The Green Brief #27 - July 13, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #26 - July 12, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #25 - July 11, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
Iran rally in Washington urges more U.S. action - Washington -- Scores of protesters, many of them Iranian Americans, marched from Capitol Hill to the White House on Saturday, most holding Iranian flags and chanting demands for the U.S. to take more action in response to Iran's disputed election.
After marching through several blocks of downtown Washington, more than 200 people rallied in front of the White House. They shouted demands for President Obama and leaders of other countries to "reject the sham elections, impose complete sanctions!"
The Green Brief #24 - July 10, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
Iran vote dispute moves to seminary - The focus of the Iran crisis has shifted from the street to the seminary.
Clerics are having to choose whether to align themselves with the conservatives or the reformists - or maintain an awkward silence.
More than three weeks after the elections of 12 June, a troika of senior reformists form the core of the opposition to an outcome they regard as fraudulent.
18 Tir: Fight the Power - [TEHRAN BUREAU] The city was revved up for 18 Tir. Emails had been circulating all week, outlining ten demonstration routes across Tehran. The emails called on people to “be present” on the streets, even in their cars, if they feared going on foot, expressing solidarity by honking and obstructing security maneuvers by jamming the roads. Locations in provincial capitals were included too; the day was slated for a nationwide event.
Inside the Iranian Crackdown - TEHRAN -- When the protests broke out here last month, Mehdi Moradani answered the call to crush them.
On the first day of the unrest, the 24-year-old volunteer member of Iran's paramilitary Basij force mounted his motorcycle and chased reformist protesters through the streets, shouting out the names of Shiite saints as he revved his engine.
On the fourth day, he picked up a thick wooden stick issued by his Basij neighborhood task force and beat demonstrators who refused to disperse.
The Green Brief #23 - July 9, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
IRAN: U2's green-tinted tributes to Iranian protesters - Anyone familiar with U2 knows that the band is not afraid to be political. Probably its best-known song, “Sunday, Bloody Sunday,” was written about a violent crackdown on a peaceful protest in Northern Ireland.
The sentiment behind the song could also be applied to the protesters in Iran, which is precisely what U2 did during two huge concerts in Milan and Barcelona:
U.S. Citizen Living in Tehran Said to Be Arrested - Iran's political upheaval has claimed its first American, with the arrest on July 9 of Kian Tajbakhsh, an Iranian American living in Tehran, according to an Iranian human-rights group and family friends.
As part of the latest security sweep designed to end nationwide protests against the disputed June 12 presidential election, Tajbakhsh was picked up from his home late Thursday following a day of renewed demonstrations, according to Hadi Ghaemi of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. His computer equipment was confiscated and his home ransacked, Ghaemi said.
The Green Brief #22 - July 8, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
G-8 deplores violence in Iran - L'AQUILA, Italy (AP) — Group of Eight leaders said Wednesday that they deplored the violence in the aftermath of Iran's disputed election last month, but added they remained committed to seeking a diplomatic solution to Iran's contentious nuclear program.
In a series of declarations on global security threats, the G-8 also condemned "in the strongest terms" North Korea's nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches in defiance of U.N resolutions. And they urged Afghanistan to ensure credible elections next month.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the statement on Tehran by G-8 leaders "shows the unity of the G-8 against the situation in Iran." But the leaders stopped short of calling for new sanctions or tougher action.
Protesters, officers clash violently in Iran's streets - Reporting from Tehran and Beirut -- Violent clashes erupted today in downtown Tehran between more than a thousand determined young men and women chanting, "Death to the dictator" and "God is great" and security forces wielding truncheons.
The screams of a woman being beaten could be heard from nearby buildings, a witness said. Business owners could be seen hustling protesters into their buildings to shield them from plainclothes officers and anti-riot police who fired tear gas canisters.
Geeks Around the Globe Rally to Help Iranians Online - [TEHRAN BUREAU] In his converted loft apartment in the semi-sketchy-meets-startup SoMa neighborhood, Austin Heap, 25, spends most of his time in front of his computer — a PC tower that he built himself and hacked to run Mac OS X.
Heap didn’t have much knowledge or interest in Iran until very recently. As foreign media began to be kicked out of the country, information coming from online sources became that much more crucial.
“Three weeks ago I was very happy playing Warcraft and I was following the Iran election,” he says. “But it wasn’t until everything escalated there that I got involved.”
