TEHRAN DEMONSTRATION, AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT

from NoU1
to Letters from Iran
date 20 June 2009 00:56
subject Tehran

Tehran demonstration, Thursday 18 june 2009 (photo by NoU1)

Hi François,

On Fridays, most of streets in central area of Tehran are closed because of the “Friday prayer”.

So, today, there wasn’t demonstration. Protesters in Tehran are going to go for rally tomorrow at 4 p.m.

The first thing I want to tell you about yesterday's demonstration is: that no picture can show you the real number of participants. An old man was sitting on a chair in a sidewalk. I asked him: Did you see the first part of this line? He answered: I’ve been here for 4 hours but I couldn’t see the first of this huge line and I think I’m not able to see the end of it! Happily, it was a perfect one: well-ordered, silent and without injured and murdered.

Tehran demonstration, Thursday 18 june 2009 (photo by NoU1)

The most dangerous time is when the people little by little separate and go. Because some of unknown horrible forces in ordinary cloths with strange arms like: hatchet, chains, dagger, pepper spray and also colt follow some people and attack them in quiet places.

So, on the way back to home at 8 o’ clock we have to hide our green signs. Streets are very insecure. This early morning when I was in bed at 5 a.m I woke up suddenly hearing a loud cry asking for help. I opened the window immediately and saw a young man who squeezed his eyes and his left hand chained by a manacle to the steering wheel of his car. I called the police. He told us two men with a motorcycle followed him and got him in that dead end lane and attacked him with pepper spray and took the switch of his car, then threatened him to attack his house!

Tehran demonstration, Thursday 18 june 2009 (photo by NoU1)

Protester every night at 10 go to roofs and shout slogans together and the main sentence is “Allaho akbar” which means God is great. This Arabic sentence is a part of prayer. During the 1978 Islamic revolution people were doing exactly the same thing, first to get to this regime and now to get rid of this regime!!

Sometimes because of these nightly slogans they find opponents’ houses and attack them. They attacked the parking space of an apartment complex and shattered all the cars. The BBC Persian showed the video.

The BBC received from hot bird satellite because of parasites from Iran is cut off completely. Some people can receive it from tele star but we can’t.

Guess what, SMS system is still dead all over the country but On TV programs they say: ok, let’s read some of your messages! We hate them, why do they look at us as silly persons?!! They showed 2 injured policemen, they told a tragic story about cruel agitators who hurt them savagely. A trusted friend told me the guards broke side mirrors and wind screens of parked cars to accuse protesters.

Tehran demonstration, Thursday 18 june 2009 (photo by NoU1)

How ever today the leader finished his work in worst way. He said dishonesty in election is impossible! And Mousavi is just instigating enemies!

He showed he is unfair and love power much more than people. He cried and pretended he is a broken hearted compassionate leader. Shame on him!

Perhaps we, the second and third generation of Islamic revolution become scarified, but I can see aversion in children eyes, they are the fourth generation of Islamic nightmare in Iran. They will never cope with this regime.

Tehran demonstration, Thursday 18 june 2009 (photo by NoU1)

TEHRAN

from NoU1
to Letters from Iran
date 19 June 2009 20:15



Hi again,

I‘ve been in Tehran for 2 days. Every thing here is different from my town. Most of my ideas changed. So, just being in the situation can tell us what is actually happening. On previous letters I told you the situation not very similar to Islamic revolution on 1979, but now I’ve changed my idea.

I refer to history. In Islamic revolution what happened? One year before changing the regime Khomeini was just a popular mullah. One of the newspapers published an article and criticized Khomeini in an offensive way. So, mullahs in Qom made a rally against it. The army killed some of them. It was the starting point. People little by little made other demonstrations in other cities against that killing, 3, 7 and 40 days after the Qom rally (because in Iran we hold 5 ceremonies after one’s death: funeral, 3, 7 and 40 days later and one year after). In all these demonstrations the army killed more people, so the people got more angry and protest expanded. During that year till summer of 1978 opposition had revealed lots of dishonesties and crimes of the Pahlavi regime. 5 months later Pahlavi fell! If Pahlavi hadn't used violence against people, maybe he wouldn't have falled. History repeats itself.

