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ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
 Posted: 27-06-2009 21:24 Post subject: Iran: What Elections? |
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A few comments were posted under WTF but here are a few other pieces which might be of interest.
| Quote: | Iran: Beginning of the end
by Yassamine Mather
Yassamine Mather writes on the developing situation in Iran, on howdivisions are developing amongst the Mullahs and most importantly on the class composition of the demonstrations. Full text at link.
The problem with most dictators is that, even in their dying days, they believe they can stop the movement by simply passing orders or blaming ‘foreign powers’. Some supporters of the shah are still under the illusion that he was not overthrown by the 1979 Iranian revolution, but was deposed thanks to a plot by Britain and the US. In fact, as he went on speaking, attributing strange comments to Obama (the US president has apparently admitted in public that he had been looking forward to the demonstrations that have rocked Iran), one wondered if Khamenei, well known for using opium as a painkiller for his injured arm, had taken a double dose that morning.
http://hopidisc.blogspot.com/2009/06/beginning-of-end.html |
| Quote: | Iran: Support The Protests For Democracy
by Chicherin - Hands Off the People of Iran
Protest in support of the Iranian Workers, Womens Rights Activists and Students
Saturday 27 June at 2pm at the Central Bank Plaza, Dame Street, Dublin 2.
Organised by Hands Off the People of Iran
June 20 saw the mass murder of demonstrators by security forces, it is unclear how many people are dead as estimates range from 11 to 150. With media outlets severely restricted it could be some time until we are given the true number. State organs such as Press TV have described the murdered protesters as “terrorists”.
HOPI received an eye witness report of Saturday’s violence:
"The demonstrations started in the centre around 4 o’clock the police had already settled in all the main squares and streets. We saw many members of Basij in plain clothing armed and ready to kill people. What happened was like 3500-4000 people would gather and form a demonstration start yelling out things like: “We did not give blood to give up now” and “Khamenei you Pinochet Iran is not going to be Chile”. But none of the gatherings could last long because the police would hit people and the Secret Police would shoot people, and members of Basij stabbed people.
People who lived in the neighbourhood left their doors open so injured people and the ones followed by the police could get in. It was the same in many other places, in Tehran at Tohid Square the police were in a bus and shot unarmed people from there, people who had came to the streets just to have a calm demonstration to defend their basic rights as citizens and human beings.
https://www.indymedia.ie/article/92810 |
| Quote: | Death to the Islamic republic
by Chicherin - HOPI
In this article Yassamine Mather writes about the mass demonstrations in cities across Iran. She points out that these demonstrations show the anger and frustration of the majority of Iranians with political Islam. Full text at link.
Early on Saturday morning, the supreme leader congratulated Ahmadinejad, which was seen as official endorsement of the results. But by Sunday pm, under the pressure of impromptu demonstrations, he was forced to reverse this decision, and called on the council of guardians to investigate the other candidates’ complaints. By Monday June 15, with a massive show of force by the opposition - over a million demonstrators on the streets - he was instructing the council of guardians to call for a recount. By Tuesday there was talk of new elections.
There is little doubt that Moussavi /Khatami and Mohsen Rezaii will look for compromises and will ultimately sell out. However, these protests have gained such momentum that already in Tehran people compare the plight of Moussavi (if he does become president) with that of Shapour Bakhtiar - the last prime minister appointed by the shah, whose government lasted a few short weeks before the revolution overthrew the entire regime.
These events have exposed the ignorance of groups such as the Socialist Workers Party, whose leaders kept informing us about the virtues of Islamic democracy in Iran. We have seen the selection of candidates by an unrepresentative nominated council of guardians; the role of the supreme leader in inventing the results of an election; and the brutal repression of legal and official opponents. If that is what the regime can do to its own, one can imagine the kind of treatment reserved for its opponents.
