The Latest from Iran (23 January): Looking for Clues

2155 GMT: Kalemeh reports that the wife of the late Seyed Ahmad Khomeini, the son of Ayatollah Khomeini, has been attacked by clerical students.

1905 GMT: Economic Rumour or Reality (cont. --- see 1135 GMT)? The "bank crisis" continues to spark Internet chatter, whether accurate or mischievous --- the German-based Akhbar Rooz reports on bank closures after panicked customers tried to withdraw their money because of reports of bankruptcies. And Voice of America Persian is now broadcasting on the topic.

Iran Discussion: How Would Ahmadinejad Fall? (And What Would Come Next?)
Iran: A Response to “The Plot Against Ahmadinejad”
UPDATED Iran: The Plot Against President Ahmadinejad
The Latest from Iran (22 January): Breaking News

1900 GMT: You Couldn't Make It Up (Unless You're Iranian State Media). Earlier this week Kayhan, the "hard-line" Iranian newspaper, reported that a US "HARP" energy-shifting weapon caused the earthquake in Haiti.

We noted the item in amazement and good humour --- as a reader noted, shrewd Iranians think of Kayhan as Iran's version of The Onion, the satirical US "newspaper" --- and thought that would be that. However, Press TV, linking up with Venezuelan partners, keeps the joke going today:

An unconfirmed report by the Russian Northern Fleets says the Haiti earthquake was caused by a flawed US Navy 'earthquake weapons' test before the weapons could be utilized against Iran.

United States Navy test of one of its 'earthquake weapons' which was to be used against Iran, went 'horribly wrong' and caused the catastrophic quake in the Caribbean, the website of Venezuela's ViVe TV recently reported, citing the Russian report.

1845 GMT: Arrest at Beheshti Ceremony. Norooz reports that the son-in-law of Ali Reza Beheshti, the detained Mousavi chief of staff, was taken away by Iranian authorities today. The arrest occurred at the protest/ceremony (see 1500 GMT) at the grave of Ayatollah Beheshti, Ali Reza's father.

1635 GMT: Rafsanjani Chooses A Side or Issues a Warning? The Los Angeles Times, via Iranian Labor News Agency, reports on remarks by Hashemi Rafsanjani today: "At the present juncture, I consider the Supreme Leader to be the most competent individual to resolve the problems the Islamic Republic is currently faced with."

Rafsanjani's remarks follows Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's speech this week calling on "elites" to stop being ambiguous in the current conflict and to choose sides. Beyond his apparent declaration of allegiance --- note the "at the present juncture" --- Rafsanjani maintained a customary general call for unity, "I'm quite sure that moderate individual from both political camps in the country can help the Supreme Leader find solutions to the existing problems."

Then, however, Rafsanjani offered some intriguing remarks on "extremism":

I've always based my action on moderation and refrained from any extremism. Since the victory of the revolution, we have not witnessed proper conditions any time extremists were given room to maneuver....

Extremists have always cleared the way for counterrevolutionaries to damage Islam, the regime and its leadership. As far as I know (emphasis added) the Supreme Leader, he never favors illegal acts and extremisms from any political factions.

Rafsanjani followed this with an invocation which could be read either as a defense of velayat-e-faqih (clerical supremacy) or a veiled put-down that Ayatollah Khamenei has not maintained the high standards required of his position:

The Islamic Republic has managed to reach stability thanks to popular support and the leadership of Imam [Ruhollah] Khomeini who won people's hearts. Today, all forces loyal to the system and the revolution should feel obliged to safeguard this valuable legacy. The world will open to us if we effectively create a free and developed country free of any superstition.

1630 GMT: Fars News has posted an article on today's trial of three detainees arrested during the Ashura protests. The three are among five defendants who are on trial; all today were accused of links to the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MKO).

