Monday, August 3, 2009

Update: reaction to Presidential Installation!

Last thing first:





18:23 Tehran
People seem to be gathering in a few central squares, mainly Vanak! As the crowds increase, so do guards. And again, they are using force to disperse people. They do ANYTHING to deny any "photo-op" to protesters. I pray it won't turn bloody again. Mousavi and Karoubi have not made official statements about attending today's protest. This is really a grass root movement now!

The protest was supposed to start half an hour ago; and it seems to be starting indeed ...

Holding my breath until I speak to family and friends who are there ...

20:15 Tehran time

Farsnews, the lying mouthpiece of A.N. reports that Karoubi's attending "the illegal protest" as we speak! (I am afraid they may arrest Karoubi ... and we will next hear HIS confession!!!!)

I also saw a picture of Behzad Nabavi, with an eye wound. I hope this is not a recent picture and that the wound is not from being beaten by the ANIMALS of Ahmadinejad. Ironically, Behzad Nabavi's memoir of his days in Shah's prison is being published in a newspaper, Etemadmelli, that has JUST received a written notice to "stop lying that election was not fair, else face consequences!".

I tried to go through Supreme leaders speech today and translate some parts of it; but it is SO DELUSIONAL, that I keep getting sick (literally)! I cannot put my body through that torture.

22:00 Tehran:

The State-sponsored News Agency IRNA states: "The anti riot is keeping the city calm and under control"
To admit to imposing a military curfew in Tehran, next to the picture of hordes of armed riot police is PROOF that they know they have lost, that hey are SCARED, and are getting increasingly dangerous! But people seem too angry to care!


Angela Merkel is the first Western leader to state she will not congratulate Ahmadinejad! Bravo!

And before going to bed:
  • Karoubi DENIES that he has been present in this evening's protest. Why Farsnews has lied is to be determined! But judging from confessions, it won't be long before we see ANYONE of the IRI who had contributed to ANY progress in the society heading to gallows, UNLESS WE ACT WITH INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE.
  • Cell phones have been heavily controlled and confiscated.
  • Also, a few days ago I posted about pressTV's report of 18.5 billion dollars worth of cash and gold confiscate in Turkey! Despite the films, today Turkey AND Iran's Customs Organization have denied this!!
  • Strong condemnation of the confession theater continues (will offer translated version later)
  • And the Allho Akbars from the rooftops are louder

7 comments:

Demeur said...

Now if we can convince some of the other nations that deal with the Iranian government to do the same.

The only way I can see to pressure the "government" to do the right thing without violence is through boycotts.

Naj said...

Yup! fire up a letter to your government and encourage everyone to do so!

Don't do economic sanctions; but snub the hell out of him!

Nu'man said...

Demeur,

Hate to say this but the geopolitics of the world has changed.

Boycotts are not going to do anything. I'm involved in the anti-Israeli apartheid campaigns and most (white) people in the UK do not give a hoot.

If one country boycotts, another will simply slip in to profit.

I think the best way forward would be first all, Iranians in the diaspora need to tell us what is at the root of the split between Khatami-Rafsanjani and Ahmedinjad-the Spiritual leader.

Secondly, why has this split in the clerical elite happened NOW and not 4 years ago.

Thirdly, what do the Iranians want to see happen in their country. We know that a good proportion do not want Ahmedinjad but what exactly do they want.

Forthly, how are they going to keep their country united. I was speaking to an 'Iranian-Arab' and he wasn't very enthusiastic in being part of Iran. And knowing British Imperialism the way I do, this will be music to their ears.

Regards,

Nu'man

Naj said...

Numan here's answer to your Qs but I need to sleep so I will be terse:

1)Iranians in the diaspora need to tell us what is at the root of the split between Khatami-Rafsanjani and Ahmedinjad-the Spiritual leader.
God knows!

Secondly, why has this split in the clerical elite happened NOW and not 4 years ago.It was there 4 years ago too; but last time, most Iranians had boycotted election. This time, BECAUSE of the huge turn-out of the Iranians in the election; and BECAUSE of their anger at fraud; and BECAUSE of Ahmadinejad's unlawful behavior, the country's in a downward spiral! And peopel cannot let that happen.