On June 15, three days after the election, Heap sprung into action.
Opposition Leader Returns to Lead Protests in Iran - A key leader of the 1999 student uprising that shook the Islamist regime in Iran returned to Iran clandestinely this week, and plans to lead a nationwide protest on Thursday.
Roozbeh Farahanipour, 37, was jailed for several months in 1999 for his role in the protests and was tortured extensively. But that hasn’t deterred him from going to back to his homeland.
“These are momentous times,” he told Newsmax shortly before leaving the U.S. for his secret journey to Iran. “After 10 years, I am fulfilling my dream.”
Widespread Protests Anticipated in Iran - Protesters against the recent Iranian election are calling for marches tomorrow, the 10th anniversary of a bloody confrontation in which thousands of students, protesting the regime's shutdown of a popular reformist newspaper, were attacked, beaten and arrested.
The clashes began on 18 Tir (July 9) in 1999 when government security stormed a university dormitory. Several students were reportedly killed; scores more were beaten and hospitalized.
Clinton calls for 'even stricter' Iran sanctions - The United States will call for "even stricter sanctions on Iran to try to change the behavior of the regime," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a TV interview broadcast here.
Washington remained concerned about what she called Iran's "pursuit of nuclear weapons," which could "be very destabilizing in the Middle East and beyond," Clinton told the private television network Globovision.
Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian energy purposes.
IRAN: Protesters advised to carry roses as weapons - Keep quiet under all circumstances, the circular advises those planning to march in Thursday's unauthorized demonstrations in Iran cities.
"The heaviest weapon to carry is one rose in the hand," it says.
As Iranians prepare for what could be another violent day of confrontations Thursday between demonstrators and security forces, including pro-government plainclothes Basiji militias, supporters of opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi have distributed instructions to try to keep any anticipated violence to a minimum.
Inside Evin - What struck me upon entry to Evin was the green lushness of its grounds. Sort of a ['God-given'] bounty, considering its location in Tehran’s hilly Darake area. It was disarmingly landscaped. The sprawling compound was a city in itself, of walls within walls.
After mug shots, fingerprinting, and the body search, I exchanged my cellphone and wallet for a kit containing a washcloth, t-shirt, and pair of briefs. A guard led a group of us down a corridor, checking cells to see which had room. Finally, he herded us into a ten-by-ten meter cell. Drained, I collapsed on the thinly-carpeted floor with an army blanket, and slept.
Khamenei's son takes control of Iran's anti-protest militia - The son of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has taken control of the militia being used to crush the protest movement, according to a senior Iranian source.
The source, a politician with strong connections to the security apparatus, said that the leading role being played by Mojtaba Khamenei had dismayed many of the country's senior clerics, conservative politicians and Revolutionary Guard generals.
But these conservatives are reluctant to challenge the Khameneis openly out of fear that any conflict would destabilise the Islamic Republic and weaken Iran in the region. Instead they will use their positions in the organs of state to make it hard for the supreme leader and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to govern.
Iran: Detainees Describe Beatings, Pressure to Confess - (New York) - The Iranian authorities are using prolonged harsh interrogations, beatings, sleep deprivation, and threats of torture to extract false confessions from detainees arrested since the disputed June 12 presidential election, Human Rights Watch said today. The confessions appear designed to support unsubstantiated allegations by senior government officials that Iran's post-election protests, in which at least 20 people were killed, were supported by foreign powers and aimed at overthrowing the government.
The Green Brief #21 - July 7, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
‘Them, Not Us’ - “Are you going to hit me if keep going?” I replied.
I don’t know exactly what had possessed me to answer back like that. Perhaps I sensed a flash of genuine humanity in his voice. Perhaps I was testing the boundaries of my own personal level of participation in this mass show of dissent. His baton, pressing lightly against my back, felt more like a fatherly hand than a weapon capable of breaking my bones.
“We’re not the ones that beat you people,” the old soldier said, motioning me away. “If I let you go further down, the anti-riot police will corner you in an alley and charge at you. That’s how they work. Now go on home.”
The Green Brief #20 - July 6, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
92 Killed in Tehran Say Doctors Who Fled - One of a pair of Iranian doctors, who fled the capital to France says an unofficial tally by medical staff at Tehran area hospitals counted 92 violent deaths related to conflicts with security forces. The death toll is considerably at variance with an official figure of 17 deaths.
