Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

June 21, 2009 By Fausta

What Does Mousavi Think?

Via Larwyn,
What Does Mousavi Think?

In the name of the Iranian people, we want you to know that when you recently made the statement “Achmadinejad or Mousavi? Two of a kind,” we consider this as a grave and deep insult, not just to Mr. Mousavi but especially against the judgment of the Iranian people, against our moral conviction and intelligence, especially those of the young generation that comprises a population of 31 million.

It is a specially grave insult for those who are now fighting for democracy and freedom, and an unwarranted gift and even praise for Mr. Khamenei, whose security forces are now killing peaceful Iranians in the streets of every major city in the country.

Read the rest.

Twitter’s real-time #iranelection feedereader shows the latest tweets coming in.

By the way, Chavez supports Ahmadinejad, and there are unconfirmed rumors he’s sending thugs to help out. Even Daily Kos is calling Chavez what he is:

Chavez is a total idiot. His support for criminal Ahmadinejad and his theocratic murderous regime is despicable.

UPDATE
How will it all work out in Iran?
Andrew Bostom writes about Mullah’s Milk, and why there is no evidence that Iranian societal irredentism is about to change dramatically.

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Filed Under: Hugo Chavez, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Mir Hossein Mousavi

June 19, 2009 By Fausta

At this point, what is the Iranian revolution about?

Charles Krauthammer, on Hope and Change — but Not for Iran

Moreover, this incipient revolution is no longer about the election. Obama totally misses the point. The election allowed the political space and provided the spark for the eruption of anti-regime fervor that has been simmering for years and awaiting its moment. But people aren’t dying in the street because they want a recount of hanging chads in suburban Isfahan. They want to bring down the tyrannical, misogynist, corrupt theocracy that has imposed itself with the very baton-wielding goons that today attack the demonstrators.

This started out about election fraud. But like all revolutions, it has far outgrown its origins. What’s at stake now is the very legitimacy of this regime — and the future of the entire Middle East.

This revolution will end either as a Tiananmen (a hot Tiananmen with massive and bloody repression or a cold Tiananmen with a finer mix of brutality and co-optation) or as a true revolution that brings down the Islamic Republic.

Via Betsy, the Tianamen outcome may be coming up. So far there are 250 murdered.

niacINsight is Live-blogging Friday’s Events in Iran, but the Guardian has more comprehensive coverage that updates every minute.

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Filed Under: Iran Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Mir Hossein Mousavi

June 15, 2009 By Fausta

12 Iranian students killed in demonstrations

Iran: 12 students reported killed in crackdown after violent clashes

At least 12 people may have died in violent clashes with Iran’s security forces following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election, ­according to reports from the country.

The reported fatalities have come amid a brutal crackdown on students, apparently aimed at quelling a wave of campus rebellions that authorities fear could spill over to the wider population.

A Farsi website, Balatarin, carried an unconfirmed report that seven people had been killed in the southern city of Shiraz following confrontations with riot police at the local university. Five busloads of plainclothes officers had been sent to confront the demonstrators during Sunday’s protests, but were said to have been unable to prevent them from being joined by members of the public and marching to one of the city’s main squares. It is unclear whether all those said to have died were students.

The Guardian understands that five students may also have died in clashes at Tehran University early on Sunday. The students – named as Fatemeh Barati, Kasra Sharafi, Mobina Ehterami, Kambiz Shoaee and Mohsen Imani – are believed to have been buried today in Behesht-e-Zahra, a famous cemetery in Tehran, reportedly without their families being informed.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Mir Hossein Mousavi

June 14, 2009 By Fausta

Open revolt in Iran: Photos and video

Change for Iran is twittering. TehranLive (h/t SCSU Scholars) has photos:

iranian_protest_election_results_26

Slide show at Le Monde.

Video of the demonstration protesting the results of the election:

And of the rioting,

The UK’s Telegraph:
Iran elections: revolt as crowds protest at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s ‘rigged’ victory
Iran’s clerical regime is facing open revolt as riot police clash with huge crowds accusing them of fixing the vote that returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.