1623 GMT: Neda's Birthday Ceremony. Setareh Sabety translates the account, provided by an Iranian activist (see 1500 GMT), of today's ceremony on the birthday of Neda Agha Soltan:

Near 2 p.m. we reached plot 257, Neda’s grave was adorned with candles, rose petals and pictures of her childhood. From the first moments...plainclothesmen in cars and on motorcycles started surrounding the plot.

Neda’s mother claimed (Iranian authorities) had not allowed her to hold a 40th day memorial for her daughter so she had to commemorate her birthday instead. The previous day authorities had told Neda’s brother that holding a birthday (celebration) for her was allowed as long as no slogans were chanted.

Slowly the number of people attending the ceremony increased. Present were mourning mothers and their supporters and tens of (other) individuals who had made it to the cemetery. When Neda’s mother saw the people appearing one by one, as she was crying loudly, she addressed her martyred daughter, "Neda darling, wake up and see how many guests are here for you. Last year you were alone. Wake Up!” The distraught mother would sometimes sit by her daughter’s grave and stare at it, remembering her.... It seemed like the people surrounding this mother and her daughter’s tomb were remembering Neda’s last open-eyed look. The look that seemed to scream freedom!

Neda’s birthday cake was placed on her tomb with a ‘27’ on it, while her mother cried, “My darling Neda is twenty-seven, People’s Neda is 27 years old." As the crowd increased around 2:45 p.m., two cars from security forces stood facing plot 257. The security forces stepped out with three plainclothes men --- Neda’s aunt was taking pictures of the tomb when the forces spoke to Neda’s father and asked to see the pictures in Neda’s aunt’s mobile phone.

Ashkan Sohrabi’s mother called and (said) that on Navab St. officers stopped cars and kept them from going to Behesht-e Zahra cemetery. For as long as 15 minutes they had prevented Ashkan’s family from moving. Finally they managed to get to Behesht-e Zahra from another route.

At the end of the commemoration the Mourning Mothers stood in front of Neda’s tomb and quietly sang this poem from Parvin:

You left my heart is heavy
From the night you did not return
Blissful world turned sad
From the night you failed to return

At 3:25 p.m. an unmarked white van stopped in front of plot 257 and a few plainclothes men came out as though to make the crowd disperse.

1610 GMT: Radio Farda reports that, during today's meeting with the family of Ali Reza Beheshti after the ceremony protesting his detention (see 1500 GMT), Mehdi Karroubi declared that the road to resolve the issue of detainee abuse "had been closed".

It is unclear whether Karroubi's statement was in response to the overtures from Ali Larijani (see yesterday's updates) for opposition leaders to join a process of reconciliation.

1505 GMT: Amidst his further allegations of Government abuses and crimes over the Kahrizak Prison scandal (noted as part of the coverage of "The Plot Against Ahmadinejad"), Abdolhossein Rumolamini claimed that a fourth detainee, Ramin Aghazadeh Ghahremani, was killed at the facility last year. The incident was covered up to “avoid hurting the public's conscience”.

1500 GMT: Two Ceremonies. Family, mourning mothers, and supporters gathered at the grave of Neda Agha Soltan this afternoon. Activists report that security forces stopped some people from attending.

A ceremony was also held at the grave of the late Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti to protest the detention of his son Ali Reza, chief advisor to Mir Hossein Mousavi. Those attending were family members of the martyrs of 7-Tir, killed in an attack soon after the 1979 Revolution which took 72 lives, including Ayatollah Beheshti. The family members also Hashemi Rafsanjani, in his role as the head of the Expidency Council and the Assembly of Experts, to protest Ali Reza Behesti's imprisonment.

1300 GMT: We have posted an urgent update in "The Plot Against Ahmadinejad": a new interview with Abdolhossein Ruholamini with claims on the Kahrizak Prison deaths, printed in the newspapers linked to both Mohsen Rezaei and Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf.

1235 GMT: Alef News has continued its pressure on the Government, opening a discussion on the problems of the Presidential election.

