Thursday, December 31, 2009

Moussavi's Nephew

Picture of Moussavi's nephew, Ali, saying farewell to his father on his way to defend the country against Saddam's henchmen.

Saddam couldn't kill him but the death squads of this messianic junta which employ the former pro-Saddam Galloway and pay him £8000 for his Press TV programs, gunned him down in front of his family on Sunday.

The Pitiful Pro-Government Rally in Karaj

They are protected, they are transported and they will be fed as well, but they are so few
:))

More people turned up for the pro-government rallies in the last days of the Shah's rule.



Wednesday, December 30, 2009

I Swear by the Name of Freedom

Thirty years on this revolutionary anthem still motivates us to fight against evil and continue our nation's 100 year struggle for freedom and liberty.



To the sigh suffocated in blood
To the martyrs who have given their lives
We swear to the very last cry
To the shaking tears of the mothers
Our Martyrs!
We Swear that our path will be the same as yours

All forward! With one voice! With one voice!
Long Live Our Beloved Iran

We will continue your path our martyrs until our last breath
We swear in the name of freedom
To the moment that you sacrificed your life
To the hearts that has been torn apart
To the martyrs who have been wrapped in their blood
Our Martyrs
We swear our path will continue yours

All Forward! All Forward!
With one voice
Long Live Our Beloved Iran!

Food Handouts at Today's Pro-Government Rally

Today's pro-government rally in Tehran. Watch them grab the cake and biscuit handouts :))

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The Ferocity of Attack on Peaceful Protesters

This is how the mercenaries of evil attack the people of Iran:



Law Enforcement patrol cars simply run over protesters:



Eternal shame on supporters of Ahmadienjad and the Supreme Leader and any one who still works for Press TV.

North Tehran Affluent Kids Again :)))

If only we could all be working class like £8000/episode Press TV presenter, George Galloway and the Ladee daa kids in the SWP :))))))))

Guards Forced to Take off Their Uniforms

Monday, December 28, 2009

Sohrab's Mother Has Been Arrested

Sohrab's mother is amongst many who have been arrested today. These idiots really know how to enrage the people of Iran.

Detainees Freed - Baseeji Joins the People

People attack a police van and release the detainees:



But when they join the people we will hold them above our shoulders as heroes:


Sunday, December 27, 2009

Riot Guards Beg for Forgiveness



People have cornered these security forces. People ask them 'why do you do this to your people?' and the riot guards ask for forgiveness, 'Bebakhshid' they can be heard to say.

'You are Yazid's - the Khalif against whom the Ashura uprising took place -forces', the woman shouts at them. One of the protesters then reassures them that they will not be beaten up, all they have to do is say Khameneii is a bastard. The woman can then be heard saying 'All you can do is kill your people is it?' and again they plead saying 'Please We are not killers'.

The sooner they join the people, the sooner they will redeem themselves with the people of Iran.

Ashura, the Uprising Against Tyranny

Today's Ashura, defiance of righteousness against tyranny



Self hating rich kids at SWP and Pro-Saddam Press TV lackey, George Galloway, himself the 5th richest MP in England will refer to these as 'Affluent North Tehran Kids' kicking the shit out of Baseej thugs :)) 





Ashura in Iran So Far

AP has confirmed at least three people have been killed so far in Tehran. One of the dead is reported to have been a young girl shot in the back by the Baseej. Pro-regime lackey Ghanbar Naderi - he was fiercely pro-Khatami before - appeared on Aljazeera English this morning, his voice shaking he condemned today's protesters saying they do not have a legal permit and are undermining the judiciary and should not use Ashura for their political purposes :))))))

First footage from today:



First picture of Ashura martyr in Iran



Blood, Smoke, Fire and Defiance on the most symbolic day of uprising against tyranny

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Tonight's Protests in Iran

Tomorrow once again justice will rise up against tyranny in Iran. Meanwhile some footage of protests throughout Iran on the eve of Ashura.

Protests in Kashan:



"This is the month of blood, Supreme Leader is overthrown this month"


"Khameneii is a murderer, his reign is annulled"



"Down with the principle of jurisprudence of the theologian"



People's reaction in a bus when they see a young man being arrested. "This is the month of blood, Yazid will be overthrown"



Protests into the night "Towards Ashura"



'I will fight I will die - I will take back my homeland'

Neda Sultan, the Times Person of the Year

I hope every Iranian in UK bought the Times today. Neda was chosen as the Times person of the year and there was a brilliant two page article by Martin Fletcher in today's Times.
If you didn't get to buy the Times today, make sure you press the 'recommend' button on the link below.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6967927.ece

Friday, December 25, 2009

More Protests Throughout Iran

More protests have errupted throughout Iran since Ayatollah Montazeri´s death. In Sirjan, the footage below shows a protester shot dead



Three people are reported shot dead in Sirjan, Amir Iran-Nezhad, Majid Esfandiarpour and Sajjadian.



Footage of protests in Zanjan



So Saddam lover Galloway and his cronies, it looks like the "North Tehran" kids are going everywhere :)))) What will they think of next to justify their wage packets from the regime?

I will be back in UK tomorrow.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Baseej Thugs in Isfahan

Just how many Baseej thugs and Law Enforcement Forces with  truncheons does it take to arrest one Iranian woman? How much of a coward are these lackeys and mercenaries?

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Ayatollah Montazeri Died Last NIght

A Man of Good Reputation Never Dies - Iranian poet Sa'di.