In first 12 years of new regime people were very supportive (Mousavi was prime minister in first 8 years). Rafsanjani was president for the next 8 years. His management was different from former ones. People didn’t like him very much. In presidential election on 1997 people chose Khatami with 21,000,000 votes. Reformation movement started. Iran’s society could breathe for 8 years although radical fundamentalists perpetuated a lot of crimes to show he was unable to govern the country like terrorizing some elites and attacking Tehran university dormitories. Then fundamentalists put Ahmadinejad next to Rafsanjani on the election of 2005. The political atmosphere of Iran was a very disappointed one at the time. Because people had hoped for reforms and weren’t satisfied with Khatami and reformists. Only about 50% took part in election that year. Between an unknown candidate (Ahmadinejad) and known candidate that people hated (Rafsanjani) they chose the first one.

Ahmadinejad destroyed most of achievements of former presidents in 4 years (destroying is easier than building). So, people understood ignoring election isn’t a good way to protest. 82% of them took part in election actually not for choosing someone but to dismiss Ahmadinejad. Mousavi wasn’t an ideal candidate. There was no better choice. But what happened then? The leader and Radical fundamentalists made fun of every body and misused their votes. Today Leader said people voted to side with regime! Second revolution! Showing our unity to enemies! Dishonesty never happens in Islamic republic! The protesters are hooligans! Lots of people who didn’t believe in Ahmadinejad believed leader as a impartial person. I bet you he loses a large number of his supporters these days. If there weren’t any violent acts and killing perhaps they could stop protesters. But now they can just suppress them not stop them. More violence leads to more protesters. This regime ruined its legitimation forever just in 2 weeks.

Even if this movement failed, never stop and find other ways to protest. When a regime suppresses people violently it means it has lost all other ways and it is the end.

I'll write to you about Tehran in these last two days tonight

SOME EXPLANATIONS

from NoU1
to Letters from Iran
date 16 June 2009 19:32
subject some explanations



Hi again,

Most of political articles written by foreigner political analysts I’ve ever read are good and precise. But they explain Iran’s conditions by usual concepts and know almost nothing about complicated Islamic sciences that mullahs teach and study in their schools.

A still from a video broadcast by Iran's IRIB televsion yesterday: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks at a meeting with representatives of presidential candidates. Photograph: AP/IRIB

Also in Iran just mullah understands mullah!! And they deceive people together. For example “authority of jurisprudence” theory is about the necessity and authority of leader in an Islamic government. It’s got different branches and one of them that is dominant in Iran is “unconditional authority of jurisprudence or leader”. It means leader is like a king and all parts of government finally must obey him. Even the election results.

Protesters from Wednesday's rally held placards reading « Where is my vote ? » - a reference to about a million votes missing from the count that saw incumbent President mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared a winner. (Getty images)

You know it’s against the word republic in Islamic republic of Iran!! At Islamic revolution they had to put this word (republic) to persuade public opinion and developed countries. This name is formal but in practice they believe Islamic government not republic. They made “Islamic democracy”! It means peoples vote not for choosing a president or representative but for showing loyalty to leader. So, now you understands why leader confirms correctness of election before the adequate supervisor organization!! In Ahmadinejad and his friends point of view it’s 100% legal that leader prefer a special candidate because leader is guardian of nation in such a regime.

June 17 . 2009 Silent Protest in Tehran by IRAN

Reformist researchers and mullahs (we have a few reformist mullahs!!) disagree with this radical branch of that theory. But Ahmadinejad, military forces, some theoreticians and leader support it. Normal people can’t understand the differences. As you told me they just swallow information from TV and radio. Some of them don’t even know TV and radio are governmental in our country. They trust them completely. For these reasons I think we can’t succeed unless the leader changes or dies, or the regime falls. Or a miracle happens!! Because leader is everything and if a single person say just one slogan against leader in rally they can kill him legally!