But even under the threat of beatings and executions, an overwhelming majority of the Iranian people have shown that they do not believe SWP-type apologia. No-one in their right mind should ever make such claims again. Hopi’s judgement was correct and we did not compromise our principles; that is why, now that the Iranian working class is in need of international solidarity more than ever, we are in a good position to help deliver it.
http://hopidisc.blogspot.com/2009/06/death-to-islamic-republic.html |
| Quote: | Call for general strike
Rahe Kargar says the protest movement must not be limited to street demonstrations, but that it has to take other forms
The call for a general strike has been put forward by a number of tendencies active in the current protest movement inside Iran and is gaining increasing support amongst Iranian activists outside.
In my opinion, ignoring such calls is ignoring the challenging potential of the mass movement we and the world are witnessing in total amazement, a protest whose brave steps are witnessed with great admiration.
If we agree that the protests of the Iranian people against the supreme leader’s coup d’etat have entered a fateful time, if we agree that supporting this movement with all its weaknesses and confusions can present a path towards democracy and equality in our land downtrodden by dictators, if we accept that without direct and independent action by the people themselves, no-one will seek a ‘tunnel towards the light’ and if we accept that the continuation and expansion of the scope of the current mass movement is the necessary and primary condition for any revolutionary change, then we must use all our abilities now to spread and expand the existing movement.
A general strike is important for a number of reasons:
First, it can reduce the pressure from the repressive forces attacking street protests (the current dominant form of protest). The truth is that street demonstrations have limitations and as the security forces concentrate on the suppression of such protests, the price of participation goes up and the number of those who participate in these demonstrations diminishes inevitably.
Second, despite all their importance, street demonstrations do not necessarily go further than the political arena, while a general strike will put the regime under economic pressure. Let us remember the role of the general strike in 1979, in breaking the determination of the royal dictatorship to cling to power and its crucial role in the overthrow of that regime.
Third, a general strike inevitably raises the profile of the working class in the mass movement. We must remember that the role of oil workers was crucial without any exaggeration in the victory of the 1979 revolution, while their number in comparison with the total number of wage-earners was not so high. Let us not forget that any strike (never mind a general strike) raises the solidarity, class-consciousness and organisational initiatives of the workforce.
Fourth, we must not forget that even the most brutal dictatorships usually cannot suppress people in their workplace as they do in street protests, because they have to consider the economic and political consequences of the damage and disruption caused by such methods.
In any case, currently the mood exists for a general strike and no-one can deny the role such a strike would play to help the continuation and spread of the current mass protests.
However, we cannot forget that a general strike requires great organisation and means of communication and it is difficult to harness such means when the regime is adamant in breaking the communication infrastructure and will increase its efforts in this direction.
If we are unduly optimistic about such a call this will reduce its chances of success. One should not expect that it can come from a single call from those active in the protest movement. However, under the present conditions it is absolutely necessary to draw attention to the crucial role of such actions that can be achieved through a wave of local and scattered actions leading towards a major strike.
We should not forget that the general strike of 1979 came about in the midst of major upheavals in the struggle of the masses and not through a single call to strike.
The important issue is to understand the historic significance of the current situation and to realise that the protest movement must not be limited to street demonstrations, but that it has to take other forms, such as strikes, sit-ins and a boycott and isolation of all state organs. The brave actions of different sections of the population against the coup d’etat by the supreme leader has given us hope that the masses will take up new initiatives.
Joining this just struggle is our civic duty.
Mohamad Reza Shalgouni
Organisation of Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar)
June 21 2009
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 11-07-2009 21:39 Post subject: |
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Some more stuff.Pics at links.
| Quote: | Solidarity with the 9 July demonstrations in Iran!
No to any US or UN intervention of any kind!
Hands off People Of Iran sends solidarity greetings to protestors in Iran on 9th July. This day is the 10th anniversary of 18 Tir – when the Iranian state, under President Khatami violently put down a protest by students. The protest was initially against the suppression of a popular newspaper. Students were attacked in their university dormitories , as they were ransacked and set on fire by state forces. The reaction to the attack was overwhelming, with mass demonstrations taking place. The students became very radicalised and openly opposed the regime. Ayatollah Ali Khameneh’I ordered the movement to be crushed and President Khatami approved this decision.
HOPI Protest At Iranian Embassy.
