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POPSNeda Agha-Soltan's Fiance Has Been Released From Evin Prison in Iran Amnesty International had been calling for Makan's release, claiming he had been ill treated in prison and subject to coercion and torture. The circumstances of his release and his imprisonment are not immediately clear, and Amnesty International has apparently suspended its appeal but is continuing to monitor Makan's situation. Others involved in the circumstances surrounding the now-famous videotaped death of the young Neda Agha-Soltan have fled Iran in fear for their own lives, including Dr. Arash Hejazi, who attended to Neda after she was shot, and the television journalist who interviewed Caspian Makan after Neda's untimely death.
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POPSTEHRAN BUREAU: Updates from 8 Mordad (30 July) From Tehran Bureau staff: I went to the Beheshteh Zahra cemetery today. The police did not permit Mousavi or Karoubi near the graves. When the car transporting Mousavi and his wife approached, police did not even allow them out of the car. But more than 3000 people were out on the streets near Mosalla. Basij was there too. People flashed V signs with their fingers. Traffic was crazy; people kept honking their horns. People put trash bins, and one motorcycle, on fire. Police and Basij started to use tear gas. They even used it at the cemetery. The gathering at the Beheshte Zahra cemetery was supposed to be at 4 pm, but before that could happen, baton-wielding Basij and the special guard were there to break it up. Police told mourners that if they didn’t leave, they would attack. They arrested many people at the cemetery and in the streets around Mosalla. Some people started attacking police with stones; police then started to attack them.
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POPSNeda's Murder Was Not Staged
But, according to Iran's Press TV, police chief Esmaeil Ahmadi-Moqadam declared Wednesday that the shooting was a "prearranged scenario" — a "premeditated act of murder" that could not have been committed by Iranian police. The White House called that allegation part of Iran's "ongoing campaign of misinformation" about the country's widely-disputed June 12 presidential elections, which returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to office and sent hundreds of thousands into the streets in fury over what they claim was a stolen election. "I think the notion that the death of an innocent woman would be staged is — even with them — it's shocking," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Wednesday. Moqadam led the investigation following an order from Ahmadinejad inquiring about the "suspicious" nature of the shooting. The Iranian president said even before the investigation that anti-government "elements" were behind the killing — presumably fingering either foreign agents or even the
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POPSPeople Driving Movement, Not Politicians
In my last days in Tehran, beginning with the nightly rooftop “Allah o Akbar” chants, which quickly escalated to chats of “Death to the Dictator,”then “Death to the Supreme Leader,” and finally “Death to the Islamic Republic,” it became pretty clear to me that this was a battle between a society and the state that governs it. It’s from within that struggle, furthermore, that the desired change will either emerge or fizzle en route. My bet is with the former, as I witnessed something different within people those weeks that I was there that I have never seen anywhere, specifically in Iran. To me it was a birth of sorts. A decision made by vast numbers of people that they were ready to take responsibility for their own destiny, both personally and politically. I continue to feel very proud of those people and want to support them in their quest for self-determination. It’s a right that belongs to everyone, but unfortunately it has to be forcibly claimed sometimes.
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POPSMoussavi to Appear in Public in Tehran He has also called on authorities to release hundreds of people detained in the turbulent aftermath of the election, including leading reformists, journalists and rights lawyers. Rafsanjani will lead the prayers after two months of absence. Some of his relatives, including his daughter Faezeh, were arrested briefly for taking part in pro-Mousavi rallies. State media say at least 20 people were killed as protesters clashed with riot police and members of the Basij militia, but some rights activists believe the figure is higher. The authorities and Mousavi blame each other for the bloodshed. Hardliners have called for Mousavi to be put on trial. Iran has accused Britain and the United States, which have criticised a crackdown on opposition protests, of interfering in its internal affairs. London and Washington reject the charge.