Image posted on Twitter apparently showing supporters of Mirhossein Mousavi who had been shot and injured (source: www.independent.co.uk )

There are lots of people who still believe in this government (I think about 50% of nation). Because the government work on their minds and their emotions by ideological beliefs. They tied their ideas with Islam and Muslim people eat them and trust. So, the regime doesn’t fall as like as Pahlavi regime at 1979. At those days most of people hate king because he was against their Islamic beliefs but now a magnificent percent of them believe leader and authorities. Therefore I believe Iran hasn’t got potential for a new revolution, just step by step reformations works and it takes years. After 30 years this protest is the greatest one.

TODAY

from NoU1
to Letters from Iran
date 16 June 2009 21:38
subject today



Onlookers observe the body of a man allegedly shot by pro-government militia near a rally supporting leading opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Hi

On TV they tell people, number of protesters is just 2000 or 3000, and that they are some hooligans who want to make you suspicious about government!! So, today the leader ordered people for a rally against Mousavi’s supporters (he said against hooligans). Deliberately, the route of both rallies was the same. So, to avoidance of facing and fighting, protesters changed their route. Because of the reactions of developed countries to our situation, on TV they accused Mousavi implicity of being supported by Europe and America and of being treacherous!

Supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and members of the Basij militia hurl stones towards supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi who are inside Tehran University on Sunday, June 14, 2009. (AP Photo)

Last day forces called“basiji” with ordinary cloths, had permission to shoot. 2 days ago they killed 6 students in Tehran University dormitory. They didn’t return their dead bodies to their families. The number of injured protesters is unknown.



Members of the Iranian hardline volunteer Basij militia begin to enter Tehran University where supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi were protesting against the latest election's results at Tehran's University on June 14, 2009. (AFP/Getty Images)

Some professors resigned. Some eye witnesses told they pushed students from windows of top floors. 2 of them are in coma now. Basiji forces have used “acoustic grenade” and Winchester weapons. Even those savages have broken windows and trees,then they rolled students on broken pieces of glasses! Ahmadinejad support people in Ghaza, while his forces behave with their countrymen worse than Israeli forces. For the first time in history of Iran they Attacked girl’s dormitories, because It’s the first time that girls take part in a protest so massively.

A poster of defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi is seen on the broken-down door of a room in Tehran University dormitory after it was attacked by militia forces during riots in Tehran, Iran in the early hours of Monday, June 15, 2009. Overnight, police and militia stormed the campus at the city's biggest university, ransacking dormitories and arresting dozens of students angry over what they claim was election fraud. (AP photo)


I believe Ahmadinejad is taking revenge of his opponents one by one: Students, reformists and journalists (in addition to the first 100 people, last night lots of reformist journalists and professors arrested without any legal command on a single paper, it's like kidnapping!) and of course Mr.Rafsanjani!

Yesterday and today protesters have tried to have a silent rally without slogan, to show a beautiful, calm and civil protest to those savages.

In small cities most of people believe the election had been dishonestly, but daily life goes on. Some of them told me this is the usual way of governing in Iran. So, they accept it. They are used to dictatorship. Some other ones are radical supporters of government, they believe authorities orders are God words!

The supervisor committee of election had a meeting today. They said examination of correctness of election will take 10 days. That’s shamefull, after confirmation by leader!

An image of Mir Hossein Mousavi is seen (lower left), fixed to a desk with a smashed computer monitor in a room in a Tehran University dormitory after it was attacked by militia forces during riots in Tehran, Iran in the early hours of Monday, June 15, 2009. (AP photo)

NEWS FROM IRAN

from NoU1
to Letters from Iran
date 15 June 2009 17:57
subject News from Iran

Hi again,

I was crying a few minutes ago because I heard last night Basiji militia attacked Tehran university dormitories. There were shooting. More than 20 students were injured. They are very cruel; students are living in dormitories not fighting there. Unfortunately my university isn’t closed and I have final exams of my last term this week and I can’t join my friends in Tehran. I’m so sad about it. Yes your information is true. There is a huge demonstration in Tehran now. Mr. Mousavi, Karrubi (another reformist candidate), and Mr.Khatami ex-president joined people. There are other demonstrations in some other big cities. But it’s dangerous in small cities because participants are fewer so army can threaten them more effectively. Our parents said this atmosphere is very similar to Islamic revolution on 1978. People go to roofs and shout slogans like down with dictator and Mousavi take back our votes at night.

