The Latest from Iran (20 December): Montazeri Death; Regime Scrambles for Legitimacy

2200 GMT: Stopping the Mourners. Rouydad News carries a story we've been hearing on the Internet all evening: Iranian security forces have stopped a bus carrying families of political prisoners and members of Women's Human Rights Committee to the funeral of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri in Qom, arresting several people.

2049 GMT: The Revolutionary Danger of Dating. More than 60 operators and managers of Iranian Internet sites for dating have been arrested for anti-cultural and immoral activities in their promotion of "a gallivanting lifestyle".

2045 GMT: The Kahrizak Abuses. The blog Persian2English has produced an English translation of the official report of the Armed Forces judiciary panel concluding that three detainees died from abuse at Kahrizak Prison.

1845 GMT: Another Demonstration. A brief video clip has come in of a protest today at Arak University.

1600 GMT: Ongoing Coverage of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri's Death. We have updated with extensive information and analysis on condolences, political developments, and plans --- including tomorrow's funeral --- surround Montazeri's passing.

1345 GMT: EA's Mr Smith comments:

Grand Ayatollahs Safi Golpayegani, Mousavi Ardabili, and Sanei and Ayatollahs Gerami, Shabbiri Zanjani, Mousavi Tabrizi, and Taheri Khorramabadi have visited Montazeri's bayt (house) to offer their respects. This is extremely important as, in Shia clerical custom, going to someone's house means deferring to that person's authority and or power. It is therefore a significant slap in the face of Government efforts to belittle Montazeri.

1145 GMT: The Political Challenge of Montazeri. We're getting a lot of news on the regime's attempts to deal with the challenge posed by Grand Ayatollah Montazeri's death, first by ignoring it, now by belittling it and criticising the cleric --- all will be posted soon in an update in our separate entry.

Meanwhile Mr Smith checks in to give the political dimension of the events: "Montazeri simply could not have died at a more topical moment: the seventh day of his passing will be none other than Ashura itself, which this year is shaping up to be the very worst in the lives of Khameni, Ahmadinejad and their cohorts. The pressure on them on those days simply cannot be measured."

1135 GMT: Videos, Protests in Memory of Montazeri. We've posted the first videos of demonstrations in memory of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, and we also have put up the video of his October criticism that the Supreme Leader was not worthy to be a marja (senior cleric worthy of emulation).

1110 GMT: The Latest on Montazeri's Death. We have latest developments in a separate entry. One notable political move: the pro-Government newspaper Raja News is using Grand Ayatollah Montazeri's passing to attack Hashemi Rafsanjani, claiming the Grand Ayatollah was working with the "gang" of Rafsanjani's son Mehdi Hashemi.

NEW Iran Document: Karroubi Responds to Threat of Arrest
NEW Latest Iran Video: Montazeri’s Criticism of Supreme Leader Khamenei (October 2009)
NEW Latest Iran Video: Demonstrations in Memory of Montazeri (20 December)
NEW Iran Urgent: Ayatollah Montazeri Has Died
Iran Analysis: RegimeFail?
Iran Special: Austin Heap on “The Attack on Twitter”
Latest Iran Video: Mehdi Karroubi Interview with BBC (17 December)
The Latest from Iran (19 December): After the Mythical “Millions”

1100 GMT: Karroubi Responds to Threat of Arrest. We've posted Mehdi Karroubi's letter responding sharply to the threat of Iran's head of judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, that he has enough evidence to arrest the cleric and other opposition leaders.

0825 GMT: Sane'i Message for Ashura. Ayatollah Yusuf Sane'i has spoken to students about the protests during the holy month of Moharram and specifically on the day of Ashura (27 December), reiterating the need for non-violent demonstration: “If you respond to violence with violence then your reform movement will not have any result....Persist on getting your rights and be present anywhere and in any place that is talk of defending the oppressed.” He added that Imam Hossein will protect those who are mourning for him.

Grand Ayatollah Saanei repeatedly upheld both the image of Imam Hossein, whose death is marked by Ashura, and the ideals of Ayatollah Khomeini: “We wanted of the revolution a government come to power that protects the nation’s rights and that was what Imam and people sacrificed for....Powers will never survive by oppression and tyranny.”