1225 GMT: Mohammad Hassan Haeri Shirazi, the son of Ayatollah Haeri Shirazi, has continued his challenge to the Supreme Leader. Having criticised Khamenei for overseeing a deterioration of democracy and the moves to an oppressive regime, Haeri Shirazi has declared that the Supreme Leader must be accountable for the actions of his headquarters and associated institutions (IRIB, Revolutionary Guards and Basiji, Islamic Propaganda Organization, deputies in universities, Kayhan newspaper, and the Guardian Council).

1150 GMT: Health Concerns. In addition to the heart attack of Mousavi advisor Ali Reza Beheshti, Rooz Online notes the transfer to hospital of Hassan Ahmadian, head of the Mousavi campaign's public committee, because of a worsening kidney condition.

1145 GMT: The 31 Manifesto (cont. --- see 0845 GMT). Rooz Online has an English translation of an interview with Dariush Ashouri, one of the expatriate intellectuals who signed this week's declaration: "The Green movement’s strategy of nonviolence is a reflection of a new political philosophy in Iranian society. The foundations of this philosophy are the principles of tolerance and pluralism."

1135 GMT: Economic Rumour or Reality? After chatter this week that Iran's major banks are on the verge of insolvency, Peyke Iran reports that the Bank-e Mellat branch in Tehran's Bazaar was closed by security forces. And Rah-e-Sabz writes that the Government has asked Parliament for 15 billion Toman ($15.2 million) to ease the cash problems of the banks.

1125 GMT: Mediawatch (2). Britain's Channel 4 goes for human interest rather than political recommendation, featuring an interview with Caspian Makan, the fiancé of Neda Agha Soltan. Neda, who died from a Basiji gunshot on 20 June, would have been 27 today.

1010 GMT: Mediawatch. A big symbol of the changing line in the US Government and associated networks towards the Green movement comes in Richard Haass' "Enough Is Enough" for Newsweek, as he explains, "Why we can no longer remain on the sidelines in the struggle for regime change in Iran".

Haass, who was a high-level official in the State Department in the Bush Administration and now heads the Council on Foreign Relations, marks himself out as a "realist" in the artificial divide from "neo-conservative".
However, given the stalemate in the talks on Iran's nuclear programme, Haass now believes, "The United States, European governments, and others should shift their Iran policy toward increasing the prospects for political change. Leaders should speak out for the Iranian people and their rights."

Given Haass' place in the Washington-New York corridor of power and his image as a "moderate", the column is being quickly picked up as a sanction for the US Government's backing of the Iranian opposition. Barbara Slavin of The Washington Times and Laura Rozen of Politico, both channels for and gatekeepers of the acceptable in US foreign policy, are already circulating the article.

0955 GMT: The Moving Image of Protest. More directors, including Britain's Ken Loach, have announced that they will not attend Iran's Fajr Film Festival.

0950 GMT: Launch of the "Greenlist". Sabzlist, a listing service for the Green movement, has been launched. Initial posts include requests for volunteers, offers of assistance, and a call for an MC for a fundraiser.

0940 GMT: Non-Story of the Week. Press TV's website announces, "An Iranian lawmaker says the Parliament (Majlis) has settled on limiting relations with Britain, rather than a full severance of ties as advocated in a bill last week."

The bill, if passed, would still have consequences, reducing the level of diplomatic representation between Iran and Britain from Ambassador to Chargé d'Affaires. However, it is primarily a vehicle for bluster about "foreign intervention", as in lawmaker Hossein Sobhani-Nia's declaration, "Considering the gross interference of the British government in the post-election developments, the Parliament (Majlis) has opted for lowering the level of ties between Tehran and London."

0830 GMT: Claims of the Week. Peyke Iran has two stories which raises eyebrows. The first asserts that the relatives of high-ranking officials are fleeing Iran and seeking asylum abroad.

The website also alleges that children are now being detained when their activist parents are arrested by Iranian authorities.

0825 GMT: The 31 Manifesto. This week's statement by 31 Iranian intellectuals and artists, calling for a new system in which government is separated from religion, continues to attract attention. Deutsche Welle Persian features an interview with signatory Hossein Bagherzadeh, who declares that the Green movement differs from the 1979 Revolution.