Our internet speed is terribly low. The Sms system is still dead. We have quarantined information.

Tomorrow there will be a meeting for investigating of Mr. Mousavi’s complaint. But I think it will be more formally than for real. The worst thing is that Khamenei confirmed correctness of election sooner than usual. And if Mousavi can prove himself right it means leader is guilty. And this is unacceptable for lots of people who are religious and believe in leader as God. It's a disaster for regime and almost impossible in these circumstances. So, every body knows that protest is futile. But we must show our awareness.

I know our political and social conditions and I believe victory is impossible unless the leader give up Only a miracle can help us and change conditions. We are involved in a dead end. But sometimes believing in miracles is helpful!

DARK DAYS

from NoU1
to Letters from Iran
date 15 June 2009 09:56
subject Dark days



Hi,

These days are terrible and intolerable. We are so sad and mournful. My hope is dead, after those days of movement.

I know we haven’t been unique in history. History repeats. Most of developed countries have got such events in past. They passed those days to reach development. But in Iran during the last 2 centuries development has been like a futile circle. Mutation and fall, mutation and fall…

Army attacked to dormitory of Isfahan University this evening. Tehran has a military atmosphere. They arrested 100 of reformists last night. Our SMS system is cut off. All reformist’s websites and newspapers filtered and closed in 2 days! We can use only bbcpersian channel with parasites. Universities and schools are closed. Is it like a coup d’état?! I think it is. They planned the election. They made a pretended open political atmosphere before election to encourage people to vote. So, after results they disappoint people purposely. Finally, oppositions of regime never vote again and they can get rid of election and reformation forever. They succeeded. It’s a real dictatorship. Unfortunately oppositions are not organized and we haven’t any way for communicating!

Sorry, I had lots of things to say.

JUST HOPE

All these emails and pictures we received during the 3 weeks leading to the election.

from NoU1
to Letters from Iran
date 12 June 2009 12:11
subject Just hope!


Hi ,

Thanks for your email. Today every thing is unpredictable. The green wave to side with Mr Musavi is absolutely huge, but Ahmadinejad is able to play dishonestly as always. He has a lot of power.

As I told you, we just have hope. If Ahmadinejad win again I lose my hope forever!

From: NoU1
to Letters from Iran
Date: Tuesday, 9 June, 2009, 1:49 PM
Subject: The Green wave in Iran

Hi
How are you?

These photos show yesterday's demonstration in Tehran called:"Hope circle" to side with Mr.Musavi.There were the same demonstrations in other cities. I hope this “Green wave” drowns Ahmadinejad!

from NoU1
to Letters from Iran
date 7 June 2009 11:20

Hi ,

How are you? How’s life?

I pass stressful days, because of elections, nasty political plays…

Next week every thing will be over. Unfortunately our personal life associated with political conditions closely.

from NoU1
to Letters from Iran
date 28 May 2009 20:01

Hi my friend,

Thanks a lot for sending emails at such busy time.


I’m watching the “Dreamers” by Bernardo Bertolucci (instead of studying!!), Paris in the1960s. I like societies at time of movements. My sociological sense! Tells me something is happening in Iran. Since Iran’s society isn’t stable enough unexpected changes can happen easier than European solidified open societies.

Wish you best things

from NoU1
to Letters from Iran
date 24 May 2009 09:11
subject Re:

Hi

We are surrounded by presidential election news these days. If Ahmadinejad wins again leaving this country is inevitable for us. (If not khamenei make a higher position for him e.g. leader assistant or government supervisor!!)