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’s Revolutionary Guards Showing Who’s Boss
Iran’s hard men purge opponents and line their pockets
(The Economist | Aug 27th 2009) - BACK in 2007 the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced an important change of mission. From now on the main task for his 120,000 guards, as well as for the 3m or so members of the baseej paramilitary volunteer force that had just, and for the first time, been placed formally under his command, would be to deal with what he called internal threats. Just what he meant has grown increasingly clear since the disputed presidential elections in June that returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an ex-guardsman, to power. The hardline faction centred on the IRGC embraces a network of former officers and like-minded men in other security branches. Despite outrage over the post-electoral crackdown, this faction has escalated its offensive against dissent even as it consolidates its hold over Iran’s politics and economy.
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Aug
15
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Iran Reformists Challenge Supreme Leader
An Open Letter to a Senior Clerical Assembly Demands an Inquiry into Whether Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Is Fit to Rule
(Farnaz Fassihi | Wall Street Journal | 15 August 2009) – In a daring move, a group of former reformist lawmakers, now supporters of the opposition, have challenged whether the Islamic Republic’s top man in power is fit to rule. Read the rest of this entry »
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Aug
03
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Inauguration Expected To Spark More Unrest In Iran
National Public Radio – August 3, 2009
By Mike Schuster Read the rest of this entry »
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Jul
21
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Filed Under (2009 Election, Articles, human rights, Iran Domestic Politics, Photos, Videos, Women's Rights) by admin2 on 25-04-2007
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Windows on Iran – 84 / Election Special
Dear All,
It is now believed that the Friday rally [w]as bigger than a million [people].
New developments are reported in Iran around the clock. While there is frustration, there is also hope that some positive changes will result. Please see the PeaceWithIran.com posting for photos of recent demonstrations.
36 Army Officers Arrested
Quoting Persian websites, Mr. Mousavi’s Facebook [site] reported – hours ago – that on Friday (July 17) 36 army officers were arrested in Iran because they planned to attend Mr. Rafsanjani’s sermon wearing their uniforms as a sign of the opposition of the army to the way members of the Basij have treated peaceful protesters in Iran. While these officers were arrested before taking their action, their plan may represent the feeling among a larger segment of the army which has not made its sentiments public yet. For more on this, please see the July 19 article, “36 Army officers arrested over protest plan,” in the Guardian (UK). Read the rest of this entry »
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Jul
17
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Cleric Says ‘Crisis’ Has Caused Loss of Public Trust
By ROBERT F. WORTH and ALAN COWELL
Published in the New York Times on July 17, 2009
BEIRUT, Lebanon — As thousands of opposition protesters chanted in the streets of Tehran on Friday, the former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani assailed the government’s handling of the post-election unrest, saying it had lost the trust of many Iranians and calling for the release of hundreds of protesters and democracy advocates arrested in recent weeks. Read the rest of this entry »
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Jul
17
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Tehran’s streets erupt after a key cleric speaks
Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s harsh rebuke of Ahmadinejad supporters is followed by renewed violence, suggesting the discontent over recent election results is as strong as ever.
AP Video of July 17 Protests (Click image to see video)
By Borzou Daragahi and Ramin Mostaghim in the Los Angeles Times July 17, 2009 (9:24 AM PDT)
Reporting from Tehran and Beirut — Security forces fired tear gas and plainclothes militiamen armed with batons charged at crowds of protesters gathered near Tehran University after a Friday prayer sermon delivered by the cleric and opposition supporter Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, his first appearance at the nation’s weekly keynote sermon since before the election. Read the rest of this entry »
Protesters Gather in Large Numbers in Tehran on Friday, July 17, 2009
Read the rest of this entry »
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Jul
16
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Friday Surprise in Iran?
Published on July 16, 2009 in the The Daily Beast by Reza Aslan
AP Photo
Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the second most powerful man in Iran, is delivering the Friday Sermon in Tehran. Will it be the end of the protests, or a new challenge to the regime?
Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the second most powerful man in Iran (after the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) and one of the principal figures behind the anti-Ahmadinejad movement that has rocked the country over the last month, will deliver the Friday Sermon in Tehran this week, the first time he has been offered the prestigious pulpit in years. Read the rest of this entry »
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Jul
15
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Filed Under (2009 Election, human rights, Iran Domestic Politics, Photos, Videos) by admin2 on 25-04-2007
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Windows on Iran – 81 / Election Special
Dear All,
I send you a special window to let you know that this Friday will be an eventful day in Iran. Ayatollah Rafsanjani, the second most powerful politician in Iran, and a person viewed as supporting Mr. Mousavi, will lead the Friday prayer in Tehran and deliver the sermon. The reformists are asking their supporters to come out in large numbers. At the same time, there is an air of uncertainty about whether Mr. Mousavi himself will attend the event and whether Mr. Rafsanjani will make a decisive move against the system.
The general mood of the protesters in Iran is that of defiance. The fact that the official media does not acknowledge the crisis and acts as if everything is in perfect order leaves people frustrated and angry. Women continue to be most visible on the streets.