As a successor to Ayatollah Khomeini to be the next Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Montazeri gave up all his privileges when he protested against the massacre of Iranian political prisoners in 1988 and asked for a review of the revolution's failures. Perhaps the most memorable quote remembered by Ayatallah Montazeri, who himself was one of the founders of the Islamic Republic,  will be 'The Islamic Republic is neither a Republic nor Islamic'

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Massive Set Back for the Regime

It was supposed to have been a day for the regime supporters to publicly display their force. Under the guise of protesting against Green supporters tearing up Ayatollah Khomeini's pictures, they thought they can rally their support after Friday prayer and through their usual rent a crowd techniques gather up a huge crowd. Yet it turned out to be the most damning evidence of the massive collapse amongst the regime's supporters. Even the Shah in his last days had managed to muster a bigger crowd than this. All of the pro-regime media were set to broadcast these images of "huge crowds" they had hoped for. When the crowd in Tehran did not even stretch 300 metres long, the State TV didn't dare to broadcast the pro-government rally live. Pro-regime websites remained unusually muted about the pro-government rally and had to suffice with a few close up pictures and avoid long shots.

Moussavi and Karroubi played their cards brilliantly. First they challenged the authenticity of the images of Ayatollah Khomeini's picture being torn and condemned the repeated showing of the suspicious scene on State TV, then they asked for a permit themselves to protest against this. A double edged sword that baffled the coup administration. If they gave permit for a rally, it would have been yet another opportunity for millions to turn up on the streets, and if they didn't, then so much for their claims that they had been offended by these images. Unable to decide what to do with the request for a permit, the government announced their own rally. Once again Moussavi and Karroubi intelligently called on their supporters to stay away. Even some of those who had attended the Friday prayers refused to join the rally afterwards. The most optimistic estimate of the pro-government supporters rally yesterday is 10,000 in Tehran. More realistic figures are between 5000 to 7000. Where there is no doubt however is that it was a huge public set back for the regime.

As it is rumoured to have been stated in a Supreme National Security Council meeting, the support for the regime has seen a 'velvet collapse'.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Listen to Hamid Molana

I am posting this video with a translation of what this Hamid Molana is saying to make the English speaking audience understand why we resent such turncoats and sychophants. Hamid Molana, who owes everything he has to a US scholarship he received after the tragic death of his parents was also a chum of another Mahmoud, the playboy party loving Prince Mahmoud Reza Pahlavi and a regular VIP at the Key Club, Tehran discotheque and nightclub visited by the elite prior to the 1979 revolution. He is now Ahmadienjad's personal advisor on international affairs and travels back and forward regularly to the USA, in fact he still lives in the US and still holds his academic posts there.



Here it is, the words of wisdom by Dr. Hamid Molana, US scholar in international relations and policy advisor to Mahmoud Ahmadienjad:

'I have to say it tonight, to my dear compatriots that these riots that they have instigated, these provocations that they have started, these plans that they have designed are doomed to fail, because the people of Iran, the very same people, the 40 million who voted in the ballot box, the people in the countrysides, in the provinces, with the enthusiasm that even surprised the whole world, in all seriousness, never in my entire life, no where in the world did I ever see such a reception and participation.

Many ask me, Mr. Molana why is it that when you say such things they[the US] don't bother you? I want to give an answer here to this, you see I have made many criticisms about America, I still criticise its foreign policy, but never do I want to overthrow its system illegally, [nervous laughter], I never go on the street and take part in an uprising, and no where in my writings have I said I want to return America into a monarchy, to bring back the former king of England and do such things, our regime has such a high status that no other regime has, everyone has presidents, everyone has prime ministers, all have ministers but we have the Supreme Leader and the system of Jurisprudence of the Theologian

We can criticise the government, even the regime, but we can not do an uprising against the regime, we can not cross the red line'

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Twisted World of Socialist Workers Party Scum

Been meaning to write about this but with so much news coming from Iran, this was at the bottom of the pile of lists of things to do. Remember this picture? One of the many victims of the campaign against "thugs and hoodlums" in Iran by the Islamic Republic hooded police. Another blatant abuse of human rights in Iran that the SWP friends of the Islamic Republic chose to ignore.


They didn't just ignore human rights abuses in Iran this time though. The SWP cartoonist Leon Kuhn revamped the facts, as SWP usually do, and reproduced it as a picture of a poor Afghan citizen being abused by American soldiers!
http://www.socialistworker.org.uk/art.php?id=19697
and as usual you can't leave any comments on their fact twisting articles.

Honestly, have you ever come across anything lower than SWP scum, their CASMII friends and their aristocratic guest speakers??


The original photos can be seen here:
http://www.iranfocus.com/en/human-rights/crackdown-near-iran-capital-photos-2-12410.html

Saturday, December 12, 2009

A Poem for the Fallen Classmates

I am not generally into poetry but occasionally it does move me, and this footage below recited beautifully by this beautiful Iranian girl on the occasion of the new academic year is one of those rare occasions that one can not remain untouched. We are a nation rich in poetry sadly because so often we have had to resort to it in order to express our feelings under the shadow of dictators. I have done my best to translate it but I fear I may not have done a good job, in which case I hope the genuine feelings of this girl when she describes her generation robbed of happiness and the pain and sorrow felt for the fallen classmates as well as the reactions by the admiring audience compensate for it.