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POPSUnited For Neda by Mams Taylor, Friends & Family Members Special Thanks to All Other Participants as well: KamyR, Houshang Touzie, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Parviz Sayyad, Sussan Deyhim, Tehran, Stephen Michaels (The Kid), Nazanin Bonyadi, Navid Negahban, Ismail Bashi, Shahrzad Sepanloo, Tina Manouchehri, Kamyar & Payam Jaffari, Necar Zadegan, Nadereh Salarpour, Parviz Rahmanpanah, Fereshteh Ariz, Roxana Rastegar & Fariborz Davoudian and many other friends and family members. There were also a number of very famous Iranian-American artists who lent us their voices and time, but who shall, along with our brilliant Italian-American director, remain anonymous.
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POPS7.9.2009 Iran Blogging 18 tir Tonight, via reader Wilcoy, a new post. 7:30 PM ET -- "Russia, Iran will never forgive you." From a reader, "Just wanted to say that one of the photos you linked to says 'Russia, Iran will never forgive you'. Iranians care a lot about how other countries respond to this crisis." Russia, as readers know, has celebrated Ahmadinejad's election "victory" and said little about the subsequent violence. 7:27 PM ET -- Allah-o Akbar! Earlier today, the NYT reported: An Iranian blogger wrote on Twitter about one hour ago that in the Amirabad district of Tehran, "people are all on the roofs" to resume the nightly ritual of shouting "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is Great!") -- a form of protest turned against the Shah in the 1970s. Video from tonight... 7:12 PM ET -- "We are in this together." New York Times: A young woman, her clothing covered in blood, ran up Kagar Street, paused for a minute and said, "I am not scared because we are in this together."
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POPSUpdates from 18 Tir July 9th Keshavarz Boulevard All the friends I spoke to today have been relatively depressed for the past few days. But today they sounded very different. They said while the security forces were trying their best to separate the demonstrators, the city overall was alive and filled with peaceful protests. Their voice sounded excited, and much more confident and determined than in recent days. On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at noon (US Eastern) “I just spoke to my friend who was there. He said on a scale of 1 to 10, (1 being most peaceful) it was a 7 out there. The other thing he said was that there were a lot of people around the university where he was, there was tear gas everywhere, and two basij militias badly beat the guy right in front of him (blood and everything), but that the guy was helped by those around him. The two militias ran away though before anyone could get to them. Apparently there were basij militias scattered beating the heck out of people with batons and then runni
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POPSLive-Tweeting The Revolution: Day 18 29 Jun 2009 Tonight, people shouted AllahAkbar much louder and stronger than prev nights in objection to GC's certification People in Melat Park, Valiasr Sq., Vanak and sidewalks of Vailasr St. are holding hands and are trying to form a human chain. But reports of sporadic clashes indicate that the armed forces are trying to prevent the formation of the human chain. Reports: About 3000 Protesters clashing with Hezbollah at Vali Aasr Sq. (not conf) Larijani (head of Par):CNN has given money&cellphones 2 protesters 2 portray a wrong image of Iran
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POPS Inside Evin Prison "So many people're put in Iran prison that prisoners only have standing space. They didn't open the plastic handcuffs for a day and half, and they randomly beat up people. Reza said the only exception was they didn't hit arrested people directly in the face. He said in the second day some pain cloth people came with papers forcing people to sign them. The papers were prewritten confessions all in different handwritings saying the signer is a member of a pro-Mousavi organization. There were not enough confession papers for all people. All types of government agents came and went in the next couple of days, moving people, forcing them to walk or just stand.A man came and said the detainees would be released today, but an hour later another came and told them they would be in prison for 10 years. Apparently they released some people on that night, but moved Reza and some of the selected people to Evin.
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POPSFear Tactics Amazing what fear will do when people want change - attacks in the middle of the night - disgraceful - A full blown revolution is just around the corner.