The account of events in Tehran by the doctors, who declined to be identified for reasons of personal safety has been published today in the online edition of the French newspaper Le Figaro. They say that intimidation prevented them revealing the scale of casualties but motivated them to flee to France to reveal the details.
Nicholas Sarkozy condemns Iran - Nicholas Sarkozy, the French president, issued the strongest condemnation of Iran's leadership yet seen from a world leader as the country's dispute with European states grew increasingly bitter.
In remarks that coincided with a fresh denunciation of Western meddling in Iranian affairs by its top leader, Mr Sarkozy said he was "shocked" by Iran's behaviour. He said: "We believe the Iranian people deserve better than the leadership they have today."
Iran Goes on Strike - A massive sandstorm swept into Tehran Monday morning, blanketing the streets in a dark and dreamy haze. The tops of buildings where, last night, the protest calls of “God is great!” rang out for the 21st consecutive day, are barely visible. Most of Tehran’s bustling downtown appears abandoned. The air quality is so bad that people say it is difficult to breathe. An eerie calm has descended upon the city.
Perfect weather for a strike.
Monday is the start of an unusual three-day Islamic holiday called Itikaf. Sometimes translated as “seclusion” or “retreat,” Itikaaf is a time when particularly pious Muslims cloister themselves inside homes or mosques for a period of intense prayer and deep spiritual reflection. It is a practice that the Iranian regime has long encouraged the country’s citizens, particularly the youth, to take part in, usually without much success.
Rafsanjani's party dismisses Iran election results - Rafsanjani, who heads two government councils that oversee Iran's supreme leader and mediate disputes between branches, openly backed candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi. But he has not spoken definitively about the June 12 vote, which was validated after a partial recount by the powerful Guardian Council.
"We declare that the result is unacceptable due to the unhealthy voting process, massive electoral fraud and the siding of the majority of the Guardian Council with a specific candidate," said the statement issued by the party.
Basij militiaman: 'I hoped it would never come to shooting them' - I did shoot at people myself. I am a military man I have to obey my orders. The crowd was attacking us like crazy people; throwing stones and Molotov cocktails. We had to protect ourselves; to show we were serious, and we did warn them, shouting several times, before opening fire. But they continued to attack. I don't remember who I shot, I just tried to shoot at the people's feet.
Iran's opposition leader makes public appearance - TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi made his first public appearance in a week Monday, vowing to continue his campaign against a government that he said lacks legitimacy. But his comments suggested he is abandoning massive street protests after they were quashed by a tough crackdown.
Mousavi's statements, reported on an pro-opposition news Web site, reflect his movement's struggles to survive after a wave of arrests that netted protesters, top pro-reform politicians and journalists. Hard-liners have called for Mousavi himself to be jailed. Since the crackdown, the dramatic marches that filled main streets after the disputed June 12 presidential elections have vanished.
Lives of Detained Pregnant Journalist and Paralyzed Politician in Danger - (6 July 2009) With as many as two thousand individuals, including more than two-hundred prominent personalities, under incommunicado detention in Iran, serious concerns for their health and safety are growing. There are increasing reports of extensive use of solitary confinement and torture against the detainees.
While the Iranian Judiciary has announced a directive to criminalize cooperation with satellite television programs and “opposition” internet communication, authorities have continued to detain individual journalists, including Masoud Bastani, who was arrested on 5 July as he inquired about the whereabouts of his wife, Mahsa Amrabadi, a pregnant journalist arrested on 14 June, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard acknowledges taking a bigger role in nation's security - Reporting from Beirut -- The top leaders of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard publicly acknowledged they had taken over the nation's security during the post-election unrest and warned late Sunday, in a threat against a reformist wave led by Mir-Hossein Mousavi, that there was no middle ground in the ongoing dispute over the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the elite military branch, said the guard's takeover of the nation's security had led to "a revival of the revolution."
The Green Brief #18/19 - July 4-5, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
Iranian Details Alleged Fraud - TEHRAN, July 4 -- Mir Hossein Mousavi, the leading opposition candidate in last month's disputed election, released documents Saturday detailing a campaign of alleged fraud by supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that assured his reelection, while an adviser to Iran's supreme leader accused Mousavi of treason.