Its raining and autumn is the season,
The sky is spilling with resentment
Its as if the clouds are made to prostrate onto the earth
after the burning received by the summer's branding
The air of school has the scent of the alphabets
and the ringing of the morning bell is sharp and harsh
The punishment of unapproved laughters
and petty fun and amusements
is the loss of our teenage years and
the onslaught of non stop accusations
It is the first day of the school year
and I am reminiscent of the unforgettable memories
of the empty classroom that once held you and I
and the many faded flowers that sat behind these desks
Its autumn and its raining within me
I am a prisoner of my own rage
What a beautiful tomorrow we had dreamed of
and instead how our plans were all destroyed
What an age, what a period of transformation we had envisaged
We had longed for a sign for so long
You and I were of the generation that was never allowed to fly
For we were the captives of the open claws
The very ones that murdered you in front of my own eyes
with its sharp barbs
[applause]
and destroyed all our hopes and aspirations
and separated our hands of friendship from each other

You drank the poisoned chalice
and suddenly were removed from my side
I swear to every drop of the motherly tears
to those immortal thoughts
to every drop of love's blood
to those bravehearts in captivity now
that my heart was torn into one hundred pieces
that from your sorrow my heart received one hundred creases

Tell me though, is there happiness in the place you have gone to?
On the other side of life where you are
have you tasted freedom at last?
Do you remember the teenage years?
Is the love for the motherland still in your head?
[loud applause by the audience]

Tell me in the place you have gone to, are there no more weeds?
Is the axe not the predetermined destiny of the Green trees?
Is there no one there that insults your intelligence ?
Does your pride not get raped where you are now?
[laud applause]
Is there any news of unmarked graves over there?
Do you still hear the cries of mothers there?

Sing with me my co-generation who feels my pains
Sing my song with regret and rue
Its raining and autumn is the season,
The sky is crying rage from this injustice
It is I and a desk which feels lonely without you
and the flowers who have faded in the classroom

The Intended Humiliation That Backfired


Those of you who have been following this blog or Iran news in general for the last year or so may be familiar with Majid Tavakoli's name. He was one of the three students who became known as the 'Polytechnic Three', along with Ahmad Ghassaban and Ehsan Mansouri, students of Tehran Polytechnic who were framed for producing publications that insulted Islam. Nothing of the sort was ever proven and in fact it turned out that the Baseej students had falsified a publication and produced insults against Islam themselves in order to frame the three.

Now Majid Tavakoli is in trouble again. He was arrested during the 7th December protests. This time the security forces wanted to take revenge on him in another vindictive way. Pro-Ahmadinejad news agencies like Fars and IRNA, published pictures of Majid Tavakoli wearing a chador and said he was arrested while trying to escape dressed as a woman in a chador. In their warped minds just to add more venom in their humiliation attempts, they even reported that he was also carrying a woman's handbag.

Apart from the fact that their photoshop touched pictures were extremely amateurish, just look at the thumb facing the wrong direction and the sleeve hanging the wrong way in their photoshop attempt above, they forgot one even more important fact. Our women have shown so much courage and like true lionesses they have been at the forefront of the struggle against this regime for so long, that trying to describe a man as a woman not only is not an insult, it is even a badge of honour that depicts fearlessness. Far from discrediting Majid Tavakoli, the move has boosted his popularity. Whatever they force Majid Tavakoli to do or say in the next coming days will be worthless, for everyone by now knows their barbaric methods of extracting confessions from detainees. All the regime has done is once again displayed its contempt for the women of Iran.

Back from Slovakia


Just came back from a short trip to Slovakia and while I was there also made a trip to Devin, where the heart sculpture by Daniel Brunovský made from barbed wire which originally was used to divide Slovakia from its western neighbour during the Communist rule is located. It was at Devin that the barbed wire was first symbolically cut.





This is by a plaque marking the courage of the Bratislava students in 1989 against the tyranny of Communism outside a university in Bratislava just before boarding the bus to Devin.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Two More Footage from 7th December Protests in Iran

This footage is from the protests in Yazd. The girl who is filming the savage charge is screaming, "This is the Islamic Republic, Open youer eyes"



Here the students chant "Death to Khameneii" right in front of the police who seem unable to arrest the protesters outside the gate:

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Review of the Unrest in Iran Yesterday

For the last 50 years, 7th December or 16 Azar in the Iranian calendar, has been a day for Iranian students to mark the fall of their comrades on this day. Not a year has gone by when some form of dissent or protest has not been carried out on this day.

Normally the protests are limited to universities and normally they are held within one or two universities in Tehran. Yesterday however, was an unprecedented day. The protests were supposed to start at 3:00 pm Tehran time [11:30 in the morning UK time], but as early as 7 am in London, I was alerted that the whole thing had kicked off and it wasn't just the students, the people had joined them wherever they could.  If they couldn't break through the security surrounding the campuses, they stood outside and chanted along with the students inside.

Moreover, the protests were happening in every university throughout Iran. Soon footage and news came through from Isfahan, Mashad, Tabriz, Hamedan, Kermanshah, Kerman and Sanandaj. The most predominant chant was specifically directed against the Supreme Leader. It was amazing the regime had gone out of its way to prevent any information from coming out of Iran. Apart from the usual tricks, they had banned the press permits for all foreign correspondents for three days and even the public phone boxes around the universities were wrapped in black plastic bags to stop eyewitnesses reporting from the scene, yet once again they failed miserably. As Moussavi aptly said 'They are trying to put up a barbed wire to stop a flood'.