0820 GMT: Movin' On Up. President Ahmadinejad's advisor on press affairs, Ali Akbar Javanfekr, is reportedly going to become the head of the Islamic Republic News Agency.

0815 GMT: A new Green website, Neda-ye Sabz-e Azadi, has been launched and has immediately been filtered by Iranian authorities.

0800 GMT: We begin this morning by reviewing yesterday's feature on "The Plot Against President Ahmadinejad". There is an update evaluating how the story stands up 24 hours later, and Chris Emery and an EA Iran specialist consider the complications of removing the President and what comes next.

Comments

[riccardi]

KIM E JONG NUMBER 2 HE EROCKS !

[Green]

I think the budding "bank run" might prove to be a true turning point. Iran is a very economically fragile country right now. If the run starts -- whether through genuine fear about Ahmadi's "management" of depositors funds or whether Greens start pulling their funds to seed a run -- the government will be hard pressed to prevent an acute financial crisis.

[Barry]

It looks like somebody has left the gates of the Tehran Mental Asylum open again. Could somebody please close them and turn out the lights.

Barry

[Hossein]

Dear Barry, fantastic, and thank y ou; we admire that you are capable to stay cool in relation to some disgusting, low, and utterly false statements. Believe me we would, too, like to humor the rapists, the killers, the thieves, and all of them who have pilfered our national wealth, the deceitful agents, and all the rest of this group of petty fascists, but can't help it, we are too involved existentially. Too often—recently almost every day—do we see innocent people beaten by the thugs, too often we learn of how the very being of our friends, our brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, our wives, our husbands, and yes our children, are crushed, as they are taken to dungeons, tortured, raped, and these days blatantly killed (observe Eshrat-Abad, Mehr-dasht, and Evin's more notorious sections), while very few blink an eye even, and too often go about business as usual, and so we get emotional, and we cry—old and young alike—and alas we lose our sense of humor and cannot laugh at stupid remarks, and yes we react. We do long for the day when Iran will come back to the community of nations, and will once again mingle with our fellow humans the way we have been taught to do by our collective poetic wisdom that has driven our attitudes to life, civility, honor, truthfulness, staying calm, and all the rest of the attributes that makes us all humans. I quotes Sa'di once before, but here it is again: "The children of Adam are all of a single being, as they have been created from the same essence, the same life giving substance. Should a single member of this collective being—body and essence—be taken with pain, ridden with angst, then no other member can remain still, free of the pain" and the poem goes on. Now back, so I hope you will all understand when we get angry at some stupid remark, and we get upset when malicious lies are repeated. We are fed up. We are pained. We have suffered too long at the hands of this evil and its agents, we cannot chuckle as indeed we should, nor ignore the lies, and the petty snide remarks. We know too well that such remarks originate from something more sinister, despotic and brutal, and they go beyond civil dialogue or even satire. We cannot take this sinister regime nor its agents who spread the false lies. Please understand us as you so kindly listen the way many have. Thank you.

[AmeriKKKan CENSOR]

[a.k.a. Mentalist/Fantasist/Reality Check/Fantasy Check/Carpe Diem]

This alCIAda sponsored website for loonies is amusing beyond craziness and censors all rationalal comments. NO WONDER AMERIKKKAN POLICE STATE IS THE MOST HATED IN THE WORLD. Even the Chinese lecture the US human rights abusers and censors now. IT IS REALLY PATHETIC.

[Barry]

Hossein

It is easy for me - because I am not subject to the things you talk about. If I were you, I am certain that I would not be so "cool".

Every day I am amazed at things that I discover here.

"2155 GMT: Kalemeh reports that the wife of the late Seyed Ahmad Khomeini, the son of Ayatollah Khomeini, has been attacked by clerical students."

