We have followed the story of the legendary classical Iranian singer Mohammad Reza Shajarian, who forebade Iranian state media from playing his music after President Ahmadinejad, in his election “victory” statement, called the opposition “dust”.
Shajarian has just released a new single and it has been set to video by opposition activists. (Warning: some of the images are graphic.) The lyrics follow the video:
2050 GMT: We’ve posted the English translation of Mir Hossein Mousavi’s statement today. The text goes beyond our initial analysis (1700 GMT): this is a concerted and, in my opinion, clever attempt to turn the “foreign interference” charge back on the regime. It is the Government’s actions such as detentions, propaganda, and lies, Mousavi says, that makes the Islamic Republic vulnerable to the manipulations of powers such as the United States.
1910 GMT: Ayatollah Ali Mohammad Dastghaib has asked for an emergency meeting of the Assembly of Experts, saying it is the duty of the Experts to the Iranian people “to maintain the Constitution”.
1855 GMT: Mehdi Karroubi has responded to Speaker of the Parliament Ali Larijani’s statement that he “wanted evidence” of allegations of detainee abuse, contained in a letter from Karroubi to Hashemi Rafsanjani. A Karroubi spokesman said that information would be provided on the charges, which included rapes of women and young boys.
(A side note: it is now being claimed that state media exaggerated Larijani’s statement when it said he called Karroubi’s allegations of rape “a lie” — see 0720 GMT.)
1650 GMT: Release the Prisoners! I am just going to re-print this from Fars News Agency and await confirmation that 25 percent of Iran’s prison population will soon be freed:
17,000 prisoners were freed after amnesty and commutation of punishment term of a number of prisoners by the Supreme Leader,” State Prisons Organization’s Deputy Director for Management and Resource Development Mohammad Ali Zanjirehi told FNA on Friday.
“40 percent of the country’s inmates, who account for around 68,000 people, were liable to the amnesty,” Zanjirei said, adding that 17,000 out of the 68,000 inmates have been freed and the rest have enjoyed commutation of their terms or will be granted leaves in final months of their incarceration.
The decree, originally proposed by Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, was issued by the Leader on the occasion of the feast of Mab’ath, marking assignment of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) to prophethood.
1555 GMT: Don’t Forget That Foreign Threat. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, who has been gone unnoticed since the 12 June election, popped up today to appear at Friday prayers in Tehran and then try his hand with the “foreign agents” speech:
Western and European countries, with their overt and covert capabilities, interfered in Iran’s election… the worst among them being Britain. The countries who interfered through their television networks by telling how to instigate riots, build explosives and other tension creating activities are accomplices in all the committed crimes, murders and are held responsible.
1540 GMT: Some, However, Are Not Ready for Compromise. Defying calls for concilation, the Ministry of Intelligence has threatened the Freedom Movement of Iran (the party of nationalist Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in the 1950s) with dire consequences if they do not stop holding political meetings inside their headquarters. The Party has lodged an official complaint with the head of Iran’s judiciary.
1535 GMT: Look Past Jannati. The trend in clerical statements in the last 24 hours, apart from Friday prayers in Tehran, has been a call for compromise and action on detainees (see 1510 and 1520 GMT). That fits a report from Salaam News that Grand Ayatollahs have been discussing vital “issues”, and most except Ayatollah Noori-Hamedani (an ardent Ahmadinejad supporter) “have taken a similar stance against the attacks of fundamentalism”. Read the rest of this entry »
2115 GMT: Meanwhile, Rafsanjani Plays It Cool. Amidst the Government chaos, the former President is playing down talk of a serious rift within the regime. According to Mehr News Agency, Rafsanjani praised the Supreme Leader, “He is a progressive and forward-looking thinker in different subjects. The propaganda by the foreign media who try to suggest that there is a power struggle in the top level of the regime is unfair injustice to the Islamic revolution.”
The statement appears to be a continuation of Rafsanjani’s strategy to show allegiance to Ayatollah Khamenei while manoeuvring against a weakened President: “I have hope in the supreme leader to solve the current problems based on his knowledge and experience and I still stick to the solutions I offered in the Friday prayer.”
With these comments, Rafsanjani is also maintaining his position against the “hard-line” members of the Assembly of Experts, who attempted to undermine him in a statement earlier this week.
2100 GMT: Well, This is a Fine Mess. Conflicting reports all night over the state of the Ahmadinejad Cabinet. Some accounts now say that the President fired only Minister of Intelligence Ejeie and has not dismissed the other three (Culture, Health, and Labour); Ahmadinejad apparently realised he would face a vote of confidence in Parliament if all four ministers were removed from office.
1650 GMT: Release the Prisoners! I am just going to re-print this 
2115 GMT: Meanwhile, Rafsanjani Plays It Cool. Amidst the Government chaos, 
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