More footage:

Regime agents trapped by students who chant 'Lackeys How much have you been paid?'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1dTRUfAiyg

Gilan University:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB2X2eQ35LE

Tabriz uni:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbseAmR1PMk

Shots heard around the Tehran uni
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tz_wsYWQSQ

Ilam University:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jJt9HonR7o

Isfahan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=823tPv4f4oA

Shiraz:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km4M0aexAMg

Hormozgan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd6rP6PecmA

Ahvaz:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbYvJ18JboU

Karaj:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-PRZqEGpAU

Ordinary people chanting against the Supreme Leader in Fakhr Razi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KObio_axKYk&feature=player_embedded#

Ripping up Supreme Leader's poster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aZpDcv9z1w

and the protests went into the night:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfhlp18jplI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsMEWnFGSRA

with roof top protest chants into late hours.

This morning there are reports that the clashes at the Tehran university are still continuing. Moussavi was removed from his work place this morning and taken home. Despite all the brutality by the regime the movement remains peaceful and non violent.

Monday, December 07, 2009

Some of the Footage from Today

Iran's tri-colour flag without the IRI emblem waved by the students at Khajeh Nassir university today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB6BrgL_xAQ

Students surrounding the Baseej and taunting them by waving bank notes at them at Amir Kabir University
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTvJO5YOU5k&feature=player_embedded

Young and old taking part in the protests and chanting specifically against the Supreme Leader
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taCjqZQkIpw

Sunday, December 06, 2009

For the Bravest Students in the World

Lets keep the momentum going until the overthrow of the enemies of knowledge:



Rooftop Protest Chants on the Eve of Iran's National Student Day



The footage is from Vanak district, 10 pm Tehran time tonight. Tomorrow marks Iran's National Student Day and Iran's brave students are preparing for another day of protests against Ahmadienjad's coup administration.

Mir Hussein Moussavi asked the people to once again show their solidarity with the students by shouting protest chants from their roof tops and the people have responded. Press permits have been revoked from tomorrow until the 9th December. Internet has been ground to a halt and has been on and off constantly all day from today. All this futile effort by the regime to control the flaw of information and stop the world from seeing the brutality of an archaic regime which does not belong to this day and age and is not fit to rule over the people of Iran.

Regime's efforts will prove once again all in vain and they will only discredit themselves in the eyes of the world. As Moussavi said, 'they are trying to put up barbed wire fences to stop a flood'.

Another footage from today's rooftop chants

Payman Aref's Wedding



This is a wedding with a difference. Payman Aref is an imprisoned student who is currently one of those on show trial. Hence he can not be present on his wedding day. The bride and the bridegroom's family however have been welcomed in Karroubi the lion heart's home and the wedding ceremony is performed by Karroubi himself, while Payman had a one minute opportunity for a telephone conversation from prison.

Friday, December 04, 2009

Two More Sentenced to Death

In an interview with Deutche Welle Radio, Iranian lawyer, Nasrin Sotoodeh objected to the death sentences handed out to two of her clients, Ayub Porkaar and Reza Khademi.

Sotoodeh said Ayub Porkaar, who served for four years as a fighter jet pilot during the Iran-Iraq was fired after the war because of his criticisms of the military and the government. He was sentenced to death for being a member of the MeK but Sotoodeh denied this charge was ever proven.

Her other client, 23 year old Reza Khademi, was arrested in his house in Afsarieh district, on eday after the election results. Sotoodeh said Khademi was sentenced to death because he was identified in a picture flying a green balloon.

Neda's Mother: You Have Killed my Daughter Stop this Masquerade

A handful of government organised Baseej 'students' demonstrated outside the British embassy in Tehran demanding the return of Dr.Arsh Hejazi, whom they have charged [not even accused any more] as Neda's killer! See : http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8809111532

They also staged a pathetic street theatre show in which one Baseeji played the role of the BBC reporter, Jon Leyene, filming Neda's death while another Baseeji played the role of Arash Hejazi, who according to them is supposed to be an MI6 agent who shot Neda in the back with the help of another unknown accomplice!!

In response to all this, Neda's mother burst into tears and said 'Enough is enough, They killed my daughter and now they are performing this masquerade. They tried to pressure me into silence and once they even let it slip that they have footage of me and my daughter in previous protests. This shows they had targeted my daughter and they killed her on purpose, now they are setting up this theatre outside the British embassy'

Neda's mother also said she was detained for several hours and threatened during the 4th November protests. 'I want to scream and shout you killed my daughter, what do you want from her now? For God's sake stop'

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Daughter of Martyr Bakeri Condemns the Baseej Atrocities

If you were in Iran and someone paid you a pound for every time you heard the word martyr or read the word martyr on posters and billboards and newspapers you would come back a wealthy person. So much so that you may be sick of hearing the sacred word of martyr because the way it is exploited for a certain political agenda.

Hamid and his brother Mehdi Bakeri are two venerated Iranian martyrs of the war against Saddam's invasion. They died serving at the front, defending Iran. Mehdi Bakeri even returned to the front after he lost one eye in a battle. Their heroic deeds are stuff of legends and this is too short a space to mention their full account.

Here is Hamid Bakeri's daughter, Assieh Bakeri, speaking at a conference held by the Law Faculty Baseej students and this is what she says:

'My uncle was a polite man, you never heard him swear, he did not lie, he did not accuse others, when he did something, he did not blow his trumpet and say to everyone I did this ...Who says my father and my uncle wanted to impose their will on others? my aunts, my father's family were all free to choose how they wanted to think, how they wanted to dress. They loved all their daughters regardless, not because one had a strand of hair sticking out and the other didn't..you say you respect my father and uncle, look what they did to us when I spoke out...' Then she talks about how Ahamdienjad's billionaire interior minister, Sadegh Mahsouli, in the last disputed election, mistreated her father when Mahsouli was in charge of the revolutionary guards in Oroumieh, North West Iran. She continues 'No one knew my father and my uncle better than my family, If my father and my uncle were alive today, they would not have tolerated these atrocities carried out in the name of the martyrs by the Baseej against the people today. If they were alive today they would be in prison now' and with that she leaves the podium after a mixed reception.



