The Green Wave of  Freedom

“We shouldn’t leave any stone unturned and live up to our commitments in our struggle against cheaters and liars.” – Mir Hossein Mousavi

Dear Friends,

The more we know about Iran, the more we understand what goes on in the Middle East, and perhaps the world.

For those of you who are interested in the unfolding of events in Iran,  Green Wave of Freedom is one of the best sites dedicated to these events.  It is now available in English.

Thank you for your support of my country and my people,

Mahmood Read the rest of this entry »

Updates From Mir Hossein Mousavi’s Facebook

(Mir Hossein Mousavi | Facebook | 14 September 2009)

Mir Hossein Mousavi: There have been reports that following the rumours regarding the possible arrest of Karoubi, Ayatollah Hashemi-Rafsanjani has announced that should this take place, he will resign from all of his governmental positions (Which are key positions in IR: Head of the Expediency Council and head of the Assembly of Experts). This would be very costly for the regime as it would bring it to a new level of illegitimacy!

Mir Hossein Mousavi: Another video of the heavily controlled city of Qom. Despite intense security measures in the holy city of Qom, people gathered in front of Grand Ayatollah Saneei’s office last night after his strong speech for the Qadr night ceremony and showed their protest to the current events. They were chanting “death to the dictator,” “Coup administration, resign, resign” and “We will meet on Qods Day.” Read the rest of this entry »

Iran: Aims, ambition and policies

(Al Jazeera English | Inside Story | 30 August 2009) – Less than a month into his second term, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, is facing criticism about his cabinet nominees.  Iran’s parliament began a session to debate and vote on Ahmadinejad’s proposed new cabinet following his disputed re-election in June.  The outcome is widely seen as a test of the president’s hold on power after the election, which plunged Iran into its deepest internal crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution.  Despite a parliament controlled by the conservatives, Iran’s MPs are likely to reject a significant number of his ministers, increasing the pressure on Ahmadinejad.  Some of his choices are expected to provoke stormy debate. Will Ahmadinejad have a successful second term and what challenges will he face?  Read the rest of this entry »

BBC Persia Interview: Frozen Bodies Buried in the Dark of Night

In this interview, the investigator reporter, Haniff Mazroee of Norooz website , gives BBC  Persian the chilling account of the report of tens of graves in the Behesht-Zahra cemetery with unknown names. The frozen bodies were brought to Behesht-Zahra and buried in the middle of the night on two different dates. The officials of Iran deny the existence of such graves.

Ahmadinejad Wants Opposition Tried

(AP Tehran | New York Times | 28 August 2009) – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday called for the leaders of the opposition to be prosecuted over Iran’s postelection turmoil, stepping up pressure against the pro-reform movement that says he won the election by fraud. Read the rest of this entry »

Iran’s Presidential Election Shifts Its National Politics

Hamid Dabashi, professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, talks with Steve Inskeep about the political shifts in Iran.

(NPR | Morning Edition | 27 August 2009) – Morning Edition has focused this week on Iran’s nuclear ambitions and what they mean for U.S. policy. Iran’s presidential election two and a half months ago threw the country into turmoil. The fallout could change how Iran proceeds with its nuclear program, and how it approaches negotiations with the West. Hamid Dabashi, professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, talks with Steve Inskeep about the political shifts in Iran.  (Listen to the program) Read the rest of this entry »

Top Iran reform figures on trial

The trial has begun in Iran of a number of senior opposition figures following June’s disputed presidential election.

(BBC | 25 August 2009) - The defendants, who include former ministers in the 1997-2005 Khatami government, are accused of conspiring with foreign powers to organise unrest. Read the rest of this entry »

Fourth Show Trial of Reformist in Tehran with Prominent Reformist Hajjarian [Persian]

(Fars News | YouTube) – One of Iran’s most prominent pro-reform figures admitted fomenting unrest and asked for the country’s forgiveness Tuesday during the mass trial of activists detained in the post-election crackdown in a confession that the opposition said was coerced. The courtroom statement by Saeed Hajjarian — who is considered one of the reform movement’s top architects and who was shot in the head in a 2000 assassination attempt — was the latest dramatic confession in the month-old trial that the opposition has compared to Josef Stalin’s “show trials” of opponents in the Soviet Union.

Counter-Revolution and Revolt in Iran: An Interview with Iranian Political Scientist Hossein Bashiriyeh

(Danny Postel with Hossein Bashiriyeh | Logos | Vol. 8, Issue 2.) - Hossein Bashiriyeh is one of post-revolutionary Iran’s key political thinkers. Known as the father of political sociology in Iran, he has influenced, through his voluminous writings and his 24 years teaching political science at the University of Tehran (1983-2007), both the study and practice of politics in Iran. Read the rest of this entry »

Will Iran’s Basij stay loyal?

At any opposition demonstration in Iran they materialise from nowhere. For opposition supporters, they have become notorious. (See BBC video).

(Jon Leyne | BBC News | 13 August 2009) – The government’s Basij militia have become President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s chief enforcers, as he tries to consolidate power in the wake of his disputed re-election. Read the rest of this entry »