Iran Document: Rahnavard "Honour Women, Release Political Prisoners"

Zahra Rahnavard, academic, activist, and wife of Mir Hossein Mousavi, released the following statement yesterday on the eve of the birthday commemoration of Fatemeh, daughter of Prophet Mohammad, and Women's Week:

I would like to congratulate the noble people of Iran on the anniversary of the birthday of Fatemeh, the daughter of Prophet Mohammad, and Women's Day.

I hope that this unique woman, with all her dimensions, such as her spiritual and holy teachings, her political and social role, and her role as a gentle mother and wife, has an everlasting place in the culmination of human aspirations.

In addition to its unmatched unity, the Green Movement is also filled with freshness. This variety creates an opportunity for us to appreciate all beautiful human behavior and to respect all those seeking justice across the globe.


Within the framework of our Islamic beliefs, we follow the example of Fatemeh and bow our heads in honor of her transcendent character.

We will not forget, not even for a moment, the extreme suffering she went through to promote and advance Islam. Even though her young body is now connected with the darkness of the earth, her cause and spirit still remains for the believers and those who seek freedom.

The Green Movement, as a reform-seeking movement, realizes the importance of new religious thinking, narrated through the approach of Fatemeh to modern-day individuals. Fatemeh is not only a role model for women, but also a complete and consummate symbol of Islam and this orthodox religion has been crystallized both in her personality and in her face.

It is regretful that in the name of Fatemeh and under such conditions, the current ruling government is preparing [to celebrate] Women's Day and Women's Week, particularly when they have digressed a great distance from her character, her religious behavior, and ideals and are acting in a way that is contrary to her views. Justice and seeking freedom were only two of the dimensions of her personality, and her example and holiness continue to provide light and hope for the believers.

Can we accept that the current ruling government believes in Fatemeh, when one of her titles is "The Honest"? Can they be believers when they lie to this extent? Can they be believers when they repress women and men? Can they be believers when they block and stifle the airways of freedom?

It is not surprising that in this day and week, the ruling government is incapable of hearing the cries of the children separated from their mothers ---- those innocent children who wait endlessly for the grace and caress of mothers that are either in prison or have been killed, children who have no one to turn to but to the grace of God.

The ruling government chuckles at the faces of mothers waiting behind prison doors, hopeful to see their sons and daughters. Mothers who leave no stone unturned, running from one place to the next just to be abused, humiliated,and given false promises. They chuckle at women whose husbands have either been buried for a long time or are being threatened and tortured in prisons. Mothers who look forward to their children marrying and completing their university education. Mothers who rather than celebrating with their loved ones are standing at their gravesites, engulfed with sadness and pain and participating in a festival of tears and sorrow.

As the day and week of women is arriving in the holy name of Fatemeh, I announce to the ruling government to take advantage of this immense opportunity and for once prove the credibility of their words and actions. These occasions should not always be excuses for the robbers of freedom and murderers. For once, take advantage of an occasion and use it as an excuse to free political prisoners.

Release all prisoners in the memory of the passing of Fatemeh. Start with female political prisoners. Be sure that you will not lose face and no one will claim that you have retreated. Later in subsequent steps provide freedom of press, individual freedoms, non interference in people's private lives, free and fair elections, etc. in order to establish freedom and democracy.

We women ask the scholars and Grand Ayatollahs in all their religious glory, to force the ruling government to free prisoners and respond to the demands of the people.

Gaza LiveFeed: Israel Warships Attack "Freedom Flotilla"

UPDATE 1 JUNE: This Live Feed has now been suspended. Please see our latest entries on the current situation.

The Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla occurred a few hours after we posted this feed. We are now covering latest developments in a LiveBlog.

Gaza LiveBlog: Israel Forces Attack Freedom Flotilla, Up to 16 Killed

With Israeli warships approaching the "Freedom Flotilla" --- the six ships carrying aid to Gaza --- we are carrying the Live Feed from one of the ships. The crew and passengers are wearing lifejackets in anticipation of the confrontation....

