One Stop Source
for News/YouTube/Blog/Political Cartoon links about Iran's Election and the aftermath (massive library of information)
The Guardian's list of dead and detained
Voice of America News
Iran 360 <- Photojournalism site
Live Blogs on Iran
Revolutionary Road... <- Live from Tehran UPDATES
Andrew Sullivan's blog <- Political blog but he has a lot of coverage on iran. Andrew Sullivan's blog "Iran Erupts Again" Counter Targeting the Protesters
Enduring America blog
Nico's Pitney's live blog on HuffPo The most excellent live blog out there. Has an absolute ton of information dating back the very first day. Filled with pictures and vids.
Nico's Iran Page (it seems he deleted off the info from July 7th but it can be found here)
July 10, 2009
July 9, 2009 |
July 8th | July 7th | July 6th | July 5th | July 3rd | July 2nd | July 1st | June 30th | June 29th | June 28th | June 27th | June 26th | June 25th | June 24th | June 22nd | June 21st | June 20th pt 2 | June 20th pt 1 | June 19th | June 18th | June 17th | June 16th | June 15th
NiteOwl's Green Briefs <- Anonymous teamed up The Pirate Bay (before they sold out) to provide logistical help to the Iranians in a safe anonymous forum - the vids of Anonymous declaring 'war' on Iranian govt are interesting to watch. NiteOwl's Green Briefs are compilations of news reports straight from Iranians.
#23 (July 9)
#22 (July 8) | #21 (July 7) | #20 (July 6) | #18-#19 (July 4-5) (NiteOwl's net didn't let him access the archives of twitter (?) so it's late) | #17 (July 3) | #16 (July 2) | #15 (July 1) | #14 (June 30) | #13 (June29) | #12 (June 28) | #11 (June 27) | #10 (June 26th) | #9 (June 25) | #8 (June 24) | #7 (June 23) | #6 (June 22) | #5 (June 21) | #4 (June 20 | #3 (June 19) | #2 (June 18) | #1 (June 17)
Newspaper Articles
New York Times
Iran Page
Iran Protests Take to Streets Despite Threats (July 10, 2009 - Michael Slackman)
As tear gas canisters cracked and hissed in the middle of crowds, and baton-wielding police officers chased protesters up and down sidewalks, young people, some bloodied, ran for cover, but there was an almost festive feeling on the streets of Tehran, witnesses reported in e-mail exchanges.
A young woman, her clothing covered in blood, ran up Kargar Street, paused for a moment and said, “I am not scared, because we are in this together.”
The protesters set trash afire in the street, and shopkeepers locked their gates, then let demonstrators in to escape the wrath of the police. Hotels also served as havens, letting in protesters and locking out the authorities.
NY Times Video of the 18 Tir 1388 Protests
NY TIMES Pictures of the 18 Tir 1388 Protests
Americans Release Iranian Detainees to Iraq (July 9, 2009 - Steven Lee Myers)
China Bans Mosque Meetings in Strife-Torn Region (July 10, 2009 - EDWARD WONG and ANDREW JACOBS)
Egyptians looking for clues about their President's plans (July 9, 2009 - Mona El-Naggar)
The Guardian
Iran Page <- Strange…I can't find any new articles on Iran
Iran protests flare on anniversary of 1999 riots:
Demonstrators bundled into police buses and teargas fired as thousands of Mousavi supporters take to streets (July 9, 2009 - Ian Black)
Los Angeles Times
Iran protests draw thousands but are quickly quelled (July 10, 2009 - Ramin Mostaghim and Borzou Daragahi )
"It is going to continue," vowed a marcher in his 60s, big drops of sweat on his forehead. "They have killed our dear youth. How can we forgive them?"
Many of the demonstrators wore surgical masks to conceal their identities from cameras positioned on nearby buildings. They could be seen fleeing into side streets and regrouping as shops were quickly shuttered. Some witnesses said pro-government Basiji militiamen also wore masks, to hide their faces from protesters' cameras.
Passing drivers and motorcyclists honked their horns and flashed the victory sign in support of the clusters of demonstrators. Business owners could be seen hustling protesters into their buildings to shield them from police. One witness described at least 10,000 demonstrators gathered in one spot, but there was no independent confirmation.
Mosques in riot-scarred Chinese city allow Friday prayers despite initial plans to close (July 10, 2009 - AP)
CNN
iReport page
Iran Election Fallout Page (iReport side has lots of vids)
U.S. panel demands release of Baha'is facing trial in Iran
Seven Baha'i prisoners face a death-penalty trial Saturday in Iran amid calls for their release from a U.S. panel on religious freedom.
