Den Of Spies.

Den of spies, a common slogan in Tehran, but with a different slant nowadays as opponents of the Ahmadinejad’s regime use the occasion to protest, the New York Times reports:

The protests — in Tehran and several other cities — were the opposition’s largest street showing in almost two months, and came on the 30th anniversary of the takeover of the United States Embassy in 1979, a day of great symbolic importance for both Iran and the United States. Although a huge deployment of police beat back and scattered many of them, the protesters took heart at their ability to openly challenge the government despite a stream of stark warnings from all levels of Iran’s conservative establishment.

Protesters openly flouted the day’s official anti-American message, with about a thousand people, many wearing clothing and accessories in the opposition’s signature bright green color, gathering outside the Russian Embassy in Tehran and chanting, “The real den of spies is the Russian embassy.”

The American embassy has been called the “den of spies” in Iran for decades. But many opposition supporters were angered by Russia’s early acceptance of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed victory in Iran’s June presidential elections.

It was a day of scattered protests and violence across central Tehran, and even some government authorities seemed to grudgingly concede that the opposition had — for the first time — disrupted the annual anti-American rally. The official IRNA news agency reported in midafternoon that “rioters,” many wearing the opposition’s green symbols, had gathered in front of its offices on Valiasr Street chanting “Death to the Dictator” and other anti-government slogans.”

November 4th.

Whilst I think about things, take a look at Coatesy’s coverage of events in Iran.

Update 1: I will aim to cover this topic in more detail in the future, but it seems that there are continued demonstrations going-on in various Universities in Iran.

On this particular YouTube channel there are at least 5 video clips seemingly from the 3rd Nov. 2009.

Update 2: The blog, Revolutionary Road, has plenty of good material, especially the Bridge Journal.

Losing Sight Of The Dividing Line.

Thanks to Engage for pointing out a post on the CST blog, which makes a comparison between the type of coverage given to the Holocaust denying, Ahmadinejad.

No one in the West, and particularly Guardian readers with access to the Internet, should have any illusions about Ahmadinejad, it seems that barely a month goes by when he is either fiddling elections or denying the Holocaust, as he did recently on the annual Al Quds Day as RTE reports:

“Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said the Holocaust was a ‘myth’, reiterating comments that sparked outrage around the world.

‘The very existence of this regime is an insult to the dignity of the people,’ the hardliner said as he addressed the annual Quds Day rally in Tehran referring to Israel.

‘They (Western powers) launched the myth of the Holocaust. They lied, they put on a show and then they support the Jews.’

‘If as you claim the Holocaust is true, why can a study not be allowed?’ the Iranian president said to chants of ‘Death to Israel’ from the crowd gathered for the annual display of solidarity with the Palestinians.

‘The pretext for establishing the Zionist regime is a lie… a lie which relies on an unreliable claim, a mythical claim, and the occupation of Palestine has nothing to do with the Holocaust,’ he added.

Similar comments made by Mr Ahmadinejad shortly after his first election as president in 2005 also sparked an international outcry. “

So no one should be in any doubt concerning Ahmadinejad’s blatant Holocaust denial, except those at the Guardian, as Mark Gardner points out:

“Now of course the Guardian would never mean it like that – well, not like Ahmadinejad means it anyway. And of course the Guardian would neither threaten another Holocaust, nor deny the last one.

Nevertheless, the Guardian as an institution – and as a consequence much of its constituency – has clearly allowed its hostility against Israel to erode both its understanding of antisemitism; and its vigilance against imagery that evokes deeply rooted antisemitic stereotypes.

This is not so much a conscious decision, or some covert antisemitic conspiracy: it is simply what happens when, over time, basically decent people lose sight of the dividing line between criticism and hatred, and between scathing political comment and racist abuse. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule at both the Guardian and throughout the wider Left, but they are swimming against the tide.”

Update 1: Not forgetting that even Juan Cole finally admits Ahmadinejad is articulating antisemitism, a welcome acknowledgment, but about 4 years too late as Adam Holland ably dissects.

This year.

Selma’s thought’s on Al Quds day in Tehran and the reality:

“I wrote a long post about this annual rally, explaining why I tend to step aside and question the intentions behind a rally, once its main subject becomes a political tool for some to advertise their own power and influence in the region.