How can this be?? My understanding of Religious Student training (for many different religions - Christian, Buddhist, Jewish,etc) - is such as is stated in Wikipedia under "Seminaries" -- A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of higher education for educating students (seminarians) in philosophy, theology, spirituality and the religious life, primarily at the postgraduate level, to prepare students for ordination as clergy or for other ministry. "

But in Iran, "clerical students" attack the wife of the son of Khomenei. "Clerical students" - is this another joke, a play on words?? What kind of "clerical students" are these?. What twisted religion do they study??

Barry

[Megan]

AmeriKKKan CENSOR is the same Carpe Dime also posting as Mentalist, Reality Check, Fantasy Check and many other names.

[Megan]

Mentalist, aka Carpe Dime aka Reality Check aka Fantasy Check, aka numerous other names with which he tries to inject his nonsense on this blog, on January 22, 2010 at 2:44 said ” I will return to check on your mental state in a few months. Long live the Islamic Republic of Iran. http://enduringamerica.com/2010/01/20/iran-analysis-supreme-leader-warns-rafsanjani-the-sequels/#comments

It appears that his promises are empty like his words. I hope he keeps his promises and stay the hell out. I also found the following breaking news which I would like to share with you.

Breaking News:

A mentally disturbed individual has escaped the metal institution in which he was hospitalized and was being treated from schizophrenia and identity disorder. He changes his name frequently and blabbers incoherently. This man is a danger to himself and people around him. Please do not approach him or engage him in a conversation, call authorities immediately so he can be returned to the hospital for treatment.

Coincidentally this individual who today calls himself Mentalist has escaped the same Timarestan (mental institution) in which Mahmoud Ahamdinejad was being treated. Mahmoud suffered from grandiosity disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. He spoke incoherently and due to his very limited vocabulary he referred to people as peaches, weeds, dust, etc. He believed he was divine with halo around his head and had been sent to earth to hasten the return of a fictional hidden Imam. He, like the patient Mentalist, believed he was an academician. Later when Mhamuod mental illness advanced he believed he was president of the great nation of Iran and ordered rape, torture and killing of people who said he was a fraud. Later we found out that villagers in the village of Aradan (located in Semnan province) were looking for one of their idiot s whom they knew as Mahmoud Sabourjian. That confirmed Mahmoud was also suffering from identity disorder.

We are not sure which village is missing one of its idiots who currently calls himself Mentalist. We have alerted all villages and will issue an update once we learn. Interpol is also on alert and is tracking Mentalist IP address.

Barry,

Please search Youtube for videos of Mentalist. You did a good job locating video of other mental patient, Mahmoud Looninejad.

[Hossein]

Thank you dear Megan, that is right on. Indeed the fight for democracy and freedom is a correct fight and it is one that has many manifestations, this one in Iran and now. The process is one also of consciousness raising and I am glad and I take heart at the real friendships in cyber space. We share the same thing as a Persian poet said: "We all share in this together; when a hundred shapes fall on the face, if coming from the heart, will compel you and I to follow." We see the truth and we fight lies and say no to evil.

[Arshama]

Barry,

Do you know what KAYHAN means? "Killing Agent Yelling Hostile Atrocious News".
Its editor Hossein Shariatmadari is a former torturer, who has blood on his pen by publishing menaces from within the regime against targeted persons, declared as outlaws. Harsh attacks against undesired dissidents or rivals are usually read as a public call to kill them, thus creating a constant atmosphere of fear, with which this regime has ruled the country in these past 30 years: http://wapedia.mobi/en/Hossein_Shariatmadari
It should not be compared to "The Onion", but rather to a state-run terror bulletin, publishing killing permits whenever necessary.

Arshama

[Megan]

Hello Hossein,

I had not seen your posts for a few days and I was worried if you were okay. Nice to see you safe and back on EA.

What is your view on this so-called plot to remove AN? Is there a buzz about this in Iran? There are also chatters about Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami having made a deal with Ali Geda Khannei, the Supreme Loony. Is there any truth to that?