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POPSReport: Hospitalized Iranians Seized "The point is, when they are being taken to the hospital they don't actually get there," her friend who accompanied her told CNN last week. "Just like the reporters are being told not to report what they really see. Human Rights Watch, citing interviews with people in Iran, said Friday the Basij is carrying out brutal nighttime raids, destroying property in private homes and beating civilians in an attempt to stop nightly rooftop chants of "Allahu Akbar" (God is great). The nighttime chanting is emblematic of the protests 30 years ago during the Iranian revolution, which toppled the monarchy of the shah. "While most of the world's attention is focused on the beatings in the streets of Iran during the day, the Basiji are carrying out brutal raids on people's apartments during the night," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director for Human Rights Watch. Residents from northern Tehran neighborhoods told Human Rights Watch that the Basij fired live rounds into the air . . .
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POPSGreen Brief #11 iran.whyweprotest.net/news-current-events/ Hundreds of people missing. Amnesty International asked the Iranian authorities to immediately release dozens of journalists who are at risk of torture in detention. The UN also asked the government to prevent further violence and bloodshed. More people were arrested today including journalists and bloggers as well as other people of some clout in the Iranian society. 10. Today a group of people including women's rights activists assembled in Laleh Park to light candles in memory of Neda and other martyrs. The protesters were dispersed by the police and plainclothesmen using violent tactics. There were also many policewomen. Many people were arrested and hauled away. Reporters of Keyhan and Fars newspapers were taking people pictures with cameras. 11. Reports have suggested that there is a bitter divide developing between military leaders on what the military’s role should be in the in the current unrest . . . .
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POPSA Hardline Cleric Calls For Iran 'Rioters' To Be Executed Mr Mousavi's supporters plan to release thousands of balloons later today with the message: "Neda you will always remain in our hearts", in memory of Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman killed last week who has become an icon of the demonstrations. Iranian state television said eight Basij militiamen were killed by "rioters" during the protests. State media previously said 20 people were killed in the marches. Mr Khatami said Neda was killed by the rioters themselves for propaganda purposes. "By watching the film, any wise person can understand that rioters killed her," he said. Britain's Times newspaper quoted Dr Arash Hejazi, an Iranian who appeared on internet videos helping Neda, as echoing opposition charges the 26-year-old music student was killed by a government militiaman. "She was just a person in the street who was against the injustice going on in her country, and for that she was murdered," he said.
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POPSLive-Tweeting The Revolution: Day 14 26 Jun 2009 Tonight, like past nights, the chants of "Allah-o-Akbar" were heard on roof tops of Tehran & other cities. R.I.P Micheal Jackson, many in Iran loved you and grew up with your songs, despite all the Regime's confinements and propaganda
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POPSDr Arash Hejazi Ran to Neda Agha-Soltan's Aid After She Was Shot in the Chest Iran doctor tells of Neda's death "We heard a gunshot. Neda was standing a metre away from me... I saw blood gushing out of her chest" To View Videotaped interview click on link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8119658.stm "I was there with some friends because we had heard that there were some protests and we decided to go and take a look," he said. "Anti-riot police were coming by motorcycles towards the crowd." Dr Hejazi said he saw Ms Soltan, who he did not know, with an older man who he thought was her father but later on learned was her music teacher. "We ran to her and lay her on the ground. I saw the bullet wound just below the neck with blood gushing out. "I have never seen such a thing because the bullet, it seemed to have blasted inside her chest, and later on, blood exiting from her mouth and nose. Ms Soltan has become a rallying point for protesters around the world
