http://iran.whyweprotest.net/green-brief/18422-green-brief-36-july-22-a.htmlThe Green Brief #36 (July 22)
Josh Shahryar - twitter.com/iran_translator
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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/nsbqyxOpposition
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/lz6gcgScott 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.
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