From where I sit Mohammad Khatami's last speech showed his true criminal nature behind all of his phony smiles. I think he is petrified that Mousavi and Karroubi now are the leaders of the reformist group. I guess he has hard time to accept. He came out and called people of Green Movement who are demanding their rights all kind of rude names. I cannot wait to see all of these losers in handcuff in court facing justice.

I hope you and others in Iran stay focused and do not get distracted with this charade of make believe democracy. Make 22 Bahaman a day that regime dogs run to the airport to get the hell out of Iran.

[Hossein]

Dear Megan so very kind of you, it means a lot. The times are tough. The people are ahead of Khatami, and they have seen through his outer face of smiling and have seen the inside, not much different from others. You are correct he has a big ego and he is annoyed that he is no longer the "head" but the people have shown they are the leaders. This national upheaval will engulf everything. Our people have finally risen. Of course the thugs and the killers and the rapists are powerful but their position is of weakness. Believe me more and more people from all groups are rejecting any form of a religious government which Khatami seems to be backing. We are fed up with having our national wealth stolen. Karrubi is very popular because of his bravery but even if he were to opt for only a religious state he will be rejected in the long run, though the state is complex and changing by the day. It is crucial for the democratic states in the West to stop dealing with the regime. It is on the verge of collapse and should not be held up by support in any way. The economy is in utter ruin, and everyday people complain, but since this June people are more and more sophisticated and want to learn no longer the Iranian negative sense of velesh kon be-ma cheh, it is amazing and lovely to see. It seems like a major national awakening. A new born Iran and of course as with every new birth there is pain and danger and the absolute necessity of proper feeding and care and group solidarity. Amazingly the old cynicism is gone. I live for the day I will embrace freedom and will see our principles once again direct us and move us. This disease of lies must end. Zahhak will be overthrown by the people who demand their rights and who once again have seen who the really are.

[Hossein]

PS No one believes in a pact or an agreement among them all. T he pact must be with the people, with the brave examples who are being tortured to death in prisons. The country has woken up and is rising.

[Catherine]

@ Barry
RE your post 16
That's not all - they can now send out El Nino whenever and wherever they want!: "Other than being blamed for earthquakes, HAARP has also been associated with weather anomalies that cause floods, droughts and hurricanes."

I think you would make a star reporter over at Press TV and predict you would quickly rise to editor-in-chief, enabling you to buy the National Enquirer and expand your operations deep into the American heartland.

(for those who don't know The National Enquirer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Enquirer)

[Catherine]

@ Greeny post 4, Death row inmates have Shenasnameh cancelled while still alive

Just when you think the cruelty and horror have reached some kind of threshold for awhile, the regime takes another step in the direction of utter inhumanity. I've just spent a good 30 minutes writing e-mails containing the information in your post and my urgent request to publicise the matter to as many human rights organisations as I could find. Does your summary pretty much cover the contents of the article:
http://www.peykeiran.com/Content.aspx?ID=12556 ?

[Greeny]

Catherine,

Re. Death row inmates have Shenasnameh cancelled while still alive
Yes, I have not added anything myself. It is translation of parts of the news (I left out the names of inmates for example). The article also says:
One of them is called Miri [it is a family name, no first name given] he is held in hall 11, which is for juveniles, of cell block 4 at Gohardasht prison. He was under 18 when he committed the crime for which he is sentenced to death [no mention of the crime]. When he was told of his death sentence and taken to have his ID card cancelled he collapsed and is in a bad mental shape.
The other prisoner is Aidin Shariatmadari, 28 years old. He is in custody for nearly 1 year. He too is held in cellblock 4 of Gohardasht prison.
The article also says that this is done to torture the prisoner.