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POPSLive-Tweeting The Revolution: Day 13 Reports: Army Helicopter droping Chemicals on ppl at Enghelab Sq. Reports: Bassij Opend Fire at a Group of Youth who Standing in the Place Neda Aghasultan shot dead...(not Conf.) A group of people went to Nedas grave today but the forces didnt let them stay or even pray. Mousavi is under House Arrest (Gooya News) Mousavi says access to supporters highly restricted & under pressure to abandon demand for election annulment Today on Neda's grave whoever had a green sign got arrested right away. Letter of Min. Interior to Mousavi: permit for rallies issued only w/ 1 week notice in person Javan paper says: The BBC reporter hired a member of the rabble to kill some for his documentary! Javan paper (pro-IRG) has announced Neda was killed by the expelled BBC reporter . Iran state tv says Saudi govt also behind #iranelection protests
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POPSIran Crisis 25 June 2009 Youtube commentors offer these translations: Basically: last night several man in military uniforms with arabic accents attacked this building and several others in the same street. They broke the door, and made their way into the building all the way to the rooftop, and broke the a/c units, throwing some of them to the street. They also broke the cars in the street. 6.18pm: A reliable twitterer says that a group of mourners went to Neda Agha-Soltan's grave today but were turned back by security forces, who consisted of the usual mix of riot police, plain clothes cops and basiji militiamen. The twitter says they detained people who were carrying green signs or refused an order to disperse. 6.12pm: Our video production team knit together this montage of amateur footage from yesterday's protests. Amateur videos of clashes between protesters and the authorities in Tehran continue to be posted online
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POPS Iran Doctor Tells of Neda's Death The doctor who tried to save an Iranian protester as she bled to death on a street in Tehran has told the BBC of her final moments. Dr Arash Hejazi, who is studying at a university in the south of England, said he ran to Neda Agha-Soltan's aid after seeing she had been shot in the chest. Despite his attempts to stop the bleeding she died in less than a minute, he said. Video of Ms Soltan's death was posted on the internet and images of her have become a rallying point for Iranian opposition supporters around the world. Dr Hejazi also told how passers-by then seized an armed Basij militia volunteer who appeared to admit shooting Ms Soltan. Dr Hejazi said he had not slept for three nights following the incident, but he wanted to speak out so that her death was not in vain. He doubted that he would be able to return to Iran after talking openly about Ms Soltan's killing. Watch interview video with Dr Arash Hejazi BBC NEWS LINK (Cartoon: The Guardian's Steve Bell
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POPSThe Hidden Brutality 25 Jun 2009 Behnaz: The regime is putting a lot of pressure on the families of demonstrators who've been detained and killed. When you see how they treat people on the streets, in front of everyone, what must they be doing to those who are in detention? LN: Were the elections manipulated, or were there only isolated instances of manipulation? Behnaz: If the elections had been perfectly in order, why would the government be so resistant to holding them again? They should, after all, produce the same result. Why, instead of that, do they prefer to kill so many innocent people on the streets? First-hand reports from Tehran and around the country portray physical brutality and police state threats as widespread. It's important to remember this as the junta continues to give an impression - that the MSM cannot counter without reporters on the ground - of greater calm, and the next Big Lie that the protests were some kind of British conspiracy.
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POPSIran Crisis: Live 6/24/2006 Salon has a powerful article, with disturbing images, about a 17-year-old student who it says was horrifically beaten by the police in Tehran. The torture of a 17-year-old in Iran A teenager's story, with graphic photos, of abuse at the hands of Iran's religious paramilitaries, the Basij 12.15pm: A group called Human Rights Activists Iran has more details (including photos) of the students arrested since the election. 12.20pm: The Iranian authorities and their lackeys in the state-controlled media are trying to launch a counter-offensive on the Neda phenomenon, writes Robert Tait. Javan, another pro-regime paper, http://english.farsnews.net/ blamed an even more unlikely source - my friend and recently expelled BBC correspondent Jon Leyne. It claims that Leyne hired "thugs" to shoot her so he could then make a documentary film. Meanwhile, the government has forbidden hospitals from releasing deaths certificates that give shooting as the cause of death.
