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).

Meet Ahmad Na’eemabadi

During the July 17 march to the Friday prayer, some people carried silently the images of their loved ones lost during the Basij attacks after the disputed election.

Many protesters carried pictures of loved ones killed. Meet one of the many lost, Ahmad Na'eemabadi, in the photo above.

Reactions to the Friday Event

In Iran, Mr. Rafsanjani’s Friday sermon was embraced by the reformists and blasted by the hardliners. To see one perspective on Mr. Rafsanjani’s presentation outside Iran, click on the link to The Guardian (UK) editorial, “Iran: Words to Heed,” published on July 18, 2009.

Mr. Ahmadinejad’s Controversial Appointment

On Friday, Mr. Ahmadinejad who was in Mashhad, made a very controversial appointment. To replace his first deputy who had resigned on Thursday, he appointed Mr. Karim Mashsha’i. Mr. Mashsha’i is a relative of Mr. Ahmadinejad and is seriously disliked by the major clergy as well as the President’s hardliner allies.

Hunger Strike In Front of the United Nations

A group of Iranian academics, activists and intellectuals – with no attachment to any particular group or organization – are going to go on hunger strike from July 22 to 24 in front of the U.N. to express their deepest concern and support for those arrested in Iran since the elections. I am very sorry not be able to personally join them. I hope you express [your] support for their important action. Please visit their website: http://www.strike4iran.com.

Reports Political Prisoners May Be Executed

Just had an e-mail from a friend in Iran [stating] that phone contact with prison[er]s [in Iran] has led to [rumors and suspicions that political prisoners are to be executed].

According to unconfirmed [reports],  post-election political prisoners are in danger of being executed if they do not confess to various crimes and sign letters of apology. An e-mailer, who report[ed] this news [after] a phone call with a prisoner, says the accusation for these executions is “smuggler and drug dealer.” “Please let the amnesty international and other human rights organizations know” says the e-mailer “that innocent people are being executed and their only crime is seeking freedom and asking for a just and fair election in Iran.”

I do hope that this unconfirmed [report] is not true.

Siemens may loose hundreds of millions of dollars

According to Washington Times July 17 article, “Seimens risks losses due to Iran ties,” because it cooperated with Nokia in selling equipment to Mr. Ahmadinejad’s government to spy on dissidents.  The following is an excerpt:

One of the world’s largest engineering firms, Siemens, could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in sales to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) because it sold Iran equipment used to spy on dissidents.

California politicians and Iranian human rights advocates say in awarding contracts, officials should take into account the fact that the German company participated in a joint venture with Nokia in 2008 to sell Iran’s telecommunications company a monitoring center that, according to the joint venture’s own promotional literature, can intercept and catalog e-mails, telephone calls and Internet data.

Political pressure because of Iran’s recent crackdown on post-election protesters, as well as the country’s advancing nuclear program, could affect a vote next week on who will supply rail cars for Los Angeles County.

Iranians and Cinema

Before we [got] into these election specials, the Windows on Iran series attempted to portray the diversity of the Iranian culture through the arts. This is a good time to share with you a clip made by Iranian documentary makers in reaction to the current events:

And while we are on the topic of cinema, an interesting short documentary about the acclaimed Iranian [female] filmmaker, Tahmineh Milani, who has made gender and Iranians women’s issues the center of her films. The only corrective I’d offer is that contemporary Iranian cinema has produced other fearless filmmakers including Rakhshan Banietemad who is interviewed briefly in this documentary.

Good Night,
F.