Responding to a letter from Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist who spent four months in an Iranian jail earlier this year, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) demanded the seven prisoners be freed rather than stand trial on charges of espionage and religious violations. If convicted, they could face execution.
"In addition to the hundreds of Iranians who have been detained in the context of Iran's disputed presidential poll, many other 'security detainees' arrested long before the June election remain behind bars," Saberi said in her letter requesting U.S. government intervention in the Baha'i case.
"These Iranians and the authorities who have detained them need to know that the Iranian people's human rights are a matter of international concern," she said.
Iranian forces disperse protesters with batons, tear gas (July 10, 2009 )
The Independent
Shots fired to clear streets as Iranians defy ban on protests (July 10, 2009 - Katherin Butler)
Tehran Bureau
Look Back and Forward: 18 Tir
For decades, university exams were held during the end of the month of Tir. But after 1999, the exams were moved up one month so that by early July, the exams had ended, the dorm rooms had been emptied, and the students were on their way back home.
I was there for subsequent commemoration ceremonies for 18 Tir. They were meager efforts, put on without any great deal of enthusiasm, and with few participants - but the students were never forgotten.
One never forgets.
Exactly a decade later, the new exam season opened with more bloodshed - all in the very same dormitories, in fact. I wonder when they’re going to schedule exams now? How far forward, or how far back?
Jerusalem Post
Iran protests renew despite threats (July 9, 2009 - AP)
Reuters
Iranian police fire in air to disperse protesters (July 10, 2009 - Parisa Hafezi)
Chinese police break up Xinjiang protest (July 10, 2009 - Chris Buckley)
Press TV <- Iranian govt's talking mouth
NEW Iran police to set up voluntary special force (July 10, 2009)
Tehran police is planning to set up a 50,000-strong special constable-like force called the 'honorary police officers' to provide assistance to the police support units.
Tehran Police Chief Brigadier General Azizollah Rajabzadeh revealed the plans during a press conference on Friday.
"After selection and training, these individuals will be equipped and deployed in police stations and with police support units," Rajabzadeh said, Jam-e-jam Online reported.
The voluntary force will be set up first in Tehran, but according to Rajabzadeh the concept might be expanded nationwide.
"The police force seeks to utilize people's participation in ensuring security for themselves, and it is with this aim that we are trying to expand the honorary police force up to 300,000 throughout the country," he elaborated.
I.e., they are getting reinforcements possibly from Hezbollah or the poor villages. Joy.
Iran voices 'concern' over China unrest (July 9, 2009)
In renewed protests, Iran police disperse people (July 9, 2009)
Days after Iran's post-election rallies, hundreds gather near Tehran University where security forces and anti-riot police maintained a strong presence.
The renewed demonstrations were called to mark the 10th anniversary of the 1999 student protests in the country.
Iranian security forces fired rounds of tear gas to disperse the protesters.
Authorities had earlier warned people against participating in any rallies in the city on Thursday, saying no permit had been issued for any such demonstrations.
Crowds of protesters also gathered in other sites in the Iranian capital, but there has been no official word on the number of participants in those demonstrations.
BBC
Iran learns from past to crush dissent (July 9, 2009 - Jon Leyne)
As opposition demonstrators came out in force after Iran's disputed presidential election, one exhilarated protester declared that his country was waking up.
Two nights ago someone told me that Tehran was now in a coma.
The mood swing could not be more dramatic, as the security and intelligence forces move to regain control.
Normally gregarious Iranians are afraid to speak in public places for fear that their words might be misinterpreted and relayed back to the authorities.
In the immediate aftermath of the disputed election result, the Iranian government appeared wrong-footed, astonished by the strength of protests.
In a weekend news conference the head of the guards, Gen Mohammad Ali Jafari, came out publicly for the first time and announced that the guards had been given the task of controlling the internal security situation.
"This event pushed us into a new phase of the revolution," he said ominously. "We have to understand all its dimensions."
In other words - the Revolutionary Guards are in control.
That is the culmination of a trend that began as long ago as 1989, when Ayatollah Khamenei succeeded Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
Lacking the religious credentials, or the charisma, of his predecessor, Mr Khamenei built up a power base in the Revolutionary Guards.
Since Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was first elected four years ago, commentators have seen an acceleration of that trend, with the guards now assigned multi-billion dollar contracts to help secure their loyalty.