Khatami is today a supporter of Moussavi. His role in the brutal suppression of the student movement must not be forgotten. Moussavi himself has a terrible history of repression when he was prime minister in the 1980s, when many activists were executed by the regime. In power Iran’s reformists are just as vicious and dictatorial as the current government.
Today we send our support to those protesting to mark 18 Tir and commit ourselves to build support for your struggle in Iran. We are against any intervention by the United States or other governments. Real solidarity can only come from the working class, from those who stand with you in our common struggle.
Hands Off the People of Iran utterly condemns the brutal crackdown against the opposition movement in Iran. We call for the immediate unconditional release of prisoners, for the withdrawal of state forces from the streets, for the lifting of the ban on reporting and restrictions on internet and mobile phone use.
The regime in Iran is under threat from below. But the United States or the UN are no friends of the Iranian people. Economic sanctions have brought hardship to the ordinary people of Iran but have not affected the rich and powerful. Diplomatic sanctions and isolation will only strengthen the hand of the regime against the people.
Real democracy must come from the struggle from below. It cannot be delivered through the theocrats, whether they happen to be Ahmadinejad, Moussavi or Karoubi. Neither should there be a return to a monarchy – the Shah himself imprisoned tortured and killed thousands of democrats and working class activists.
It is up to the people of Iran to take things into their own hands. It is up to the working class and progressives throughout the world to make solidarity with their cause. It is time for a second, democratic revolution in Iran.
Hands off the People of Iran’ calls for solidarity with the masses in revolt against the Islamic regime!
Solidarity with the 9 July demonstrations in Iran!
No illusions in Moussavi!
No to any US or UN intervention of any kind!
We do not want another Iraq or Afghanistan.Real solidarity can only come from the working class internationally!
Contact Anne on 086 2343 238 or at anne@hopoi.info |
| Quote: | Arrested, beaten and raped: an Iran protester's tale
This is the story of an 18 year old protester who was arrested, beaten and raped. It more than just a description of brutsality, this story gets to the heart of the matter. Full story at the url.
His shoulder blades and arms were wounded. There were some slashes on the face. No bone fractures, but he was bruised all over the body. I wanted to take some photos but he did not let me. The doctor said only four of his teeth were intact, the rest were broken. You could hardly understand what he said. Then the doctor told me what had happened. He had suffered rupture of the rectum and the doctor feared colonic bleeding. He suggested we take him to the hospital immediately.
They registered him under a false name and with somebody else's insurance. The nurses were crying. Two of them asked what sort of beast had beaten him up like that. He was a broken man. He told us not to waste our money on him, and that he would kill himself.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/01/iran-protest-arrests-afshin-friend |
| Quote: | Iran: HOPI Protest At The Central Bank
Hands Off the People of Iran held a protest at the central Babk Plaza on Saturday 27 June. The event was late kicking off due to the Pride Parade but that gave us an opportunity to do even more leafletting.
Speakers included Cillian Gillespie from the Socialist Party, Anne McShane from HOPI, Fariba Talebi, Iranian political activist. Councillor Cieran Perry had to leave before the event started but left a statement to be read out.
Councillor Cieran Perry said:
Its only fitting that I should be here today in solidarity with the Iranian people whose government is supported by the IMF in war against the ordinary people. The IMF also support the Irish government in its attacks on the people I represent.
Its obvious now that the protests on the streets of Iran have gone beyond upset at the fiddling of an election result. The very foundations of the theocratic state are being questioned . Those who are on the streets are not just the middle classes. The majority of the protesters are workers, the unemployed and the poor...
People in Iran are entitled to what are ordinary human rights:
The right to join a union
The right to strike
The right to vote for a candidate of your choice
The right not to wear a hijab
The right not to be dictated to by a Theocracy
The right not to be invaded by the Imperialists, we have seen what such intervention has caused in Iraq and Afghanistan.
What we are seeing in Iran is an upsurge by ordinary people against a dictatorship. A dictatorship which bans independent unions and imprisons and flogs striking workers.