Oppression:

Police dispersed the crowds, beating up both male and female protesters. But by nightfall there were still sporadic disturbances across the capital, with palls of smoke rising across the skyline from burning tyres. As darkness fell, victorious Ahmadinejad supporters cruised the streets on motorbikes, shouting victory. Onlookers said they had not seen such disturbances since Iran’s student-led uprisings in 1999, and their scale showed the potential for the showdown to spill over into further challenges to the Islamic establishment.

In an attempt to quell the rising political tensions, Iran’s supreme spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged the nation to unite behind the president and accept the result, calling it a “divine assessment”.

At the same time, the nationwide text messaging system stopped functioning, the mobile telephone network seemed blocked, and several pro-Mousavi websites were blocked or difficult to access. Text messaging is frequently used by Iranians – especially young opposition supporters – to spread political news. The interior minister, Sadeq Mahsouli, who supervised the elections and heads the nation’s police forces, warned people not to join any “unauthorised gatherings.”

Daniel Pipes (via Dan) is Assessing the Iranian election. The other day John Bolton was asking, What if Israel strikes Iran? (h/t Pat).

More photos:
iranriot5

iranriot6

iranriot7

iranriot8

iranriot9

iranriot10

More photos at Noticias 24. Don’t miss also Michael Totten‘s post and roundup.

Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez has already called his buddy to congratulate him, saying without a trace of irony, “it is a and important and great victory for the peoples who want a better world.”

UPDATE
One more photo, via Andrew Sullivan (Sullivan post delinked):

iranriotgirls

EU Referendum deplores the BBC’s loathsome charade

UPDATE 2
John Hinderaker:

It’s ironic that this battle is being waged on behalf of Mousavi, who, as Paul and others have pointed out, would not obviously be an improvement on Ahmadinejad. The ostensible point of the Tehran riots is that voter fraud was committed on behalf of Ahmadinejad.

Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion picks up on the Obama/Chavez/Iran angle:

When Barack Obama warmly greeted Hugo Chavez last April, Obama sent a message of despair to Venezuelans who sought freedom from Chavez’s cult of personality. Any hope the Venezuelan opposition had of a near-term reversal of newspaper closings, political imprisonments, street intimidation, and nationalizations, died with that embrace.

Obama must not send the same message to the people of Iran who are facing the tyranny of the ruling power structure, consisting of the ruling religious council and the Revolutionary Guards. The regime will portray the opposition as a puppet of the U.S. regardless of what we say or do, so we might as well say and do the right thing.

Do not embrace Ahmadinejad and those who empower him. Do not sacrifice the chance of a lifetime for the Iranian people for short term political gain. No Chavez-style hugs to help rescue the Iranian regime.

American Power ponders the implications for US policy

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Filed Under: Hugo Chavez, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Mir Hossein Mousavi

June 13, 2009 By Fausta

Stolen right under them?

The BBC states that Iran’s Interior Ministry declared Ahmadinejad the winner with 63% in yesterday’s election.

However, there are a lot of questions. Via Real Clear World, Stratfor reported that

Prior to the announcement of the results, Mousavi held a press conference in which he said he was the winner of the election. The opposition camp is greatly concerned about fraud, and STRATFOR has been told that Mousavi has vowed to resist any fraud, even if it entails taking to the streets. This means there is considerable risk of unrest should Ahmadinejad emerge as the winner. But so far there is no evidence that the government is mobilizing security forces to deal with any such eventuality.

Polls remained open in Iran three hours after the end of official voting.

Michael Totten compares the situation to A heaving volcano.

No decisiveness coming from the White House on the subject of the election. Betsy asks Is Obama really this clueless about Iran?

The only thing clear is that the mullahs aren’t ready to hand Ahmadinejad his walking papers.

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Filed Under: Barack Obama, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Mir Hossein Mousavi

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