For years I had refused to take part in the rally, because I saw it as propaganda for a way of thinking that had nothing to do with reason, justice, or humanity.

This year, the gathering and protests were no longer about a conflict somewhere in the world I’d never been to, and hardly knew the story of both sides… This year, the protests had nothing to do with the strangers who could have found a way to solve their conflict by now, if it weren’t for others meddling in the process.

This year, we went to the rally to protest against a domestic oppressor…the tyrant who got hold of our future, by means of coup (or whatever you like to call it…)”

(H/T: Noga)

Saeed Rostami Update.

News in from Facebook:

“Saeed Rostami, an Afghan immigrant worker in Iran who was arrested during this year’s May 1st celebrations in the Park of Laleh in Tehran along with about 150 other people, was released from prison on Wednesday September 16th at 02.30 PM after four and a half months in prison.

First an interrogator from the Security Department of the Court of Ba’sat ordered Sa’id Rostami to post a hundred million tomans bail after accusing him of acting against the national security. After hearing him and based on Sa’id’s statements that he is an Afghan citizen and that he doesn’t hold residence permit, the Security Department sent his case to the court for further studies. Sa’id Rostami was held in prison for an uncertain time, until the court studied his case and issued his release on Wednesday September 9th.

Saturday September 12th while Sa’id was leaving the jail, an officer guarding the exit door of Evin Prison told him that he had to leave Iran and returned him to the prison. Sunday September 13th he was once again dispatched to the court from where he was taken to a camp in order to be deported, but the authorities in the camp didn’t take him in and Sa’id was once again transferred back to the Evin Prison.

After this, on Wednesday September 16th, Sa’id Rostami’s case was handled again in the same court, where the judge ordered his release on the same day at 02.30 in the afternoon.

It is worth mentioning that the officials in the Iranian Free Trade Union and other labor activists have been following Sa’id’s case ever since and have worked hard for his release by taking different actions such as visiting the Embassy of Afghanistan and assigning a lawyer (Dr. Awliya’i-far) for him.

The Iranian Free Trade Union congratulates from heart Sa’id’s family and friends on his release and is happy that he wasn’t deported. We also declare our solidarity with the Afghan immigrant workers in Iran in their fight against discrimination and for earning the right to Iranian citizenship, and we tell them that we are their allies.

Long Live the International Solidarity of the Working Class
Iranian Free Trade Union
September 16th 2009″

Mean While In That Theocratic Dictatorship.

No TUC motion on Iran? Nothing about the fiddled election?

Nothing about the anti-Jewish racist, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?

Nothing about neo-nazi shindigs in Tehran?

Nothing about the attacks on Mansour Osanloo and other trade unionists?

Nothing about the street protests in Iran?

Nothing about the very nature of the dictatorship in Tehran?

Still, brave Iranians took their fight straight to Ahmadinejad as he was spouting more Holocaust denial, the Guardian reports:

“Iran’s opposition Green movement put on a powerful show of strength today against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the hardline president repeated his notorious claim that the Nazi Holocaust was a “lie” designed to justify the existence of Israel.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in central Tehran to shout “death to the dictator” despite a heavy security presence and official warnings to the opposition not to hijack the Quds (Jerusalem) Day rally, the regime’s annual display of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Maziar Bahari.

Maziar Bahari is another victim of excessive repression in Iran, he’s been locked up without charge for 64+ days.

I urge people to publicise his plight.

Bang To Rights At The Show Trial.

Like a hangover from a cheap police drama where caught criminals invariably say “You’ve got me bang to rights, guv’nor!”, faked confessions are spilling out in Teheran, the Times reports:

“Video and photographs of Clotilde Reiss, 24, apparently admitting her guilt as officials and guards, almost all men, looked on, touched hearts and stirred anger in France.

She delivered her testimony to the crowded auditorium in steady, clear tones before taking questions, watched by rows of prisoners.

Although the images were provided by Iranian state television, it was clear from her delivery and language that she was reciting a confession that had been prepared for her.“

Apparently the Iranian secret services and militia were busy, as the BBC relates:

“Authorities in Iran say 4,000 people were detained in protests that followed June’s disputed presidential election – many more than previously stated.

A spokesman for the judiciary, Ali Reza Jamshidi, said about 3,700 had been freed within a week, but that those involved in riots were in detention.

An opposition figure has also claimed at least 69 people were killed in the violence following the 12 June poll.