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UPDATED Gaza Latest & Video: The "Freedom Flotilla" Sails

UPDATE 2025 GMT: Confrontation looms as the flotilla is 75 miles off the Gazan coast. Three Israeli warships are moving to intercept the six ships of the flotilla; passengers and crew have put on lifejackets.

We will now carry LiveFeed from the flotilla. More updates are at WitnessGaza.

Gaza LiveFeed: Israel Warships Approach “Freedom Flotilla”
Gaza Latest: Israel Prepares Confrontation with “Freedom Flotilla”

UPDATE 1523 GMT: The flotilla can be followed by live stream video.


UPDATE 1252 GMT: A participant on one of the ships has just sent the message, "We have just started moving. On our way to Gaza as a flotilla of 6 vessels."

UPDATE 0845 GMT: Organisers say five ships left Cyprus at 0200 GMT and are expected to reach Gazan waters late on Sunday afternoon.

The Humanitarian Relief Foundation says the "Freedom Flotilla" ships carrying aid will arrive in Israeli territorial waters on Sunday morning. However, due to technical problems, only five of them are still sailing.



On Saturday morning, the Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, put out a message to  Israeli officials:

The meaning of the flotilla is that the entire world opposes the siege on the Gaza Strip, and if Israel behaves like pirates and sea-terrorists – --we will win.

It was reported that the Cypriot members of Parliament, the ones who had worked so hard to get activists permission to leave, were outraged. The Greek Cypriot members finally told them to go to the north of the island.



In Cyprus, organizers were trying to get two dozen would-be passengers, including 19 European legislators and an elderly Holocaust survivor, on the ships anchored in international waters off the island. Organizers then appealed to the Turkish government to get the group out via a Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus port. Turkish Cypriot officials have said they want to help the group as much as they can.

Elize Ernshire of the Free Gaza Movement said two of the seven boats in the humanitarian aid operation had been “tampered with”, forcing one to drop out and another to pull into port in Turkish-held northern Cyprus for repairs.

Haniyeh,joining the confrontation, He said:

This fleet indicates that Turkey ... is leading strategic changes in the region based on disconnecting itself from the Zionist enterprise and joining the Muslim nations.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Defense Forces set out the four-stage plan “Operation Sky Wind":

1. Warning stage: the navy will try to stop the ships from reaching a “line” dubbed as a red line, should the ships reach the designated line, they will be warned and informed that they “violate the law”.

2. Boarding and controlling the ships: should the ships fail to adhere to the demands of the navy, the navy will attack and control the ships carrying nearly 800 activists. The ships will then be taken to the port of Ashdod, and the activists will be detained in a huge tent.

3. Deportation by air: Israeli soldiers and policemen would order the detained activists to sign statements accepting to be deported to their countries, and will be deported by air via the Ben Gurion Airport.

4. Arrest before deportation: those who refuse to sign deportation statements, will be arrested, sent to medical examination, then transferred to the Nahshon Brigade which belongs to the Israeli Prison Administration before being sent to Be’er Sheva Prison and likely other prisons.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon reiterated that the military will not allow the ships to reach the Palestinian territory. He called the aid mission a provocation. Ayalon also wrote on his Facebook page:

There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. If the flotilla had a genuine humanitarian goal, then its organizers should have transferred something for the abducted soldier Gilad Shalit as well. Their refusal to do so clearly indicates that humanitarian issues were not their goal.

The parents of Shalit had asked the organizers of the “human rights” flotilla to take letters and packages for Gilad. The answer was no.

Away from the controversy over the Freedom Flotilla, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said during Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas's visit that they will build a hospital worth 20 billion rupiah (2.16 million dollars) in Gaza.

The Latest from Iran (30 May): Pressure, Counter-Pressure, & a Letter from Majid Tavakoli

1800 GMT: Academic Corner. HRANA reports that 15 students at Shahid Beheshti University have been suspended for criticism of the Supreme Leader.

1755 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The sentence of Zia Nabavi, a member of the Right to Education Council, has been reduced to 10 years from 15 years on appeal.