Contact Anne on 086 23 43 238
Anne@hopoi.info
http://www.hopi-Ireland.org |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 22-07-2009 13:30 Post subject: |
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Some more articles.
| Quote: |
The Rape of Taraneh: Prison Abuse of Iran's Protesters
This is the story of the rape and murder of another young Iranian who was protesting for justice. Full story at link.
On Friday June 19, a large group of mourners gathered at the Ghoba mosque in Tehran to await a speech about the martyrs of the post-election protests by presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. According to one Iranian blog, 28-year-old Taraneh Mousavi was one of a group of people that was arrested by plainclothesed security forces for attending the gathering.
Weeks later her mother received an anonymous call from a government agent saying that her daughter has been hospitalized in Imam Khomeini Hospital in the city of Karaj, just north of Tehran -- hospitalized for "rupturing of her womb and anus in... an unfortunate accident".
Taraneh's is not the first allegation of brutal raping of a post-election protester -- according to the UK Guardian, an 18 year old boy in Shiraz was repeatedly gang raped by prison officials while in detention after being arrested for participating in the protests on June 15. That boy's father won't let him back in the family home.
Despite its agitations for reform, Iranian society remains traditional, according to Iranian-British blogger Potkin Azarmehr, and it's the stigma of rape that is being used as a weapon against the protesters. "By killing protesters, the government makes martyrs of them, but by raping them and allowing them to live, it makes them shunned in society," Azarmehr said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shirin-sadeghi/the-rape-of-taraneh-priso_b_233063.html |
| Quote: |
Iran: Our solidarity and theirs
by Yassamine Mather
In this article Yassamine analyses the nature of the ongoing demonstrations. She points out that only conspiracy theorists belive that the protests were organised from outside Iran. She shows hoe thw actions of the working class are crucial at this conjuncture and finally she says that all sanctions against Iran must be opposed. Full article at url.
The continuation of demonstrations and protests against the Islamic republic of Iran, albeit on a smaller scale than two weeks ago, have fuelled further divisions at every level of the religious state: the Shia scholars of Ghom oppose the clerics in the Council of Guardians; leaders of the Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guard) are arrested for siding with the ‘reformist camp’; senior ayatollahs are divided, with Ali Saneii and Ali Montazeri declaring the election results fraudulent, while most other grand ayatollahs have remained loyal to the supreme leader.
With the exception of isolated believers in conspiracy theories, no-one doubts that the Iranian people have expressed loud and clear their desire for an end to the current political system and - in view of the fact that the ‘reformists’ keep wasting valuable time, still expecting miracles from above - it is the entire Islamic order, not just the conservatives, whose future is called into question.
Let us be clear: most Iranians do not believe a word of government claims that the protests were organised from outside Iran. As far as they are concerned, this crisis has all the hallmarks of one made in the Islamic republic. The regime has relied on crisis after crisis to survive over the last 30 years, constantly using real and imaginary foreign threats as an excuse for failure to deliver on any of its promises of equality and prosperity for the masses.
In working class districts of Tehran, groups of people have been throwing paint on photos of the supreme leader, writing slogans under his portraits and using every opportunity to taunt the religious militia with slogans such as ‘Death to Khamenei’ and the rhyming chant, “Rahbar ma ola-gheh - ye dastesham cholagheh” (“Our supreme leader is an ass - one of his arms is paralysed”). Iran’s state television is also under attack after broadcasting the ‘confessions’ of young demonstrators, who, bruised and exhausted, are shown on TV admitting they are ‘agents of foreign powers’.
Related Link: http://www.hopi-ireland.org/ |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 28-08-2009 18:37 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Iran MPs to probe 'mass burials'
Burials at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery were disrupted by police last month
A member of a parliamentary committee reportedly says it is investigating claims of a mass burial of protesters after Iran's disputed June election.
Last week, a reformist website said "tens" of people had been interred in anonymous graves at a Tehran cemetery.
"Parliament is investigating a rumour about a mass burial of post-vote detainees," Hamidreza Katouzian told the official Irna news agency.
At least 30 people died in clashes with security forces after the election.
The largest mass opposition demonstrations in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution were sparked by allegations of widespread fraud in the presidential election, which saw the incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared the winner by a landslide.