Hardline sermons in Iran stiffen EU resolve over embassy staff - Last Sunday the EU pledged a “strong and collective” response to the arrests. On Thursday there was a wobble, with the more cautious governments, led by Germany and Italy — Iran’s biggest trading partners — rebuffing British proposals that all 19 member states with embassies in Tehran should temporarily withdraw their ambassadors in protest.
After yesterday’s sermon, however, a source close to the EU’s Swedish presidency insisted that “all options remain open”. EU governments summoned the various Iranian ambassadors and told them there could be no “business as usual” while British staff were held. EU countries also stopped issuing visas to Iranian officials.
Cleric: Many Iranians unconvinced about poll result - TEHRAN (Reuters) - A senior pro-reform cleric said many Iranians remained unconvinced about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election because of voting "ambiguities" and the government could face problems, an Internet statement said.
Grand Ayatollah Yusof Saanei also urged the authorities not to violate people's rights, in an apparent reference to their handling of mass protests that erupted after last month's disputed presidential election.
"I remind you that no instruction or command can be a permission or excuse to violate people's rights and this could be a great sin," he said in a statement posted on his website on Friday.
U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Iranian Revolutionary Guards Adviser - The United States yesterday imposed sanctions on a designated Iraqi terrorist group (Kata'ib Hizbollah) and an adviser to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). According to Agence France-Press (AFP) the adviser, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, will have his U.S. assets frozen as part of the financial sanctions. Muhandis is thought to be an advisor to the Qods Force wing of the Revolutionary Guards, charged with training and supporting foreign groups.
Reza Pahlavi: 'Beginning of the end' of Iran regime - In a scathing criticism of the Iranian regime delivered in the form of an exclusive video interview for French daily Le Figaro today, Reza Pahlavi also predicted that civil resistance, strikes and the underground movement will continue the fight.
Relaxed and smartly-dressed, and in excellent French except for his accent, the Shah’s son delivered one of his most candid interviews to date on the current situation in Iran.
"What I have witnessed" - A powerful note from a female medical student in Iran, translated from Farsi by a trusty reader.
Attacks, arrests slowing online news from Iran - (CNN) -- Bloody attacks and midnight arrests, combined with a regime growing more technologically savvy, have begun stemming the flow of online information from dissidents in Iran, activists and human rights officials say.
Ten days of anguish, abuse inside Tehran's prison archipelago - All 33-year-old Ali-Reza wanted to do was stop pro-government Basiji militiamen from beating up a man lying on the ground. Instead the engineer said he wound up in the clutches of the capital's security archipelago, where he was himself beaten for days...
Tehran Today: Reports of Checkpoints, Abuse - It feels like martial law. There are checkpoints, they randomly pull over cars. They check the whole thing for cameras. Even if you're carrying a camera, they take that. So you're on edge because its not a normal--the forces are everywhere. It's a very physical presence.
The Green Brief #17 - July 3, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
Technology Rules the Day Again in Iranian Uprising - With all the talk of the "twitter revolution" and the role that technology is playing in the recent uprisings, one would think that technology is being used in revolutions for the first time. The truth is that it was the Islamists themselves who were the first to use technology for such purposes in Iran. Back in the 1970s, Ayatollah Khomeini led a revolt against the Shah that saw a dramatic shift in government rule. While women and secular Iranians had been active participants in the 1979 revolution, they were quickly shut out of the government as Khomeini and his cohorts cemented their grip on power in the country.
Iran views: Quiet but not normal - SMS text messaging is now back. A friend forwarded me a message he was sent, trying to scare him off posting on Facebook or the internet. It said: "This is the first and last warning!"
Iranian cleric: British Embassy staff to be tried - A top Iranian cleric said Friday that some of the detained Iranian staffers of the British Embassy in Tehran will be put on trial, and he accused Britain of a role in instigating widespread protests that erupted over the country's disputed presidential election.
The announcement by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati came a day after the European Union demanded Iran release the staffers, who were detained on June 27. Britain is pressing EU countries to pull their ambassadors out of Tehran in protest.
A Suddenly Most Unwelcome Guest - Ahmadinejad was forced at the last minute to scrub the trip. Angry Mashadis, many of whom believe Ahmadinejad stole the election, were determined to give him a rough reception. Despite the presence of some 15,000 Basij security men in the city, the authorities couldn't guarantee the president's safety -- let alone deliver the enthusiastic, welcoming crowds that he requires for propaganda purposes.