So there we have it, so much for the regime's exploitation of our beloved martyrs who if they were alive today would no doubt once again stood by the people of Iran and defended them.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Who Stole Ramin's Shoes?


This man in the picture with plastic bags covering his feet is Mohammad Ali Ramin, Ahmadinejad's pro-Nazi advisor with dubious contacts with neo-Nazi parties in Germany. The callous murder of the pregnant Egyptian mother, Marwa Al-Sherbini, in a German courtroom, in front of her husband and child, was committed by a Russian Nazi supporter of one of the parties Ramin is close to.
Ramin is believed to be the one who convinced Ahmadinejad the holocaust never happened. He is currently the deputy Minister for Press Affairs in the Guidance Ministry

So why is Ramin wearing plastic bags on his feet? The picture is taken after he attended Kordan's funeral ceremony. Kordan was the former Ministry of Interior in Ahmadinejad's cabinet who had faked his Oxford PHD and had a rape record prior to the 1979 revolution . Ramin's shoes were stolen as he came out of the mosque. One can only imagine the kind of characters who attended Kordan's ceremony!

Why the Green Movement Will Win

This is supposed to be a meeting between a member of the Council for Student Grants from the Science Ministry in the Islamic Republic Embassy in Paris with a group of Iranian students who are receiving grants. The students however are not interested to talk about their grants, instead they want to tell the Science Ministry representative that they support their student colleagues in Iran and the Green Movement. Until a few months ago these students would have been the last to challenge the authorities and risk receiving their grants, yet look at them, so resolute and defiant with their powerful arguments that the Ministry representative just doesn't know how to answer them. The two Baseej students sitting opposite them can't do anything either other than look vindictive and stupid.



'..We are not indifferent to what is happening to our classmates in Iran..we can not tolerate what is happening to our classmates in Iran, but no matter how much violence you throw at us our protests will be peaceful and we will not respond in any other way...The way you have dealt with dissent is so unprecedented that you have disgraced Iran...what makes you think you are in the position of the prophet to decide what people can read and what people can think?...why do a minority think they have the right to tell us who we can choose and to have the right to veto if we choose from who they tell us to choose from and they still don't like who we have chosen?...you can not blame the students for voicing their protests, look at what you have done and understand why it has come to this. How can you call it a Ministry of Science when you repress science and the appointed Minister of Science has such a dubious track record? obviously the head of the coup junta has appointed him to further antagonise the students, the Minister says the university lecturers should be more supervised. How much more?...We love our country, we are Iranian but in our country as soon as a student protests he is accused of being this and that..We love our country, Iran is not just yours, its ours too, our fathers and our forefathers have been Iranian, how can you tell us we don't have the right to live in our country and not have the right to think in our country? Iran belongs to all of us, let it be free, if you think your nation are a learned nation then let them choose...'



'...we say these things knowing what the consequences for us may be but we can not remain silent after what has happened to our friends or what is happening to our people inside the country, Commander Jazayeri of the Revolutionary Guards audaciously threatened us as activists outside Iran, they say the activists outside Iran who are supporting the movement inside Iran will be dealt with, in the past you didnt say it publicly just did it, now you have become so audacious that you declare your threats publicly ... I repeat we belong to our homeland and we love our country, we do not consider our country to belong to any specific group or sect, Iran belongs to all Iranians from all walks and thoughts and religions, we are neither connected to any foreign powers nor are we deviants, no, we are human beings, we have the ability to think, we will continue until both you will be free to say what you want to say and we too will be able to live free and think...we love Iran, it belongs to all of us, we will die for Iran and we will fight any group who want to take over and impose their way of thinking upon the rest....Ever since we were seven years old you told us at schools that the Shah did this and the Shah did that, we grow up we reach maturity and see everything you say the Shah did, you are doing yourselves today but in the name of religion and much worse with more brutality...'

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Writing Slogans on Police Cars in Iran

Remember this? http://azarmehr.blogspot.com/2009/11/iranian-police-van-with-opposition.html

Here is another brave protester who is sticking a pro-Moussavi sticker on another police car which has 'Death to Dictator' written on it :)


Thursday, November 26, 2009

Kaveh Afrasiabi, the Stooge Scholar


Kaveh Afrasiabi is one of those 'academics' who has his fingers in every pie. Wikipedia introduces him as an Iranian born political scientist who teaches at Boston University, Bentley College, Harvard University, UC Berkeley and Binghamton University. Just like all other Islamic Republic affiliated 'academics' posted around the world to defend and to promote the regime, he has managed to get himself in all those numerous think tanks that have confused the hell out of the US policy makers on Iran and have resigned this super power to having a vague ambiguous policy on Iran.