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POPSNeda Soltan's Family 'Forced Out of Home' by Iranian Authorities Amid scenes of grief in the Soltan household with her father and mother screaming, neighbours not only from their building but from others in the area streamed out to protest at her death. But the police moved in quickly to quell any public displays of grief. They arrived as soon as they found out that a friend of Soltan had come to the family flat. In accordance with Persian tradition, the family had put up a mourning announcement and attached a black banner to the building. But the police took them down, refusing to allow the family to show any signs of mourning. The next day they were ordered to move out. Since then, neighbours have received suspicious calls warning them not to discuss her death with anyone and not to make any protest. A tearful middle-aged woman who was an immediate neighbour said her family had not slept for days because of the oppressive presence of the Basij militia, out in force in the area harassing people since Soltan's death.
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POPSLive-Tweeting The Revolution: Day 12 continued Rajanews exhibited its insurmountable malice again claiming #Neda was murdered by MKO not Basij Mousavi calling for supporters to meet outside parliament at 4pm local, that's 3hrs from now. Big test for opp There is talk, unconfirmed, that Mousavi will speak There are protests planned for 4pm today in Baharestan Sq. in Tehran Wednesday 4pm Baharestan Sq, Tehran - Sea of Green MOUSAVi - on his wesite - Wed Sea of Green is 100% confirmed - no cancellation will be made #Iranelection RT RT RT Larijani pressing for Mousavi to be given airtime on IRIB to discuss elections Mousavi has stated 'If I am arrested or killed - strike until the Gov falls' Reports: Gunshot being heard at Baharestan Sq. All shops and Passages are closed at Baharestan SQ, Gunshot being heard from Jomhori St. Clashes at Baharestan SQ, Jomhori and Vanak SQ. Metro at Baharestan Sq is closed, Army Helicopters flying over,about 1000 ppl gathering at Vanak Sq. The streets
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POPSDon't RSVP ----- 'Weinies' Cut-Off Supreme Leader Decries 'Bullying' Over Election Wednesday, June 24, 2009 In one confrontation between protesters and Basij members, a middle-aged woman wearing a light-blue headscarf and a black coat angrily refused orders to leave. "I'm going to stay here and see how many people you kill today," she told the Basij. A plainclothes agent emerged from the crowd, swore at the woman and took out a pair of handcuffs to arrest her. Other people tried to stop the agent, but Basij members rushed them and beat them with clubs, the witness said. In an unusual exchange, he said, a child walked up to a regular police colonel and, gesturing toward truckloads of riot police, asked him, "Who are those guys?" The colonel replied with apparent disdain, "They're cows." In Twitter feeds, people who said they witnessed the crackdown described protesters with broken limbs and cracked heads, saying there was "blood everywhere" from the beatings. One said many people had been arrested. Another sa
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POPSThe Little President From article: "Nicolas Sarkozy upheld our real values. He called the pictures of women and teenagers being beaten by Basij thugs on motorcycles "brutal" and "totally disproportionate." "The ruling power claims to have won the elections ... if that were true, we must ask why they find it necessary to imprison their opponents and repress them with such violence." "Chances are that behind the scenes the mullahs are promising Obama a glorious peace agreement that will allow him to parade his gargantuan ego around the world one more time. They are Persian rug sellers over there, who know all about hard bargaining. They've got his number: He's a pushover. Obama will trade personal glory against the freedom of Iran's people any day of the week."
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POPSOpposition Leader Expected to Attend Protest Outside Iran's Parliament Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi is expected to attend at a rally Wednesday amid an intensifying government crackdown on protesters following the country's disputed presidential election. http://www.facebook.com/mousavi?ref=ts%2F Iran has ordered journalists for international news agencies to stay in their offices, barring them from reporting on the streets. Mousavi says he was the true winner of the election. Iran's electoral commission declared Ahmadinejad the winner by a landslide, ignoring Mousavi's claims of widespread and systematic vote fraud. Mousavi has been out of sight in recent days, but a short message posted on his Web site asserted that "all the reports of violations in the elections will be published soon." State TV reported that Ahmadinejad would be sworn in sometime between July 26 and Aug. 19.
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