It is more than double the number the government admits died. “

HOPI On The Show Trials

Over at the HOPI news from Iran blog Yassamine Mather deals with the show trials:

“The Stalinist show trial of Saturday August 1 – when a number of prominent ‘reformists’ appeared on Iranian state TV to ‘thank their interrogators’ before repenting – was not the first such event in the Islamic republic’s history. Leaders of the ‘official communist’ Tudeh Party were similarly paraded on Iranian TV to denounce their own actions in the 1980s, while in the 1990s we had the trials of ‘rogue’ elements of the ministry of intelligence.

However, this time the Islamic leaders forgot that a precondition for the success of such show trials in terms of imposing fear and submission on the masses is total control of the press and media. What made this particular effort ineffective – indeed a mockery – was that it came at a time when the supporters of supreme leader Ali Khamenei have not yet succeeded in silencing the other factions of the regime, never mind stopping the street protests. So, instead of marking the end of the current crisis, the show trials have given the protestors fresh ammunition.”

Rebellion In The Air

According to a radio report they had to hide the precise location of Ahmadinejad’s confirmation for fear of protests, but they still happened, as the Washington Post reports:

“The sober ceremony, in which Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accepted an awkward kiss on the shoulder in a show of fealty from Ahmadinejad, was notable for the absence of prominent political and religious figures, as well as relatives of the country’s late revolutionary leader and opposition presidential candidates, who continue to dispute the results of the June 12 election.

Afterward, witnesses reported unrest in central Tehran, and security forces deployed to prevent government opponents from demonstrating against a second four-year term for Ahmadinejad. Riot police and pro-government Basij militia turned out in force on main streets and squares, where groups of protesters attempted to gather and where motorists honked car horns in a show of opposition, witnesses said.

“I heard people honking in their cars, and security forces shot tear gas,” said one witness in a phone call from a shop on Vali-e Asr Street. “Everything became chaotic. There was shooting, and I saw them arresting an old woman.”

The semiofficial Fars news agency reported that opposition presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi showed up at a demonstration against the inauguration, joining about 100 supporters at a street intersection before riot police broke up the gathering. Iranian state television charged that Karroubi, 71, a Shiite cleric and former parliamentary speaker, was “egging on the hooligans,” who chanted slogans such as “death to the dictator!” “

Over at HOPI.

HOPI has more videos of the struggle in Iran and a piece about Alireza Davoudi:

“Hopi activists have just received the sad news that Iranian activist Alireza Davoudi died yesterday from a heart attack resulting from the extreme torture he was subjected to in the Islamic Republic’s jails. This is a sad loss to our movement and our hearts go out to his family, comrades and friends.”

Shirin Ebadi Take On Events.

Shirin Ebadi has strong views on the forthcoming show trials in Tehran, the Times reports:

“
“The European Union should withdraw ambassadors,” said Ebadi, a lawyer, stabbing the air with her index finger, furious about the arrests that followed the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The election of Ahmadinejad, who is due to be sworn in this week, continues to be strongly contested. Mir Hossein Mousavi, his main opponent, claims the election was stolen. Yesterday, opposition activists arrested in the weeks after the elections appeared in court in Tehran for the first time, charged with conspiring against the regime.

Although most had been arrested at home, and were intellectuals or politicians whose offence can only have been criticism of the regime or support for Mousavi, they were charged with crimes such as attacking military sites and government buildings.

About 100 prisoners sat grimly in court, some dressed in grey prison uniforms, many of them prominent reformers allied to the opposition, including Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a former government spokesman, and Mohsen Mirdamadi, the leader of the largest reform party, the Islamic Iran Participation Front. The press was banned from the hearing and there were no lawyers present.

Ebadi was out of the country on a speaking tour when the protests erupted. She has remained abroad on the advice of her lawyers at the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran, which she founded.

They have told her that she is more useful to the opposition cause abroad, pressing the case of the prisoners.

Her absence from the country clearly rankles. “Tehran is my home,” she said firmly. Immaculately made up, with short, coiffed hair, she is determined to combat what she sees as injustice in her country. “I will go back to Tehran despite the fact that my family, my husband and my daughter, have been threatened.” “

She was a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2003.

Show Trials Begin.