Iran: Detained political leaders at risk of torture - Amnesty International is gravely concerned that several opposition leaders detained in the wake of the 12 June elections may be facing torture, possibly to force them to make televised “confessions” as a prelude to unfair trials in which they could face the death penalty.
“If our fears are born out, this would be an appalling tactic on the part of the security services to silence high profile political leaders once and for all, and to send a clear message to others with dissenting views that they should expect dreadful consequences if they speak out,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Programme.
'Iran trial' for UK embassy staff - Some UK embassy staff detained in Tehran and accused of inciting protests will face trial, says the head of Iran's top legislative body.
Statement from the Mourning Mothers of Iran - To our boys and brothers in the security forces! We are your mothers. We treat you with respect as mothers. Respect us and our wishes and refrain from inflicting harm onto your mothers. Our sighs will follow you if you treat us with violence.
Iran Police Invent Interpol Probe In Neda Death - The International Police force, or Interpol, has denied a claim by Iran's police chief that it is seeking a doctor who witnessed the shooting death of 26-year-old "Neda." Head of police Brig. Gen. Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam said, "Arash Hejazi is wanted by Interpol and Iran's Intelligence Ministry" in the murder of Neda, who's shooting fueled what were daily opposition rallies in the capital city of Tehran, according to a Wednesday report by Iran's Press TV, a state-run, English language network.
A coming storm will sink this regime - It comes as no surprise that the mass demonstrations in the streets of Tehran have finally grown silent, even if anonymous shouts of ''Death to the dictator'' continue to haunt the night. The Iranian government has successfully muzzled the popular revolt, but the craving for change has only intensified. The end of the huge street protests came, quite simply, by brute force.
Let the Usurpers Writhe - TEHRAN — Think of normalized relations with the United States as the big prize. Who gets to deliver it? One thing is certain: Iran’s ruthless usurpers are determined to ensure reformists are never in a position to claim the breakthrough.
Mourning the dead in Tehran - Tehran 1st July 2009. The bodies of protesters - and some innocent victims - are being laid to rest in Behesht-e Zahra ceremony in Tehran following the violence in Iran. Families have to mourn their losses in private; the government has not allowed memorial ceremonies to be held.
Beaten Back, Iran's Opposition Looks To Reform From Within - Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi lashed out defiantly at Monday's certification, following a partial recount initiated by the clerical body that oversees Iran's elections, of the June 12 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "From now on we will have a government... whose political legitimacy will not be accepted by the majority of people, including myself," Mousavi said in his latest statement.
Iran 'lifts block on SMS texting' - Reports from Iran say that SMS text messaging services have been unblocked for the first time since disputed presidential elections. However, Iranian news agencies say there are still technical problems.
Rafsanjani will not lead Friday prayers - Per The Huffington Post, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani has declined to lead this week’s Friday Prayers in Tehran. This is the second time Rafsanjani has done this since the Iran election.
Opposition movement in Iran not over, experts say - (CNN) -- The chants, the clashes, the outrage, the blood -- for more than two weeks, the world watched as the fallout from Iran's presidential elections unraveled from peaceful demonstrations to government-led crackdowns on city streets.
Iran hardliners want Mousavi prosecuted - TEHRAN (Reuters) - A group of hardline Iranian members of parliament want the judiciary to prosecute defeated presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi over post-election unrest that rocked the Islamic Republic last month. "Those who hold illegal rallies and gatherings should be legally pursued," MP Mohammad Taghi Rahbar was quoted as saying by the hardline Javan newspaper on Thursday.
IRAN: Picnicking Outside Evin Prison - TEHRAN, Jul 2 (IPS) - Outside the gates of Terhan's notorious Evin prison, hundreds wait impatiently – some with blankets spread out in the parking lot on the street below, making time for dinner. The improvised picnic area has become a second home to the families of those arrested in the massive roundups that accompanied Iran's post-election unrest. They were jailed both before and during the authorities' ongoing violent crackdown, which started a week after protests swelled in the wake of the Jun. 12 disputed polls.