Thirdly, what do the Iranians want to see happen in their country. We know that a good proportion do not want Ahmedinjad but what exactly do they want. Freedom of press; and establishment of the rule of law-under existing constitution, FOR NOW! Nothing happening on the government side is legal these days. Read my older posts to realize.


Forthly, how are they going to keep their country united. I was speaking to an 'Iranian-Arab' and he wasn't very enthusiastic in being part of Iran. And knowing British Imperialism the way I do, this will be music to their ears. Don't worry; this country knows how to unite against foreigners! :) Frankly, it is right now united against foreigners too! It is Ahmadinejad who is creating havoc!

German said...

Nu’man :

As part of an answer to some of your questions I would like to draw your attention to the following article published in the German daily “tageszeitung” on the 29th July, parts of which I have translated from the German (http://www.taz.de/1/politik/nahost/artikel/1/wie-bei-alice-im-wunderland/):

“It’s like in ‘Alice in Wonderland’ ”

I’ve been sitting staring at part of a puzzle. The Revolutionary Guards, i.e. the Sepah oder Pasdaran, are the centre. “Revolutionary Guards” is the name for an apparatus of power with many names and faces. A multi-headed Lernaean Hydra [a mythological many-headed monster-serpent in Greek mythology exhaling poisonous, deadly breath; upon cutting off each of its heads two grew back] craning her necks in every possible direction and everywhere. A Mafia with many family branches and an extensive network of messengers, musclemen and foot soldiers doing the dirty work. A Medusa [in Greek mythology, Medusa was a gorgon, a female monster; gazing upon her would turn onlookers to stone] that will kill you if you look into her face. A Revolutionary Guard that killed the revolution long ago that it was supposed to protect, in the name of national security. […]

They are an independent army. They have also got a political wing whose most prominent representative is Mahmud Ahmadinejad himself. He joined the Sepah/Bassiji as a common soldier in 1985 and has made a remarkable career since. The majority of his cabinet are also members of the Pasdaran; in the same way a third of the Majlis, the parliament, are members of the Pasdaran. I haven’t found out yet so far, in which way since the the Iran-Iraq war 1980-1988 the Bassiji are and have been connected with the Pasdaran. Officially the Basiji had become part of the Revolutionary Guards only two years ago.

During the war the Basiji, a volunteer army, served as cannon fodder, they died in droves on the minefields, many of them children. Their families are the influential class of the Martyrs. The Basiji are said to still have more than a million of volunteers at their disposal – not surprisingly in the face of the numbers of unemployed. […] Ahmadinejad has lowered these numbers by inflating the numbers of the Sepah and Basiji […]. During the presidency of Chatami somebody who was employed for less than 15 hours was regarded as unemployed. Since Ahmadinejad had been in office, someone who has a job for less than one hour per week is considered to be unemployed. No wonder that the unemployment figures went down. Thus only the Mafia offers prospects of employment in many places. […]

[…] At the beginning I thought I was witnessing a military putsch […]. It was confusing, as no military in the literal sense of the word was to be seen on the scene. And secondly the people performing the putsch in fact were already in power. So who or what was their putsch directed against? In retrospect, it makes more sense. Sitting in front of my puzzle I find the clergy, considered to be the most powerful factor in the country, is fragmented and marginalized in the picture in front of me. The clergy’s positions is central at first sight, for the face of the Supreme Leader Chamenei is to be found on each puzzle piece. But the more I look at him the more he appears to me like an empty, blank, vacuous mask, like the Cheshire Cat in “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”. This Cat turns up repeatedly and disappears again before Alice’s eyes, until Alice says: “Either you go or you stay!” The Cheshire Cat grins and vanishes until nothing is left but its grin. Chamenei might perhaps only be the grin without the Cat. I think that the Cat at the time being is Sepah and not the clergy.

German said...

Dear naj,

Having followed your blog for the last days I would like to thank you for the highly valuable information on questions like what is happening in Iran, who is really in power, who is to be made responsible for inhuman action against peaceful demonstrators etc.

Demeur said...

No I wasn't refering to boycotts outside the country. I know that doesn't work. I mean find out where Amadinajad makes his money and boycott those businesses.