The theocracy in Iran has started its prosecution of protesters in the wake of the fiddled election, the Guardian has more:

“The first trials of opposition political activists and protesters arrested after June’s disputed Iranian presidential election began today.

Up to 100 defendants were reported by Iranian media to be appearing before a court in the capital, Tehran, accused of violence following the 12 June vote.

The election sparked days of protests as thousands of Iranians took to the streets to denounce the official results, which declared victory for the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.”

This is a statement from the reformist camp, via Google translation, make of it what you will.

The Huff Post suggests that they are not allowed lawyers and there is no jury.

Locked Up Lawyers.

The repressive state in Iran made a preemptive move against Human Right’s lawyers according to HRW:

“(New York, July 26, 2009) – Iranian authorities continue to arrest prominent human rights lawyers in an attempt to prevent them from representing reform supporters detained following Iran’s disputed presidential election, Human Rights Watch said today. Other lawyers have been threatened.

“Iranian authorities are trying to create an atmosphere of fear among all lawyers who agree to defend political prisoners,” said Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East division. “Many reform supporters arrested after the presidential elections have been denied access to their lawyers, and now they’re finding the lawyers imprisoned with them.”

On July 15, 2009, plainclothes security forces seized human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr on the street while she was walking to attend Friday prayers. On July 21, security forces telephoned Mohammad Seifzadeh, another leading human rights defense lawyer, and threatened to take steps (which they did not specify) to prevent him from continuing his human rights activities.

Hadi Esmaielzadeh and Manijeh Mohammadi were among other human rights lawyers who were questioned by the security section of the Tehran prosecutor’s office a few days after the June 12 election. Seifzadeh, Esmaielzadeh, and Mohammadi are all members of the Human Rights Defenders Center (HRDC), a prominent human rights organization led by Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, which security forces have threatened to close on a number of occasions in recent years.

“They told me not to cooperate with Shirin Ebadi,” Seifzadeh, who is a board member of HRDC, told Human Rights Watch.”

Iran and Technical Odds and Sods

A few technical bits that have occurred in the last month or so, firstly Iran:

“Around a quarter of Iran’s 65 million people are believed to have Internet access. Iran has long used filtering to restrict certain news and political or pornographic Web sites. However, since the election, the number of blocked sites has increased.

Besides Twitter and YouTube, the BBC’s Farsi-language news site is still blocked, and Web sites associated with opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi — who says he won the election — are constantly shut down. In the last week, two new Mousavi sites have been created after others were targeted.”

Breaking the silence of suffering children.

The Tiny Core distribution has a lot of potential, and 8.2 of Antix Linux is out.

Finally, tethering seems to be popular amongst smart phone owners. Basically, the mobile device is used as an external modem for a netbook/laptop, probably connected via a USB cable and the smart phone then provides the onward link to the Internet either via 3G or Wifi.

Update 1: Thanks to ganselmi for reminding me about Nokia’s role:

The Guardian explains:

“The mobile phone company Nokia is being hit by a growing economic boycott in Iran as consumers sympathetic to the post-election protest movement begin targeting a string of companies deemed to be collaborating with the regime.

Wholesale vendors in the capital report that demand for Nokia handsets has fallen by as much as half in the wake of calls to boycott Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) for selling communications monitoring systems to Iran.”

Wired continues:

“According to the Journal, a system installed in Iran by Nokia Siemens Networks — a Finland-based joint venture between Nokia and Siemens — provides Iranian authorities with the ability to conduct deep-packet inspection of online communications to monitor the contents and track the source of e-mail, VoIP calls, and posts to social networking sites such as Twitter, MySpace and Facebook. The newspaper also said authorities had the ability to alter content as it intercepted the traffic from a state-owned internet choke point.”

Update 2: The Iranian State’s measures to control access to the Internet largely failed, thanks to the ingenuity of Iranians, but the fight over the web still goes on, and Iranians have a new ally: Haystack

“Haystack is a new program to provide unfiltered internet access to the people of Iran. A software package for Windows, Mac and Unix systems, called Haystack, specifically targets the Iranian government’s web filtering mechanisms.

Similar to Freegate, the program directed against China’s “great firewall,” once installed Haystack will provide completely uncensored access to the internet in Iran while simultaneously protecting the user’s identity. No more Facebook blocks, no more government warning pages when you try to load Twitter, just unfiltered Internet.”

Their blog is here with updates.