Friday
Jan082010
The Latest from Iran (8 January): Karroubi Under Attack
Friday, January 8, 2010 at 22:43 
2300 GMT: A slowish evening so we'll wish everyone good night and offer an early morning update on Saturday before I fly out of Beirut.1725 GMT: Modifying Motahari. Amidst a rush of news, I was excessive in reporting that principlist Ali Motahari had declared in an interview (see 1140 GMT) that an Iranian can be against the concept of Supreme Leadership but remain within the framework of the Islamic Republic.
An EA reader offers this clarification, "Motahari, remarking that one of the roots of the post-election events is the lack of tolerance for opposition to the government and to fundamentalists, said, 'When the leaders of the protesters accept the system [of the Islamic Republic], we cannot call them the pawns of America and Israel. They also accept the Supreme Leadership. Now, while they may not accept a particular opinion of the Supreme Leader, that doesn\'t take them outside of the system.'"
1720 GMT: Apologies for the long break, which was due to conference duties here in Beirut.
1140 GMT: Another Principlist Move For Compromise? High-profile MP Ali Motahari has reportedly been speaking in the last 24 hours of the need for acceptance of criticism: "We have to accept that one can be against Supreme Leadership but within framework of regime."
Calling for honesty, justice, and integrity, Motahari asks why President Ahmadinejad cannot admit mistakes and ask for forgiveness. He blames post-election events on stubbornness of both sides, saying that all have their share of blame.
1130 GMT: Rah-e-Sabz claims that, in recent days, eye witnesses to the running-over of protestors by police cars during the Ashura demonstrations have been identified and arrested.
1045 GMT: The Karroubi Story. Saham News is updating....
As we reported last night, the reported group of 200 around the home of Hojetoleslam Ghavami, where Karroubi was staying for a mourning ceremony, attacked the residence with stones and bricks. City officials and even the provincial governor tried to stop the assault but were unsuccessful. After four hours and the advice of "special forces" (possibly his State-appointed security detail) and anti-riot police, Karoubi decided to leave Qazvin for Tehran.
As the car was leaving the complex, shots were fired at it, breaking the supposedly bullet-proof windows. Karroubi said that there was not much his protection team could do; firing back in defence would have led to their prosecution. He added that only God knows why the guns that are supposed to be used only to defend the nation and the country are used against the people.
1035 GMT: Gunfire at Karroubi. Associated Press, France 24, and the leading activist site A Street Journalist, all apparently drawing information from the website connected to Mehdi Karroubi, report that the cleric's motorcade was fired upon as it left Qazvin, northwest of Tehran, today.
Yesterday the home where Karroubi was staying was attacked by a group, reportedly 200 people in plainclothes.
0855 GMT: Where's Mahmoud? Still travelling --- after his visits to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, President Ahmadinejad was in Bahrain yesterday, declaring, "Vigilance, unity and cooperation of the Muslim nations will foil the enemies' conspiracies and those who sow the seeds of discord among Muslims and Islamic states are either ignorant or traitors."
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NEW Iran: “What is This Opposition?” Right Answers to Wrong Questions (Shahryar)
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Iran & Twitter 101: Getting The Facts Right — A Response to Will Heaven
Iran & Twitter 101: Rereading A Tale of Two Twitterers
Latest from Iran (7 January): Radio Silence?
0840 GMT: Releases. The son of Ayatollah Jalaleddin Taheri and the brother and nephew of former minister Abdollah Nouri, both detained during the protests around the death of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri and Ashura, have been released.
0830 GMT: Illegitimate Prayers. Ayatollah Ali Mohammad Dastgheib has declared that any religious services in the Qoba Mosque of Shiraz are invalid. Dastgheib was effectively silenced by the regime at the end of his December when pro-Government groups took over the mosque and closed the cleric's offices.
0825 GMT: We've posted a second analysis, complement that of Josh Shahryar, responding to the recent challenge to name the "leader" and declare the objectives of the Iranian opposition movements.
0620 GMT: Trashing Neda. Iranian state media is making another push to turn the killing of Neda Agha Soltan into an act in a foreign plot for regime change.
A new documentary for Iranian television, summarised in a Press TV video, made Neda both a participant and then the sacrifice of the evil scheme: she allegedly threw imitation blood onto her face as part of a faked shoot to discredit the security forces, but she was later slain by the two men who claim to have saved her live: her music teacher and Dr Arash Hejazi.
Hejazi has responded in an interview that this is a "shameless and worthless" attempt to shift blame from security forces by a regime which "has been doing everything it can to distance itself from Neda's death and throw responsibility on others".