Lets not forget the media, Kaveh Afrasiabi, is also a 'consultant' for CBS Television and a regular contributor to the New York Times, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle and the International Herald Tribune. Most important of all, Kaveh Afrasiabi is a stooge subordinate of the regime in Iran. He is in fact an even worse version of Baroness Haleh Afshar in the US. Kaveh Afrasiabi is the Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic apologists outside Iran.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

BBC2 Documentary on Neda

Well in case you missed the BBC2 documentary on Neda, you can watch it here on BBC iPlayer:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00p68yf/This_World_20092010_An_Iranian_Martyr/

Iranian hardline newspaper, Kayhan, was quick to react before the program was even aired. It referred to the program as a new staged exercise by the MI6 and continued to blame Neda's fiancé, Caspian Makan and Arash Hejazi, the doctor who tried to save Neda, as her killers. Angus MacQueen, the proprietor of Ronachan films who was commissioned by the BBC to make the documentary was also accused of being an MI6 agent and implicitly mentioned as instrumental in the downfall of the Eastern bloc Communist governments. The Iranian born producer, Arash Sahami, did not escape unscathed either, he was accused of being a member of an exiled terrorist group.

BBC Persian so far has refused to broadcast the documentary to its Persian speaking audience, saying the content is too political and could upset the Iranian authorities!!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Harsh Sentence for Iranian Journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi


It is not often when a prisoner in Iran is put under pressure to appear on a public confession show but manages to resist all physical and mental tortures and defeats his captors and interrogators. Iranian journalist, Ahmad Zeidabadi is one of those few who can hold their heads up high and join this exclusive club of our national heroes.

Zeidabadi suffered 13 months imprisonment back in 2000 charged with incitement of public opinion and actions against national security. During the last elections he worked in Karroubi's campaign team and shortly after the rigged election results he was arrested.

During his interrogation period, Zeidabadi was put under all kinds of horrific mental and physical tortures yet he refused to give in. His wife Mahdieh, returning from a rare prison visit said Ahmad was on the verge of committing suicide. His jailors and interrogators unable to extract a confession from him tried to compromise with him and told him to simply apologise. Zeidabadi still refused. Today he received a 6 year sentence. Five years of which will be in a prison far away from his family. He has also been banned for life from any socio-political activities. Effectively Zeidabadi has been banned from writing ever again.

Committee to Protect Journalists issued this statement today:
 “We are outraged by this harsh prison sentence and lifetime writing ban. We urge the appeals court to overturn it,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem. “This ruling is further proof of the government’s determination to muzzle independent voices in the wake of the disputed presidential election in June.”


Meanwhile Brazil's Leftist President da Silva greeted Ahamdienjad and his 200 man delegation as if nothing inhumane has happened in Iran.



Saturday, November 21, 2009

More on Doctor Pourandarjani

More information about the sudden mysterious death of the 26 year old Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani who served part of his national service in the notorious Kahrizak detention centre has now emerged.

The commander-in-chief of the Law Enforcement Forces, Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam, said the doctor was accused of not treating the detainees properly! Ramin Pourandarjani's mother however has said she had contacted Mohsen Rouholamini's father, Iranian official affiliated with Mohsen Rezaii's election campaign whose son was one of the many victims in the Kahrizak detention centre, and expressed her anxiety that her son was being pressurised to declare Mohsen died of meningitis and not mistreatment.

One of Ramin Pourandarjani's old school friends said Ramin talked to him on several occasions about the horrific treatment of the post-election protesters detained at Kahrizak and on one occasion he said he had complained to the prison authorities that the injured detainees were not given the medicine he had prescribed for them but instead the prison authorities had told him not to worry and just carry on writing the prescriptions.














Old school photo of Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani, seen front row from the left, at the school for gifted children in Tabriz.

Dr. Pourandarjani's mysterious death was covered by the Times, the Guardian and Huffington Post.

Islamic Republic Affiliated Centres

These photographs are taken from a well funded organisation affiliated to the Islamic Republic of Iran operating outside Iran. Which country do you think they operate freely in?















United States of America.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Six Years Imprisonment for Other People's Comments

Iranian blogger, Ali Behzadian Nejad, was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment by the Islamic revolutionary court. What makes his sentence a first however is not so much what he himself has written on his blog but what other people have left as comments on his posts! In other words he has been sentenced for other people expressing their opinions. His blog can still be seen here : http://navand.blogspot.com/. His last posts in reverse chronological order are :

- Election Program Schedule on TV
- A Mathematical Poem by Professor Hashtaroudi
- Doodle for Google
- Competition in Providing Web Services
- 10 Rules of Being a Human Being
- Enthusiasm of Globalisation
and some more posts about various programming languages workshops.

Another Iranian blogger, Omid Lavassani who had designed mirhossein.com, was also sentenced to six years.

Coincidentally Behzadian Nejad is also the nephew of Moussavi's campaign team director, Ghorban Behzadian Nejad.

What was it Ahmadinejad told his clueless hosts, 'There is almost complete freedom in Iran'

International Student Solidarity with Iran's Studnets

We Are Countless

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

20th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in Bratislava


Slovaks celebrate the 20th anniversary of the velvet revolution which freed them from the yoke of Communist repression.

Look at this magnificent sculpture in the SNP square to mark the anniversary. Its a huge illuminated heart made out of the same barbed wire that went round the borders and made the country a huge prison for all who lived in it.

We envy the Czech and the Slovak people of course but  we are hopeful our time will come soon and our children will finally live in a free Iran.


Extra Judicial Killings in Iran Continue

This Sunday will be yet another anniversary of the extra judicial killing of Iran's secular dissidents, Daryoush and Parvaneh Forouhar. The elderly couple were stabbed repeatedly in their home by 'The Hidden Imam's Anonymous Soldiers', the term Iran's intelligence officer operatives like to use for themselves.