0800 GMT: We are providing rolling coverage of this morning's breaking news of the death of Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, 87, one of the most prominent clerical figures in post-1979 Iran and a vocal opponent of the Ahmadinejad Government and Supreme Leader. Most of the reaction is marking his death with sadness and tributes, but there is already some discussion of whether this news will hinder the opposition, as it loses one of its most powerful (if politically ostracised) voices, or boosts it, as Montazeri becomes a symbol for the cause of fighting injustice and oppression in the name of Islam.

The news overtakes a number of moves on both the Government and opposition sides. The regime moved yesterday to limit some of the post-election political damage from abuse of detainees, confirming that three had died from beatings in Kahrizak Prison and that 12 officials have been indicted for alleged abuses.

Perhaps more importantly, Iranian ministries are scrambling to repair the damage from Friday's mini-march that failed to establish Government legitimacy. The Ministry of Islamic Culture issued warnings to five newspapers (Abrar, Andishye-Noe, Jahan-Eghtesad, Etemad, and Mardom-Saalaari) for “not giving enough coverage” of the rallies, ostensibly organised to protest the burning of Ayatollah Khomeini's picture on 16 Azar (7 December).

Comments

[Ali Khamenei]

Megan:"Ali Khamenei,
     I think you may have missed your calling. I think you should quit your day job and become a satire writer. You have the talent and a bit of comic relief on Iran regime, would be welcomed by all people. Check with Saturday Night Live, my friend."
Megan,
Thank you, but my day job is Dictator and Oppressor. Death to "Saturday Night Live". Writing's hard on a fatwah diet...feel feint
Your Supreme Leader

[mark]

@Samuel

Revolution ? CIA coup d'etat more like it. Khomeini had his hands out like the beggar he was asking for money. And he got $8M from the CIA while he was in Paris. No one gives a damn about that piece of filth name Khomeini then and no one gives a damn now.

[Samuel]

"No one gives a damn about that piece of filth name Khomeini then and no one gives a damn now."

Fine then the three Green Idiots should stop declaring their adoration for Imam Khomeini over and over. And I invite the protestors to keep destroying his picture and then admit it and not cry like little children when the video is shown on TV.

[Barry]

Samuel

The Regime lies a little - the Greens lie a little! We all lie a little. Sounds like standard practice in Iran to me - isn't there a particular name for it in Shism?? Something about being OK to lie - as long as it is used to hide your true position.

Barry

[Cecil]

"Come on Greenies destroy another picture but don’t behave like cowards and deny it afterward."

@ Samuel

I cant really understand your twisted logic. Do you really think the greens are cowards? Despite all the threats your beloved regime had to offer, despite the brutal crackdowns, despite all the arrests without warrants, despite all those bullshits, the greenies as you call them, still coming out to protest the abuses of your beloved Khamenie, beloved Ama"dinner"jad and your beloved basijis. And you have the guts to call them cowards? Come on, Samuel. Be a man of reason. You are very good on twisting facts. This regime that you adored most will go down the drain. You dont want to go with them, dont you?

[Megan]

Dear Ali Khamenei,

I do not like your identical twin brother, the Supreme Loony Ali Khaannei. But I like you a lot. You are witty, talented, well read, and have intoxicating sense of hummer. You make us laugh. Your twin brother makes us sad and mad. Please tell that devil twin brother of yours to take a trip to hell and take his dwarf pet, Antarinajad with him. Their trip to hell will spare the planet earth from carbon monoxide poisoning and methane gas pollution.

May your God bless you, my friend.

[Bill]

Samuel,

The charges against Montazeri are the official ones. The regime has never acknowledged the thousands of political murders so it would be bad politics to convict someone based on something that supposedly never took place. Eveyone knows why he was banished--for simply standing up for basic human rights the government ignored. This is the same practice they use for many political opponents--they hit them with homosexuality or drug charges then send them off to be hanged. I get a kick out of the homosexuality charges becaue didn't Ahmandienjad say they had no Gays in Iran at Columbia university last year??

What do you have to say about the thugs who prevented the ceremony from taking place? I would think even you would not agree with that. Thankfully they weren't to stupid because a million people showed up to pay his their respects. No telling what would happen. The paranoia must be at all new highs considering the 7th day of mourning occurs on Ashura!!! Will be interesting to see how the regime trys to crack down on this considering the following Montazeri. Personally I see this as a lose for them either way. The crush it then they lose all support or the let it go on and the rest of the people realize just how many support the Green movement! SL should be packing his bags for Venezula right now!!

Thx
Bill