0515 GMT: We begin this morning with a special analysis by Josh Shahryar, taking care of the wrong questions about "the opposition". As that opposition considers next moves, bits and pieces are now emerging from the relative political quiet.
The Government continues to link the political, legal, and military efforts to crush the Green movement. Days after the head of Iran's judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, declared that all judges must be political, he reached out to the armed forces for his deputy, Brigadier General Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr.
An EA reader informs us that Dr. Yadollah Eslami, an ophtalmologist and editor-in-chief of the League of All-Term Majlis Deputies, was arrested last Monday by the Revolutionary Guard. His detention is a reminder of the answers that can be given to the "wrong questions" of those who desire to dismiss or distort the opposition; in October Eslami wrote:
The green movement is dynamic and growing. By not reacting immediately and prematurely to events and statements, the movement fosters deliberation and wisdom. Its decision-making on any given issue or occasion is an organized process, which seeks to share information and raise awareness. It has a specific goal in mind with every step it takes. It has spawned its own literature, poetry, and music. It has avoided blind violence and proved itself patient and deliberate. This movement’s dynamism and bold approach gave hope to all sectors of Iranian society. It has established a meaningful relationship with religious and ethnic minorities. It recognizes and respects all regional groups and their values. It creates and disseminates its slogans appropriately and in proportional response to prevalent needs.
Reader Comments (14)
[...] 8. Januar 2010 von Julia Veröffentlicht auf EnduringAmerica am 8. Januar 2010 Quelle (Englisch): http://enduringamerica.com/2010/01/08/the-latest-from-iran-8-january-bits-and-pieces/ [...]
please correct the link of astreetjournalist:
http://www.astreetjournalist.com/
probably just a rumour, but worth looking at.
http://mikverbrugge.tumblr.com/post/323187146/source-nsp-report-urges-sl-to-fire-and-replace
[...] www.enduringamerica.com (english) [...]
Shamim- sorry about that, I've fixed the link. Thanks for letting us know.
[...] Schüsse auf Karroubis Wagen in Qazvin http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Opposition_Website_Says_Karubis_Car_Shot_At/1924074.html http://www.peykeiran.com/Content.aspx?ID=11874 http://enduringamerica.com/2010/01/08/the-latest-from-iran-8-january-bits-and-pieces/ [...]
[...] more here: The Latest from Iran (8 January): Karroubi Under Attack | Enduring … Share and [...]
Clip of the telephone interview with Karroubi's son Hossein by VOA:
http://azadipress.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=27&task=videodirectlink&id=1541
I like to point out that today is 17th of Dey and all currency that was defaced was to be made void today. Today I personally made a point of passing 4 50K tomman Iran Cheques with no problem. Then I went to a bank saderat and passed another pile of bills and cheques with major insults on them with no issue.
On a more serious note, the Ali Motahari breakout is very interesting. Although he is very close to Rafsanjani and a vile man too, it really shows the spasms that the regime is having. I hope we continue to see more of these spasms followed by resignations of people like Ruhollah Hosseinian, and Mortazavi sanctions. These show a deep fissure within the regime, on the one hand murderers such as Mortazavi and hosseinian are being dumped and on the other Moderate conservatives and pragmatists are taking a run at Khamanei and his wisdom. We need these battles to be waged daily to tire the government and the leadership so that when we show on the street next time in Bahman, our unity and power looks all the more impressive.
Quarrel between hardliners? Masih Mohajeri, chief editor of Jomhuriye daily, sharply attacks Mohammad Ali Ramin, denying his authority and emphasizing that the media should attract the people to the system instead of excluding them:
http://www.peykeiran.com/Content.aspx?ID=11903
Look at Mohajeri's beautiful visage: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=93505§ionid=351020101
Something is going on behind the scenes... on 19th Dey Khamenei is going to be giving a speech amongst a couple of Basijis who are supposed to walk all the way from Qom to Khamenei's place.
http://www.rahesabz.net/story/7415/
Set your calenders. I think Khamenei is going to be crying wolf on that day.
Anthony
Maybe Khamenei is going up against the sepah in order to save himself, concider the reports about SL wanting AN to resign.
And if this rumour is truth, than we will see some significant change
http://mikverbrugge.tumblr.com/post/323708668/coalition-source-expect-fast-radical-positive
Khamenei probably just heard about the people who bicycled from Toronto to NYC to protest AN and he wants to prove he can force people to acts of physical exertion to support himself too. The difference between the two events is probably lost on him.
WMV,
How was Mortazavi sanctioned? I know he was considered the ring-leader for torture that led to murder of detainees in prison but what did regime decide to do with him besides giving him a promotion?