Iran Interview: What Happened on Election Day in 2009? (Mehrabi)

At the commission, the news went around by word of mouth. One news was that Mir Hossein Mousavi was planning to come to the commission. But no real news came into the headquarters.

Even prior to the voting, the Ministry [of Interior] appeared to be poised to win the election. We sensed that they seemed confident that they (the Ahmadinejad campaign) would win in any way. When we told the other reformist kids, who called us from the outside, of the atmosphere inside the building, they brushed us off as being influenced by the events inside.

We had no idea that they planned to rig the elections at this scale. When we spoke with reporters from the other side (i.e., supporting the administration), they told us that Ahmadinejad would win with 24 million votes.

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Iran Video Special: Mothers of Victims Sohrab Arabi & Neda Agha Soltan Respond to Ahmadinejad's New York Statements

In his media interviews last week in the US, President Ahmadinejad declared that there were only 33 people who died in violence after the disputed 2009 Presidential election and that most of these were Basij militiamen.

Parvin Fahimi is the mother of Sohrab Arabi, killed on 15 June 2009 by security forces. (She was not told for weeks about the event or where she could find the body of her son.) Interviewed by Masih Alinejad, Fahimi responds to Ahmadinejad's assertion, "My son was not a Basij member or a rebel. My son was patriotic. He was going for his vote and rights. He was a real Iranian." She continues, "Mr Ahmadinejad is lying since he became President of Iran. He is lying all the time."

Hajar Rostami Motlagh is the mother of Neda Agha Soltan, killed by a member of the security forces on 20 June 2009. In New York, Ahmadinejad said, "We have evidence that proves that she was killed after the fact and BBC fabricated the news by editing the footage.”

Motlagh responded to Rooz Online: "I find this gentleman’s remarks comical."

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Iran Snapshot: So How Does the Supreme Leader Spend His Day? (Farahabadi)

In the interview, the Supreme Leader's bodyguard says, ”After the morning prayer, he goes hiking three times a week and walks uphill for about 45 to 60 minutes, spending about 30 to 45 minutes on the way back."

On some days when the hiking takes place at a more distant location, the Ayatollah carries out his prayers on his way to the hike location. Shahpasandi also mentioned the issues that the guards faced when the leader was on his hike: “We cannot use the same mountain for the hikes, as the enemy can find this out to hurt us. He uses any heights or hill in/around Tehran, from the Bibishahr in Rey to the northern hills of Tehran, such as Velenjak or Darband. There is no exclusive hill to which we go. There are two, three exclusive places we go to,”.

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Iran Analysis: Is a Political Compromise with Reformists Possible? (Afshari)

President Ahmadinejad & former President KhatamiAccording to this scheme devised by the ruling regime, reformed reformers would be allowed to play a peripheral political role in the body politic. Through negotiations, media operations and repeated dispatch of messages, a fake and yet optimistic picture would be presented to reformers so that they would move to a position where the regime wants it to be: away from openly challenging the regime while remaining harmless.

In fact, the Iranian regime has a successful track record of pulling reformers and the left into the political electioneering field and then checkmating them.  This is what has repeatedly taken place from the election days for the second Assembly of Experts till today. The regime has lost this game only in two instances: elections that resulted in Khatami’s presidency (1997-2005) and those for the sixth Majlis (2000-2004).

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Iran Cartoon of the Day: The Victory of the Hunger Strikers (Kowsar)

Nikahang Kowsar, drawing for Rooz Online, depicts the 12 political prisoners in Evin Prison who began their hunger strike last Saturday:

See also Iran Feature: "One Voice" Campaign for 12 Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike

Iran Cartoon of the Day: A Mousehole for Presidents, Past and President

Nikahang Kowsar, drawing for Rooz Online, envisages former President Abolhassan Bani Sadr --- chased from Iran in 1981 --- speaking to current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "Look, they won't allow you to go anywhere. Stick to this mouse hole!"

The Real Race for Iran: Death v. The Supreme Leader

Nikahang Kowsar, drawing for Rooz Online, notices Death's comment to the Supreme Leader: "Racing against me?"

Iran Flashback: The Execution of Shirin Alamhouli --- "Even the Dead Haunt the Regime" (Ghazi)

Shirin did not want to go. She expected to be at least told where she was being taken to. Why were they not allowing her to even put on her prison scarf? Why were they taking her without the usual required trench coat and scarf?

The next day, her ward mates spoke about the last words they heard her say: “I am in your hands so why are you not letting me at least say goodbye to my family? Let me say my final farewell to my friends. Why all this when there is no way for me to escape. For God’s sake let me hear my mother’s voice for the last time....”

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Iran Feature: Parliament Forces Civil Society Underground (Ghazi)

UPDATE 1530 GMT: The Parliament has referred the legislation on civil institutions back to committee after the Speaker, Ali Larijani, criticised "ambiguities" in the language of the bill.
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The Majlis, Iran’s Parliament, is in the process of approving a bill that, according to civil activists, aims at eliminating independent civil institutions and replacing them with a government organization. According to the provisions of this bill not only are individuals who plan to establish non-governmental or civil organizations required to be fully cleared and approved by the Ministry of Intelligence and supervisory committees, but even organizations that already have operational licenses and have been active need to reapply for new permits. If the latter are not approved, the supreme supervisory committee will annul their current permits and ban their activities.

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Iran Feature: Fire-Jumping with a Flavour of Protest (Ghazi)

Amid tight security, Iranians celebrated the most political fire-jumping festivities known as Chahar-Shanbe Souri, this Tuesday. This traditional Persian festival has been banned by officials of the Islamic republic and has been called “superstitious beliefs lacking religious basis and promoting corruption” even though these remain traditional rituals and national festivities for Iranians because they have been held since 1,700 years before the birth of Christ.

According to Rooz reporters, people in various Iranian cities and towns created small fires and jumped over them on Tuesday evening celebrating the Shahar-Shanbe Souri ritual under the watchful eyes of the security forces. But soon the festivities picked up a political tone as people began to shout “Death to the Dictator” and “Shame on You Dictator, Leave the Country.”

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