The daughter of Forouhars, Parastou has once again travelled to Iran to lead the commemoration ceremony on Sunday. Of course Daryoush and Parvaneh were not the only victims then. Around one hundred dissidents  are known to have been killed by these extra judicial methods in the late 90s and it seems these extra judicial killings are continuing today.

Twenty six year old Tabriz University medical graduate, Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani, was serving his national service at the notorious Kahrizak detention centre as a graduate medical officer where many of the worst human rights abuses against the election protesters took place. According to the reports from Iran, Pourandarjani had refused to sign papers which blamed meningitis as the cause of death for several of the detainees. He was found dead in his sleep having no history of any known illnesses. Pourandarjani's father in an interview with Radio Farda said he had not been given the autopsy record nor the death certificate for his son and nor were the family given permission to carry out their own autopsy.

Dr.Pourandajani went to a special school for gifted children at the age of eleven and ranked 1069 in the whole country amongst those who took the university entrance exam in 2001. He is yet another asset from Iran wasted by the enemies of knowledge who rule Iran.

Ramin Pourandarjani can be seen here making a speech at the graduation ceremony. He comes across as a confident, talented individual full of hope for the future. He talks about saying farewell and how the word farewell is such a sad word, but he asks his friends to make this farewell a sweet parting. He finishes by reciting a poem, 'The heart that became alive with love will never die, Its endurance will be remembered forever'



For Our Brave Students

It is the International Student Day today and we are all doing our part for the next day of protests in Iran on 7th December, the National Students Day in Iran.

Let us not forget our fallen bravehearts who have been at the forefront of the struggle against the enemies of knowledge. As the anthem says, we swear in the name of freedom and to the moment they gave their lives that we will continue their path. All forward and with one voice, Long Live Our Beloved Iran

Monday, November 16, 2009

Times Interview with the Supreme Leader's Envoy in UK

I wonder if Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead read the Times interview with the Supreme Leader's envoy in UK, published last Saturday? Those of us in UK who wrote to our MPs asking why the Supreme Leader is allowed to have a representative office in UK were referred to Baroness Kinnock who dismissed our concerns and replied 'the Centre was a charity engaged in spiritual matters only!'

It is precisely because of clueless and spineless politicians like Baroness Kinnock that states which sponsor terrorism manage to create terror movements through their 'charity and spiritual' networks within our midst.

And if Baroness Kinnock doesn't yet know what suffering is caused to the people of Iran by the despotic Supreme Leader, perhaps she should be encouraged to read the other articles published in Britain's dailies over the last few days:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/15/iran-neda-caspian-makan-interview
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6913273.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6917831.ece

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Interview with Neda's Fiancé in the Observer

Make sure you read the interview with Caspian Makan, Neda's fiancé, in today's observer.
A short version of a documentary made about Neda will be shown on PBS on the 17th and the full version, 'An Iranian Martyr' directed by Monica Garnsey will be broadcaston BBC2 on 24th November, at 9 pm.


International Student Day

On 4th November, hardly anyone from Isfahan managed to get online, which is why there was very little footage from the protests there. The material is gradually coming through however. Here is a clip from a school protest on November 4th in Isfahan:



Next planned big day of protests in Iran is on 7th December, marking the University Student Day. To prevent further protests, the regime is using its intimidation tactics by arresting the student leaders in their houses. Abdollah Mo'meni, student spokesman who was arrested after the election fraud and put on show trial has received a harsh 8 years imprisonment.

17th November I am told is the international students day, Iranian students studying outside Iran must mobilise other university students to display an impressive global day of support for their comrades and colleagues inside Iran. Lets make sure all universities across the world on 17th November stand up against the enemies of knowledge in Iran.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

At the Kurt Schork Awards

I was lucky enough to be one of the guests at the Kurt Schork Awards tonight. The award honours the contributions of freelance journalists who cover conflicts overseas and make exceptional acts of courage to bring the news to us. I don't want to do a report on tonight's speeches and the people that won the awards. I feel I won't be able to write well enough to describe the valour of these individuals, hopefully you can follow the above links and find out more about tonight's winners.

But I do want to talk about a serious problem that covering overseas news faces, i.e. the funds are dwindling. Brave individuals are risking their lives for a relative pittance and things are not getting better. As it was mentioned by the panel tonight, I too don't believe there is a lack of interest amongst the British public about what happens overseas, it is the editors who are wrongly assuming this and it depends how you report the news. The more the editors cut out the overseas news from the newspapers and the news bulletins, the more distant people will get and the less interested they will become. Don't for a minute think that what trained journalists can do can be substituted by blogs and untrained substitutes.

So those of you who are always asking what can we do for Iran as expats or non-Iranians, add this to the long list of things you can do, if you think a television news program or a newspaper is not covering Iran because the editor thinks Iran news does not have a 'market' and people would rather know about some titbit news, ring/write/email and tell them that you want more Iran news and buy the papers that do cover Iran related news.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Regime's Anger at Oxford Uni's Neda Scholarship


It was only a few weeks ago when I reported from a conference about a brilliant idea of the symbolic gesture to rename the streets in European cities where the Islamic Republic embassies reside to Neda. I explained how that would boost the confidence of the people in Iran and it won't require the usual obstacles of bringing the Chinese and the Russians on board etc.