1750 GMT: Economy Watch. Reformist member of Parliament Darius Ghanbari has warned that if disinvestment, excessive imports and loss of domestic production continue, Iran will have 60 million (out of a population of 75+ million) below the poverty line. MP Nasrullah Torabi has called on the Government to be "accountable" to the 40 million he says are already below that line.

NEW Iran Report: The Fight on the Cultural Front (Erdbrink)
Iran Document: Mousavi “Greens Will Not be Stopped by Arrests, Prisons, or Killing”
Iran: A Poem for Executed Teacher Farzad Kamangar
The Latest from Iran (29 May): Statements for 22 Khordad/12 June

1745 GMT: A Clerical Slapdown. Ayatollah Amini, the leader of Friday Prayers in Qom, asked yesterday, "How is it possible to administer for the underprivileged with temporary relief?"

Amini leveled the allegation at the Government that Ayatollah Khomeini's ideas were not considered by persons in charge. Noting that other underdeveloped countries have managed to overcome their difficulties within 30 years. he said an adequate plan should have been established to create work, to develop the cities, and to support universities.


1735 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch --- Inside Version (cont.). Human Rights Activists News Agency carries a story on the alleged aftermath of two videos, released by the agency earlier this week, with accounts of torture and rape by detainees who were in Rajaiee Shahr Prison.

On Saturday, two agents from the Intelligence Ministry transferred twenty prisoners to the Security Office in Rajaiee Shahr prison where they were interrogated and threatened. They also moved Mohsen Beikvand, the victim in one of the videos, to solitary confinement. Unknown men reportedly contacted Bahram Tasviri, the other victim from the videos, and told him that his image and reputation have been shattered outside of prison with the publication of these videos.

(Note: we have not posted the video, which is available in the HRANA story, because we feel it is vital to confirm the authenticity of the story given the serious allegations. Feedback from those who view the video is welcomed.)

1730 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch --- Inside Version. We return from a break to find a purported account of conditions at Evin Prison from detained journalist and filmmaker Mohammad Nourizad. The account includes Nourizad's meeting last week with Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, who allegedly promised Nourizad's release if the political prisoner and his family gave no statements to the media.

Nourizad, in the letter to the Supreme Leader, calls Evin "the second Kahrizak", a reference to the notorious facility that was closed by Ayatollah Khamenei after revelations of abuses and killings of detainees.

0855 GMT: Earthquake Alarm! Khabar Online reports that women have been seen taking off their hijab, allegedly for sporting activities, in several parks and public spaces in Tehran.

0850 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Bahram Chagini, a university student and a member of the Mousavi presidential campaign, was reportedly arrested by intelligence agents in Arak in mid-May.

0840 GMT: Another Political Prisoner List. Rah-e-Sabz has published another set of names and details of 100 political prisoners in Block 350 of Evin Prison. About 70% are students.

There is one additional name of a journalist, Khashayar Jahanzad Farrokhi, to add to our running total. We estimate that 93 journalists remain in detention or are under threat of heavy bails.

0835 GMT: And Another Cleric is Summoned. Rah-e-Sabz reports that Ahmad Montazeri, the son of the late Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, has been summoned to and interrogated in a special clerical court.

0830 GMT: Cleric Responds to "Lies". Ayatollah Sane'i has expressed his regret, "Five years ago I said lies were spreading, but I didn't know they were to become a culture."

0820 GMT: Reformist Responds to "Lies". We reported on Friday about  Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting's distortion of the words of reformist activist Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, turning her into a traitor declaring, "Do not accept Iran."

Haghighatjoo has now threatened to file a lawsuit against IRIB and the Supreme Leader, as the head of the broadcaster. She explained that the Green Movement, with its initial slogan "Where is My Vote?", did not want regime change; however, after killings and imprisonments, many doubted that reforms could occur within the system. Haghighatjoo concluded, "I believe that the Constitution must be replaced by a secular system."

0815 GMT: Rafsanjani Watch. Hashemi Rafsanjani's daughter Faezeh Hasemi has responded to the attack on her office with an unsubtle swipe at the Government. This was not carried by common thieves; it was like a "Mongols attack" to incite terror.

