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.

New Statement Released by Mr. Reza’i

Mr. Reza’i, one of the four candidates for presidency who is ideologically closest to Mr. Ahmadinejad, issued a new statement today asking the government to acknowledge the people’s grievances concerning the election and to attend to their complaints. More important than the response that he will get is the fact that he is not convinced at all that Mr. Ahmadinejad’s government will be able to move forward under the current circumstances.

Attacking a Person filming the Events

NIAC blog posted this video taken on July 9 when a person filming the protests is attacked by the riot police and miraculously saves the brief video clip:

Anonymous E-mailer

Anonymous e-mailer returning from a demonstration (most probably July 9) described the police as anxious, frustrated and worn out, and the people as “not in an aggressive mode and in control of their behavior.” The e-mailer estimated the demonstrators about 10,000. People living in neighborhoods which have substantial “revolutionary guard” residents report loud Allaho Akbar chants at night which indicates clear support among that group.

The Allaho Akbar Nightly Chants Loud on July 9 and on July 12

This video posted on the night of the demonstrations on July 9 shows that the nightly chants were particularly loud:

A video from the July 12 chants. For the first time, people seem to be using megaphones to get their voices heard more clearly:

Sajjadpour and Parsi’s Excellent Analysis of the July 9 Events on the Newshour

Sohrab A’araabi

Many predict that when dust of current clashes in Iran settles, the number of the casualties among the street protesters will turn out to be much higher than what is thought to be now (which is in the twenties).

One such figure is Sohraab A’araabi, a 19-year old man killed apparently on the same day as Nedaa Aghaa-Soltaan, and in a similar manner.

He was scheduled to take the university entrance exams in a few days’ time. His mother is a member of Mothers for Peace. He was buried yesterday in plot number 257 at Behesht-e Zahraa cemetery, Tehran, about 20 meters from Nedaa’s
grave-site.

Last night, in the Ekbaataan, Sohrab’s Neighborhood in Tehran, in addition to the roof-top shouts of “Allah-o Akbar” and “Death to the Dictator,” there was, “Our Sohraab is not dead, it is the Velaayat [the rule of the [Islamic] jurisprudent] which is dead.”

For more pictures and videos of Sohrab, please visit:

Gooya News Archives (1)

Gooya News Archives (2)