The announcement by Oxford University's Queen's College, to establish a graduate scholarship in Philosophy in memory of Neda, who was also a philosophy student, was just along these symbolic gestures which I find very helpful. So it was with no doubt in my mind that Ahamdinejad's messianic junta would soon show its anger and disapproval, and sure enough they soon did. They were furious and they blamed the award on Arash Hejazi, the eye witness to her murder and the doctor who went to her help when she was shot.

The Islamic Republic through its embassy in London has condemned the award and in a letter to the Queen’s College, has claimed Arash Hejazi is ‘a fellow’ to the Oxford University and behind the award 'plot'.

Yet another knee jerk reaction by the messianic junta who never seem to do their homework properly. Arash Hejazi has never studied in the University of Oxford and has no relationships to Queen's College. He has studied in Oxford Brookes University, an academic body completely separate from the University of Oxford. But then again what do you expect from a regime whose minister presents a badly faked PHD certificate form Oxford university as his 'academic' credential?

And wasn't according to the same junta, Neda a martyr of BBC/MeK/Zionist conspiracy who staged her killing? So why not support a graduate award for her? It seems Neda will haunt those who really killed her for a long while to come and they will continue to show their true colours to the world in their constant state of confusion as very bad liars.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The Great Martyr Edoardo Agnelli


Last night as I was browsing through the Iranian news websites, or what is left of them rather, I came across the pro-Ahamdinejad Fars News, which reported on the commemorations held in Isfahan for the 'great  martyr of Shiite Islam', Edoardo Agnelli. Somehow the name rang a bell but I was relating it to football not martyrdom and Shiite Islam. Something in the back of my mind was reminding me of a football match years ago when everyone was asked to stand in silence before the match started because of an unfortunate death of someone related to Italian football.

As I read the news further, I realised that my memory hadn't entirely failed me, Edoardo Agnelli was indeed the son of  Gianni Agnelli, the wealthy Italian industrialist and the owner of the Juventus football club, but what was all this 'Great Martyr of Shiite Islam' I wasn't aware of? So thanks to Google, I searched for more stuff on Martyr Edoardo and came across a documentary film made by the Islamic Republic, which I had not seen before.

The documentary was as expected. There were lots of negative emphasis on Jewish and Zionism connections. Great Martyr Edoardo's mother was Jewish, all his doctors in the hospital were Jewish/Zionists and the next chosen heir whom 'Martyr Edoardo' vehemently opposed was also his half Jewish nephew from his sister's first marriage to a Zionist and also his death was engineered by the Zionists. All good standard stuff as you would expect from the Islamic Republic. There was one huge mistake however that I stumbled on.

Monday, November 09, 2009

One Tear Gas and the Baseej Run Away

They have everything needed to win a fight, permission for brutality, weapons, state backing and tear gas. But what happens when a tear gas is kicked back in their direction? The Baseej and plain clothes hired thugs run away like all bullies do when you stand up to them. Another footage from the 4th Nov protests:

Sunday, November 08, 2009

Another Testimony to the Nobility of the Iranian Protesters

Here is yet another example of the nobility of Iranian protesters. An anti riot guard henchman has fell off his motorbike as he rammed into young and old protesters indiscriminately. He has been pulled away from his burning motor bike but the people are not beating him up, they are not mutilating him, just asking him 'why do you beat up innocent people?'






The Honest Baseeji

The Baseej has become so hated and despised, the very word which actually means mobilisation has become synonymous with filth, scum and a brainless mercenary thug. So interestingly in the Pro-Ahmadinejad Fars News website yesterday there was a desperate attempt to buy some credibility for the Baseej.

Fars News Agency reports with much enthusiasm, a Baseej member by the name of Mohsen Abbaszadeh, who found a briefcase left in the middle of the road on his way back home. He said he took the briefcase home but when he opened and looked inside it there was nothing that could identify its original owner. It did however contain $250,000 in cash and bank cards.

'one of my friends later saw the owner looking for a briefcase and gave him my mobile number. The owner then contacted me gave a few correct details and I gave it back to him without accepting any rewards in return' The honest Baseej member claims in the report.

Just like any other cock and bull propaganda story propagated by the Islamic Republic, there are always loose ends that don't tie. Surely the bank cards would have identified the original owner if they were returned to the bank. How is it that someone who has rightly not accepted any rewards for doing the right thing is not shy of the publicity reward in the paper?

Well whether the story is true or a desperate attempt to buy some credibility for the Baseej, below is a picture from 4th November showing people throwing loose change at the Baseej taunting them as hired thugs who would do anything for a few bob.



And more pictures of 'honest baseejis' from 4th November:
















Video of Baseej above holding a gun shooting at people on 4th November:

Friday, November 06, 2009

Iranian Police Van with Opposition Slogans

Revolution is all about the balance of confidence. Once the people feel confident they can take on the regime and the regime no longer feels confident they are in control, that is when change comes about.

And how is this footage below as an indication of how confident the Green Movement feels? Could anyone have ever imagined it six months ago? Right at the beginning of the clip you see a traffic police van with 'Long Live Karroubi and Moussavi' written with big letters all over it , that is confidence :))

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Video of Shooting at Protesters on 4th November

So far this is the only video footage of protesters being shot at on 4th November, but as you can see even bullets are not enough to push them back. In fact it motivates them further and they shout slogans against the Supreme Leader, chanting Supreme Leader is a Murderer and His Legitimacy is Over.

Iranian Lioness Leads the Chants

Look at this lioness standing on a bench to get above others and lead the chants. 'He who says he is just, Is a lying Murderer'. The writing on the wall which the camera zooms on says 'Down with Khameneii' in case you are wondering who they are chanting against :)