From here on is from me not the link:

Cancelling shenasnameh of a living person is unprecedented. Usually when a person dies a certificate a death is issued. That certificate must then be taken to an office of public records where the date of death will be entered into it and a large seal is stamped on it which says dead. This is called the cancellation of shenasnameh (ibtal-e shenasnameh, in Persian). Doing this to the ID card of a living person is clearly illegal. It cannot be done without a certificate of death. And a certificate of death cannot of course legally be issued for a living person. And I am wondering what date has been entered in the ID cards as date of death.
In Iran people are identified by their ID card numbers and father’s name, so in court papers it usually says ABC, child of XYZ, shensnameh number 123, issued YEAR. So I am guessing these people’s ID cards are cancelled, to say to them that that there is no hope of saving you, because any petition on your behalf will be referring to a shansnameh of a dead person (head of judiciary can order the stop of executions and SL can commuted sentences at any time).

I know that when the political prisoners were massacred in the late 1980s their bodies were buried in secret mass graves (Khavaran for example) but some of their certificates of burial stated they were buried in the main Tehran cemetery Behesht-e Zahra, but without giving the exact location of the grave (plot and grave numbers). This never happens to normal people: the plot and grave number are always entered in the burial form. In the 1980s this was done so the regime could deny that it killed these people and dumped their bodies in mass unmarked graves. They wanted a paper trail that would show these people were buried in actual cemeteries. BTW this was done clumsily, as the missing plot and grave numbers would prove that these are falsified records (they could always put it down to clerical error I guess). Also the death certificate of the executed at the time would have phony reasons on it.

As you know the regime buried some of the people it killed after the June elections on the streets or in prisons in unmarked graves in Behesht-e Zahra. When questions officials said these were people who had been killed in road accidents and their identify could not be discovered. The reformists say they have proof that this is a lie. Also the bodies of some of the others who were killed were returned to their families after weeks or months and they were forced to say that their loved ones were killed in road accidents.
The reason I am saying all this is because the regime has a long history of hiding the identities of the people it kills for political reasons. But now it seems similar illegal techniques are being used in the case of ordinary people sentenced to death for ordinary crimes. This is a very worrying sign. To me it shows a lack of central control of things, and this could lead to more brutality (perhaps in this case the local official would have known about the illegal techniques used in the political cases and is trying to do his own illegal thing in this case).

Sorry for the long post, though I have to explain why I think this is important.

[Ahmadinejad heeft ‘goed]

[...] The Latest from Iran (23 January): Looking for Clues | Enduring … [...]

[Catherine]

@ Greeny
I really appreciate the extra info from the article and also your own additional context.

At least the issue of the mass grave of post-election detainees in Behesht-e Zahra is still being kept alive:

"Abdolhosein Ruholamini welcomed the report of the parliamentary committee but maintained that it could have been more detailed.

Mohammad Khatami, former Iranian President, and Dariush Ghanbari, a Member of Parliament, also maintained that certain issues were not included in the report.

In a note on Jaras website, Mr. Ghanbari writes that there is no mention of the mass grave of post-election detainees in Tehran cemetery, Behesht-e Zahra."
http://www.zamaaneh.com/enzam/2010/01/abdolhosein-ruholamini-re.html

I agree with you that there may now be a trend amongst law enforcement and judiciary officials to start applying the same brutality used against political prisoners to those sentenced for ordinary crimes as a way of looking tough or because they may think they have to 'keep up'. I also expect a rise in the number of stoning sentences despite the moratorium and the moves last June to remove stoning from the penal codes (which haven't gone anywhere yet).

[Catherine]

@ Pessimist
I found this video on YouTube where the more info section reads:
"Saad Ghesemi one of the Basiji leaders confirms:
He will kill brother and son for Islamic regime.
He is afraid about the demonstration attacking the TV and Radio
He confirm that people of Tehran are not behind the Khamanei and the demonstrator were 2 million and they must bring some Not Poisoned people from the other part of Iran to Tehran to resist the uprising"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNqhxY_EHqc&feature=youtu.be

I would love to know more, too. Who is this man?

[Arshama]

Greeny, Catherine and Rev Magdalen

Thank you for spreading the word about all these atrocities.
We must continue to speak out, information is the best weapon against oblivion.