0805 GMT: Parliamentary Moves. Following this week's election of leaders in Parliament, with one Deputy Speaker (Sadr) seen as pro-Ahmadinejad and another (Bahonar) criticised by "hardliners" --- Speaker Ali Larijani and his allies are pushing the line of "Parliamentary unity".

Larijani, quoted by his supporting website Khabar Online, declared that political divisions are not compatible with the Supreme Leader's ideas. Elyas Naderan, a leading critic of the Ahmadinejad Government, predicted that the "political alignment" of pro-goverment and anti-government factions will not persist.

Not all proceeded smoothly for Larijani's move, however: his press conference started 20 minutes late, suffered a blackout, and was suddenly cut off.

0800 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The scholars of the Middle East Studies Association have written to the Supreme Leader, calling for the release of Majid Tavakoli (see 0645 GMT) and other political prisoners.

0700 GMT: The Cultural Front. We have posted, in a separate entry, a report from  Thomas Erdbrink, the Washington Post correspondent in Tehran, on cultural resistance to the Iranian regime.

0645 GMT: A Letter from Tavakoli? There was a lot of chatter yesterday about a purported message from Majid Tavakoli, the detained student leader.

The letter has not been translated into English, but an EA reader wanted to get a sense of Tavakoli's analysis and objectives. So, over to EA correspondent Ms Zahra:

Tavakoli's statement reads like a mix of [prominent Iranian expatriate opposition figure] Mohsen Sazegara's daily lessons about non-violent struggle, parts of Mousavi's statements (esteqamat, perseverance), and expatriate demands for an end to the Islamic Republic.

As I never heard more than short statements by him, no idea if he is the author. If it is not by him, it could be a collective text, written by a reformist theoretician in prison --- I doubt this, however, because in my opinion reformists would never give up the Islamic Republic. It could also be the result of discussions in prison about future strategies for the Green Movement. In any case the phrasing is coherent, i.e., written by a single person.

An excellent text, insisting on the positiveness of the leaders, necessity of positive criticism, unity, fundamental demands like individual freedom and pluralism (to prevent a new dictatorship), clearly defined goals, and strategies of non-violence, along the lines of those set out by the scholar Gene Sharp.

It could also be an implicit reminder to Mousavi and Karroubi to be more definitive in their demands, but it is only advice and does not condemn them.

0630 GMT: We return from a Saturday night break to assess this morning's political situation, five days before the anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Khomeini and less than two weeks before the birthday of the 2009 election.

The regime made a big political move with the announcement that the Supreme Leader, introduced by President Ahmadinejad, will lead Tehran Friday Prayers from Khomeini's mausoleum. Can't be much clearer than this in a bid for legitimacy.

It's the first major regime rally since 22 Bahman (11 February), with Ayatollah Khamenei speaking at Friday Prayers for the first time since 19 June, when he reaffirmed Ahmadinejad's victory, warned the opposition not to challenge, and tried to keep Hashemi Rafsanjani in the fold.

So what were those various actors doing yesterday? Well, opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi had made another challenge with his statement to former political prisoners (again, can't get much more pointed in the symbolism than talking with those who had been unjustly detained under the Shah), and reformist groups and activists --- despite the Government's attempt to silence them --- continued to put out declarations of intent before 12 June.

Even more interesting,  however, were the manoeuvres around Rafsanjani. The former President's website issued its own response to the Government by re-issuing Rafsanjani's criticisms of President Ahmadinejad and the Iranian system, both in a letter to the Supreme Leader before the election and in Rafsanjani's 17 July Friday Prayer address (the last time he took the podium).

But the regime was putting out its own message for Rafsanjani this weekend: the office of his daughter Faezeh Hashemi was raided, soon after security forces moved upon the campus of Islamic Azad University --- established by the Rafsanjani Government and led until recently by Rafsanjani's son Mehdi Hashemi --- and seized computers and documents.

What does it all mean? Well, at this point I'll take the easy way out: too soon to tell....