As much as two years ago, some western diplomats were talking about a slow and silent military coup taking place. The power of the clergy has been steadily diminished.
So it should be no surprise that many senior ayatollahs and many members of parliament - the majlis - are deeply uneasy about what is going on.
Ideally for them a new foreign threat might emerge. Already the government has tried to portray the protests as instigated by the West.
But President Barack Obama makes an elusive enemy.
On Thursday US forces even released five Iranian diplomats held in Iraq, removing a long-running sore between the two countries.
…God I love my president. Now if he just get his ass to work on Gay Rights.
US-Russian deal 'linked to Iran' (July 9, 2009 - Jonathan Marcus)
Speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, he said Iran was currently very much focused on its own domestic situation, and until things were more settled there would be no serious diplomacy.
Nonetheless he in effect warned Tehran that if the Obama administration's effort to engage Iran did not produce any results, it would be inevitable that Tehran would face much stronger action from the UN Security Council in New York.
The improving relationship between Russia and the US, he went on, made this a more credible threat.
In the wake of the Moscow summit the informal linkage between a new strategic arms agreement and Russia's approach to Iran is fast becoming clearer.
Mr Samore agreed that Iran was a much more important priority for Washington than for Moscow.
But he argued that Moscow badly needed the new strategic arms agreement, since much of its existing arsenal was ageing and would soon have to be withdrawn from service.
So he believed a deal could be done that would see a new treaty by the end of this year and a much greater willingness by Russia to back tougher sanctions against Tehran.
Wall Street Journal
Unrest in Iran Page
Iran Protesters Defy Clampdown (July 10, 2009 - Farnaz Fassihi)
Demonstrators had initially planned to gather outside Tehran University to march silently, and were expecting massive numbers in one place. But according to people who attended, security forces blocked them.
The demonstrators scattered in smaller clusters in side streets and parallel roads. Security forces and paramilitary Basij forces wielding batons swarmed the area from early afternoon, lining the streets and yelling at pedestrians not to linger, eyewitnesses said.
"I know one thing, this regime will not have a single peaceful day for as long as it rules," said Sanaz, a 34-year-old woman who attended the protest, reached by phone in Tehran.
She said she witnessed a young man dressed in black being stopped by the Basij at an intersection on Thursday afternoon; his briefcase was searched. When they found a green ribbon -- an opposition symbol -- eight of them began beating the young man on the head with batons, she said.
Time
Quiet Returns to Urumqi, but Racial Tensions Remain (July 10, 2009 - AUSTIN RAMZY / URUMQI)
On Tehran's Streets: Defiance and a Crushing Response (July 9, 2009 - Time Staff)
B y 7 p.m., the streets resembled an urban war zone, the air hazy from tear gas and the smoke of burning trash heaps set afire by protesters. But despite the overwhelming security force and the shutdown of all mobile networks, the protesters seemed undeterred. With many in the crowd making peace signs with their hands and chanting "Allahu akbar" (God is great), one woman in her 50s standing on Kargar Street motioned to them and said proudly, "This is Iran."
For a few hours, the energy of the crowds seemed infinite, undiminished by the baton-wielding Basij zipping by on motorbikes. One student stood resolutely on the sidewalk of Fatemi Street and said, "We will not give up. First, Ahmadinejad. Then Khamenei. Then freedom."
In Iran, New Demonstrations Bring New Violence (July 9, 2009 - Andrew Lee Butters)
Time Video Link to Interview with Iranians living in Paris and demonstrating
Salon
And still our vote mattered (July 9, 2009 - Shane M.)
Mercury News
Rubin: Obama can't charm Russian into changing its mind on Iran (July 9, 2009 - Trudy Rubin)
The Washington Times
Obama gives Iran deadline on nuclear program (July 10, 2009 - Stephen Dinan)
Vids
There is absolutely hundreds of vids going on about yesterday. This is a SMALL sampling I've picked up. Most of the live blogs and blogs have vids.
iranupturn <- Youtube account with dozens of vids
NEW clip 9 July North karegar before clashes in day break
راهپیمایی ۱۸ تیر ۱۳۸۸/Rahpeimayee 18 Tir
18 تیر 88 خیابان انقلاب
U2 Dedicates Sunday Bloody Sunday to the Iranians again
Iranian band Kiosk, it seems to be a political song... But there's no subs or trans.
It's kinda fitting...isn't it?