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![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) arielstarshadow | |
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Re-posted via one_hoopy_frood: If you are reading this right now, you have more luxury than someone in Iran could ever hope for right now. If you are watching TV or a video on youtube, updating your status on Facebook, Tweeting, or even texting your friend, you are lucky. If you are safe in your home, and were able to sleep last night without the sounds of screaming from the rooftops, you need to know and understand what is happening to people just like you in Iran right now. They are not the enemy. They are a people whose election has been stolen. For the first time in a long time, a voice for change struck the youth of Iran, just as it did for many people in the United States only seven months ago. Hossein Mousavi gained the support of millions of people in Iran as a Presidential candidate. He stands for progressiveness. He supports good relations with the West, and the rest of the world. He is supported with fervor as he challenges the oppressive regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. On Friday, millions of people waited for hours in line to vote in Iran's Presidential election. Later that night, as votes came in, Mousavi was alerted that he was winning by a two-thirds margin. Then there was a change. Suddenly, it was Ahmadinejad who had 68% of the vote - in areas which have been firmly against his political party, he overwhelmingly won. Within three hours, millions of votes were supposedly counted - the victor was Ahmadinejad. Immediately fraud was suspected - there was no way he could have won by this great a margin with such oppposition. Since then, reports have been coming in of burned ballots, or in some cases numbers being given without any being counted at all. None of this is confirmed, but what happened next seems to do the trick.  The people of Iran took the streets and rooftops. They shout "Death to the dictator" and "Allah o akbar." They join together to protest. Peacefully. The police attack some, but they stay strong. Riots happen, and the shouting continues all night. Text messaging was disabled, as was satellite, and websites which can spread information such as Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and the BBC are blocked in the country. At five in the morning, Arabic speaking soldiers (the people of Iran speak Farsi) stormed a university in the capital city of Tehran. While sleeping in their dormitories, five students were killed. Others were wounded. These soldiers are thought to have been brought in by Ahmadinejad from Lebanon. Today, 192 of the university's faculty have resigned in protest. Mousavi requested that the government allow a peaceful rally to occur this morning - the request was denied. Many thought that it would not happen. Nevertheless, first a few thousand people showed up in the streets of Tehran. At this point, it is estimated that 1 to 2 million people were there. Mousavi spoke on the top of a car. The police stood by. For a few hours, everything was peaceful. Right now, the same cannot be said. Reports of injuries, shootings, and killings are flooding the internet. Twitter has been an invaluable source - those in Iran who still know how to access it are updating regularly with picture evidence. People are being brutally beaten. Tonight will be another night without rest for so many in Iran no older than I am. Tonight there is a Green Revolution. For more information: PICTURES: here and hereNEW INFORMATION: Here - near constant updates Here - ONTD_political live post ON TWITTER: @ StopAhmadi, @ IranElection09, @ persiankiwi, @ NextRevolution, @ Change_for_Iran دنیارابگوییدچطورآنهاانتخاباتمان دزدیده اند Tell the world how they have stolen our election To add a brief thought - I was absolutely outraged and disgusted by the lack of coverage by American media of this. After spending the entire day wondering what the heck was going on, I came home after work and immediately channel-surfed through all of the news channels available to me, including CNN, and aside from a ticker tape at the bottom, only ONE was talking about what was happening, and that was Hardball with Chris Matthews, and in that case, there was no actual reporting going on, but rather histrionics and hyperbole from Chris while his two "guests" sat there trying to get a word in edgewise. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the BBC with my cable subscription. For shame, American media. Tags: can't stop the signal, politics, signal boosting
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From: cookwitch |
Date: June 16th, 2009 12:21 pm (UTC) |
| (Link) |
Copy and paste latest from the BBC for you
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Iran's powerful Guardian Council says it is ready to recount disputed votes from Friday's presidential poll.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election is being contested by rival Mir Hossein Mousavi and other moderate candidates, who are seeking a rerun.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran says they may not accept the recount offer.
Several people died in a protest on Monday and Mr Mousavi urged followers not to take part in a rally planned for Tuesday, amid fears of new violence.
"This headquarters calls on people to avoid the trap of planned clashes," a Mousavi spokesman told AFP news agency.
The authorities announced sweeping restrictions on foreign media covering the protest and other "unauthorised events".
The march was due to have taken place in Tehran's Vali Asr Square at the same time as a demonstration there by supporters or President Ahmadinejad.
The Guardian Council - Iran's top legislative body - said votes would be recounted in areas contested by the losing candidates.
But a spokesman for the council told state television it would not annul the election - as moderate candidates have demanded.
The opposition says millions of ballots may have gone astray.
Monday's protest involved hundreds of thousands of people and was one of the largest since the Iranian revolution 30 years ago.
The radio report said the attack occurred at the end of the "illegal" rally as people were heading home "peacefully".
"Several thugs wanted to attack a military post and vandalise public property in the vicinity of Azadi Square," the radio said referring to the site of the protest.
"Unfortunately seven people were killed and several others wounded in the incident."
Hospital officials later put the number of dead at eight.
Dozens of people have been arrested since the protests began. Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a close aide of ex-President Mohammad Khatami, was detained at his home in Tehran on Tuesday.
Those detained also include prominent journalist and academic Ahmad Zeidabadi. His wife says he was picked up in the middle of the night on Saturday.
"There is no explanation from the authorities about why he was arrested or where he is," she told the BBC.
Meanwhile, Iranian state television said the "main agents" behind the unrest had been detained, and guns and explosives seized.
There are reports of fresh demonstrations at Tehran University - one of the main centres of tension in recent days. About 120 university lecturers have resigned.
The powerful Speaker of parliament, Ali Larijani, has condemned an attack by police and militia on a student dormitory.
Iranian media quoted him as saying: "The interior minister is responsible in this regard."
Unrest has been reported in other parts of Iran. One of Mr Mousavi's websites said a student had died on Monday in clashes with hardliners in the southern city of Shiraz.
Foreign concern
Our correspondent says the authorities appear to be weakening in their support for President Ahmadinejad.
The country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ordered an inquiry into the allegations of vote-rigging.
The authorities' handling of the protests has drawn international criticism.
EU foreign ministers expressed "serious concern" and called for an inquiry into the conduct of the election.
US President Barack Obama said he was "deeply troubled" by the violence in Iran.
Meanwhile, President Ahmadinejad arrived in Russia on Tuesday.
He told a regional summit that the "age of empires" had ended, but made no mention of the protests.
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