Iran's leaders fear their own people most - On Monday something surprising happened in Iran. It wasn't the Guardian Council's certifying the results of the June 12 presidential election - the questionable victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over Mir Hossein Mousavi. It wasn't that thousands of people took to the streets even though electricity, landline and mobile phone connections were cut. Nor was it that security forces were out en masse. It was that citizens confounded the authorities with dispersed actions.
The Green Brief #16 - July 2, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
6 Mousavi supporters reportedly hanged - As the Iranian authorities warned the opposition on Tuesday that they would tolerate no further protests over the disputed June 12 presidential elections, a report emerged of the hangings of six supporters of defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.
We’re paid $200 per day - Saturday morning June 21, as Tehran was about to face a day full of unrest, the presence of the white (civilian) clothed personnel who were beating and brutalizing people with their batons and clubs become more prominent. These personnel are often often hired daily and as one of them says "the Iranians are paid 200 thousands Tomans ($200) per day and the non-Iranians several times more." The "club-wielder" who the Rooz reporter talked to said, "we stay in a dormitory but the non-Iranians stay in a hotel."
No Refuge - Dispatch from Tehran - A 19-year-old boy was sitting in a dormitory room, quietly poring over those same books, the way he did most nights away from home, the way he did every night during exam season. Earlier, at around 10:30 p.m., an officer had come knocking on their doors. The police would only protect them if they kept quiet, he had said. If the students said as much as a word, he warned, they would do nothing to help them.
Blackout - Dispatch from Tehran - “Just keep walking and don’t run,” came a voice to my left. I was already in a state of shock but hearing somebody address me in English added to the confusion of the moment. “Well that was pretty close,” came a voice to my right — also in English — but this helped settle me slightly during my first physical run-in with the riot squad.
Attacks, arrests slowing online news from Iran - Bloody attacks and midnight arrests, combined with a regime growing more technologically savvy, have begun stemming the flow of online information from dissidents in Iran, activists and human rights officials say.
Iran Election TWITTER Feeds: Constant Updates - With the Iranian government jamming cell phones and text messages and blocking access to many social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter has emerged as one of the mediums with the most information being passed around and discussed about the turbulent presidential election
Tyranny Loses In Iran - The triumvirate had been planning for their brazen coup, and the possible popular resistance, for some months. First came a re-alignment of the IRGC. Instead of a centralized command, they were broken into 31 units: one for each province, two for Tehran. Units of the Basij, hitherto autonomous, were placed under the direct command of the IRGC units. It was declared that fighting a "color revolution"--or, more accurately, suppressing the will of the people--was now the main responsibility of IRGC.
The torture of a 17-year-old in Iran - The boy says he was moved around more than seems to make sense; at times he seems to confuse the police with the Basij paramilitaries; and, especially, his belief that non-Iranians were assisting in the abuse, a rampant but unsubstantiated rumor in Iran and among exiles. But the translator said some confusion is understandable for a scared teenager in his situation: "It is obvious that he was tortured."
Unopened Ballot Boxes...weeks after the election - Today, reporters accompanying the governor of Fars province and the Friday prayers’ Imam of Shiraz stumbled upon four unopened ballot boxes from the elections in Shiraz’s main library. Per electoral rules in Iran, all ballot boxes were supposed to be shipped to Tehran. According to reports, the governor promptly declared the contents of the boxes ‘national documents’ and asked the reporters not to report the incident.
The Green Brief #15 - July 1, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #14 - June 30, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #13 - June 29, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #12 - June 28, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #11 - June 27, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #10 - June 26, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #9 - June 25, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #8 - June 24, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #7 - June 23, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #6 - June 22, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #5 - June 21, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #4 - June 20, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #3 - June 19, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #2 - June 18, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
The Green Brief #1 - June 17, 2009 - I'm Josh Shahryar AKA NiteOwl and I've been immersed in tweets from Iran for the past several hours. I have tried to be extremely careful in choosing my tweet sources and have tried maximally to avoid listening to media banter. What I have compiled below is what I can confirm through my tweets to have happened in the past day and in the past week in Iran. Remember, this is all from tweets. There is NOTHING included here that is not from a reliable tweet. No news media outlets have been used in the compilation of this short brief as I would like to call it.