Catherine, I get really sick, when looking at this bassiji video, but perhaps others can bear to listen to it.

Paula Tolly has dedicated a song to Neda, whose 27th birthday was yesterday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8y_-_l50UY

Rouhat shad, banuye sabze Iran!

[florence achard]

Dear Hossein,

I'm very happy too to see you back on EA :-)

" No one believes in a pact or an agreement among them all. T he pact must be with the people, with the brave examples who are being tortured to death in prisons. The country has woken up and is rising."

I'm so glad and relieved to hear from an insider that the people won't buy any of these so-called "solutions" or "unity plans"; htis is all a deceit to get people to believe once more that this regime is democratic and that there can be significant change "within the frame of the IRI", as they all say when actually it's just a murderer replacing another murderer. It's a comedy to have foreigners believe in an opposition within the establishment.
The only genuine opposition is the people and if you need Mousavi and Karrubi to get where you want to get, make use of them but never, never trust them. Even though Karrubi may be brave, he can't see beyond an Islamic regime; all these men will betray you if they have a chance. Your Persian poets are better leaders.

[Catherine]

Hi Arshama,
What more does this man in the video I linked to say? Who is he in the Bassij? Pessimist wanted to know also as the video has been making the rounds since Thursday or Friday and non-Persian speakers are in the dark. Even though it sickened you - can you give us a summary or some context bedides what was in the more inofrmation box?

[Hossein]

Thanks to Florence and others.
I am sure many of you have heard of Javad Larijani, one of the brothers Larijani who are notorious and everyday people curse them and state how fed-up everyone is of their lies and deceit. Well, he has made a horrible racist remark in a speech by using the Persian highly derogatory term "kaka siyah" (even worse than the awful English term "nigger") when referring to President Obama and also in a most clear racist way has put him down by using phrases to degrade and dismiss him in racist terms. This has disturbed many Iranians of all strata, who do not wish to be associated with racism. As you know, we take special pride in our history of tolerance and of human rights and of respect, all of which are part of what we name "ayin-e Irani," that is founded on the principles of truth in acts, words, and thoughts, and negation of lies and injustice. My Jewish brothers and sisters in peace we are all for a Middle East devoid of the "death to!" ideology of the mercenary thugs and killers, we are proud of what Cyrus accomplished 2.5 millenia ago, we are very sensitive when a person who claims to be Iranian and who has his hands on millions of pilfered dollar from our national wealth, come out and makes racist remarks. He is just another thug like those the IRI supports and trains in the ME who are the main cause of tension and violence and killings. Long live mehr. All we want is freedom and justice.
I think the West should realize who the Larijanis are and where they stand when "dealing" with them in international events. They are no better than the thugs they send out to rape our people. Everyone I know is disgusted by Larijani's remarks. We are not racist, it is this rapist and killer government that is.
This despicable act should be another strong indication of the nature of the regime. Let us, hand-in-hand, get rid of them, the world will be a better place.

[Greeny]

Hossein,

Re. Javad Larijani refers to Obama as “kaka siyah” (meaning Kaffa or nigger)

Thanks for bringing this up.

http://www.peykeiran.com/Content.aspx?ID=12593

Javad Larijani said: when Obama came to power he was talking about negotiating with Iran, what has happened that now this “kaka siyah” [nigger] is talking about regime change.
He then said: I am not racist but we have to somehow answer this man.

[AmeriKKKan CENSOR]

[Yet another alias for Carpe Diem....]

You fringe LUNATICS still spouting anti-Iran nonsense while the AmeriKKKan POLICE STATE thugs are beating up BLACK students. Enduring AmeriKKKan repsression is indeed not very endearing. The world can not endure AmeriKKKa anymore.

Student: ‘Beating So Bad Thought I Was Going To Die’

PITTSBURGH -- white Pittsburgh police implicated in racist unprovoked savage beating of an 18-year-old Black student violinist from the city's Creative and Performing Arts High School.