These are some of the happenings that I can positively confirm-
Neda and the New Iranian Woman - In contrast to 1979, women are front and center in this uprising. They are shaking their fists, chanting slogans and "tweeting" side by side with their male compatriots. Hijabs and chadors notwithstanding, their visibility hints at a storyline more complex than the more familiar one associated with the region, i.e., of women as second-class citizens lacking economic or political clout.
Risk of Torture and Possible Forced "Confessions" - Amnesty International is gravely concerned that several opposition leaders detained in the wake of the June 12 elections may be facing torture, possibly to force them to make televised 'confessions' as a prelude to unfair trials in which they could face the death penalty.
June 28: Crackdown In Iran Puts Mousavi in Tight Spot - With the opposition visibly weakening in Iran amid a government crackdown, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his supporters have begun to use his disputed victory in this month's election to toughen the nation's stance internationally and to consolidate control internally.
June 26: Mir-Hossein Mousavi slams Iran's leaders - In his statement, Mir-Hossein Mousavi issued a rare attack on supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accusing him of not acting in the interests of the country, and said Iran had suffered a dramatic change for the worse.
REALLY? Ahmadinejad: Neda's death is 'suspicious' - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday called the death of Neda Agha-Soltan "suspicious" and urged the country's authorities to identify those responsible for it, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported Monday.
IS THIS THE ONION? Police, Basij 'imposters' arrested in Iran - Iranian police officials have reportedly arrested the armed imposters who posed as security forces during post-election violence in the country. Iran's Basij commander, Hossein Taeb, said Monday that the imposters had worn police and Basij uniforms to infiltrate the rallies and create havoc.
Tweeting for FREEDOM - The revolution will not be televised. It will, in fact, be tweeted. That phrase or some variation of it has been sent from mobile phone to mobile phone in 140-character packages. “Tweets” are messages sent out by users of Twitter, a service that allows anyone with a cell phone or computer to send updates to friends and subscribe to receive updates from other accounts. The Web-based application has blossomed in recent months to join the likes of Facebook and YouTube as one of the latest sociotechnological innovations connecting users around the country and the globe.
Dear Ali Khameini: Your daughter and I are both Neda's age. - Dear Ali Khamenei, You may not have heard of me, but your daughter knows me well. For eight years, I studied with Boshra at the Refah school in Tehran. The Refah School is where Ayatollah Khomeini resided during the Islamic Revolution. On its roof, leaders from the Shah's regime were executed. Sound familiar?
Thousands demonstrate silently in Tehran - Watched closely by police, several thousand protesters moved slowly down a major Tehran thoroughfare Sunday in the first demonstration over the country's disputed presidential election that authorities have allowed in days.
Radio Free Europe - Radio Free Europe is an international broadcast organization that provides news, information, and analysis to countries hostile to the interests of the United States, mostly in central Asia. RFE reaches 25 million listeners and readers in 20 countries including Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus, and Iraq. It is funded by the US Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an organization whose mission is "to promote democracy through the open communication of information and ideas"
Message to the International Community From Iran - I apologise in advance for the tone and style of this letter to you. The people in Tehran of whom I speak on behalf are weak and tired. I hope you are able to clearly understand the message we are sending to you. This letter is a call to all people outside of Iran, both Persian expatriates and other people. At the present time this is very important for the fate of Iran. To quote Napolean: "There is but one step between victory and defeat." We in Iran are at the same critical step. Your help is of the most urgent importance.
US President Barack Obama on Iranian Unrest - First, I'd like to say a few words about the situation in Iran. The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, the beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.
Yahoo! News - Use Yahoo! News to find breaking news, current events, the latest headlines, news photos, analysis & opinion on Iran.
Reporters Without Borders - Reporters Without Borders, or RWB (French: Reporters sans frontičres) is a Paris-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985 by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud.
LA Times - Babylon - BLOG: Babylon and Beyond - Observations from Iraq, Iran, Israel, The Arab World, and Beyond.
LA Times - Iran - Special Coverage of the 2009 Iranian Presidential Election
Google News - Todays' aggregated top news reports regarding Iran.
Al Jazeera - Al Jazeera English is a 24-hour English-language news and current affairs TV channel headquartered in Doha, Qatar. It is one of the three largest English-language news channels worldwide, and is the sister channel of the Arabic-language Al Jazeera.
CNN - Iran Election Fallout - News and Videos about Iran Election
BBC - BBC News Coverage of the Iran Crisis