Earlier this month, one of the defeated opposition candidates, Mehdi Karroubi, called for an investigation into allegations that protesters had been raped in prison, and some even beaten to death. Officials have strenuously denied both accusations.
'Pictures and videos'
In a report published last week, Norooz - the news website of the opposition Islamic Iran Participation Front - said that "tens of unnamed and unknown people" had been buried in the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran last month.
We cannot confirm or deny the case at the current time and if it is needed we will visit Behesht-e Zahra
Hamidreza Katouzian
Parliamentary investigator
Q&A: Iran election aftermath
It said 28 burial permissions had been issued without names about a month after the election, in July, for section 302 of the cemetery, followed by another 16 three days later.
Mr Katouzian initially reacted to the allegation on Sunday by saying: "If anyone has any evidence, they can submit it to the Majlis [parliament]."
"There are a lot of rumours these days. Everyone can set up a website and post such reports on their websites," he said. "We cannot start an investigation based on rumours and speculation."
But on Tuesday, the Tehran MP said his parliamentary committee was now looking into the alleged mass burials and had contacted "relevant officials", who would provide a thorough report on the issue.
"We cannot confirm or deny the case at the current time and if it is needed we will visit Behesht-e Zahra," Irna quoted him as saying.
On Monday, the cemetery's manager reportedly said talk of a mass burial was "rumours".
Mahmoud Rezaiyan told AFP news agency: "In recent days we have not received any unidentified body and we were not forced to issue burial permits either. The report that there are mass graves is not true."
Norooz insists its report is correct and promised on Sunday to release "pictures and videos" of the anonymous graves within days.
The website also said the "people of Tehran can go and visit the graves, which are in the newer parts of the cemetery".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8221251.stm
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 20-12-2009 16:20 Post subject: |
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Some more articles on the continuing unrest in Iran following the fraudulent elections. Full text at links.
| Quote: | iran: Fighting over the corpse of the Regime
Yassamine Mather and Chris Strafford write on how internal squabbles continue to plague the Islamist Regime. Meanwhile the opposition movement continues to radicalise and surge ahead. They point to need to oppose sanctions against iran saying: Sanctions against iran are a stepping stone to military aggression. Full text at link.
Each day that goes by, the gap between the protesters and the leaders of the ‘green movement’ increases. The statements of Moussavi, Khatami and Karroubi expressing allegiance to Khomeini will not go down well with many of their own supporters. Moussavi is clearly concerned that he is losing control of the protests, as he keeps warning everyone about the threat of “radicalism”. On Monday December 15 he said: “If people’s questions were answered and they were not confronted violently, we would not see some of the controversial moves today ... People want an end to the security-obsessed atmosphere: in such an atmosphere radicalism grows.”
It is quite clear that the regime is seeking to use the threat of more sanctions and military action by the US or Israel to strengthen its faltering position, and the left should be very clear: any further sanctions that are imposed on iran will hit those elements that are capable of bringing substantial change in iran - the working class and the poor. Gordon Brown has already said that further sanction have to be implemented. This is something the anti-war movement must take seriously. Sanctions against iran are a stepping stone to military aggression.
http://hopidisc.blogspot.com/2009/12/fighting-over-corpse.html |
| Quote: | iran: Entire regime is the target
Yassamine Mather and Chris Srafford write on the developing unrest in iran. They say its no longer just a matter of the leadership: the future of the Islamic Republic of iran is in question. Full text at link.
The 56th anniversary of the murder of three students by the shah's security forces during vice president Richard Nixon?s visit to Tehran in 1953 may prove to be the last Students Day commemorated under the heel of the Islamic Republic of iran. Hundreds of thousands of students, youth and workers took to the streets in protest against the regime and the barbaric repression meted out since the June elections.People taking part in the various actions carried iranian flags, but without the Islamic Republic's sign of Allah, showing that the movement is moving beyond the slogans of the "reformists".
At Hamedan University, where there were heavy clashes between students and security forces, two students were thrown from the second floor by the Bassij - reports indicate that both sustained severe injuries. At Tehran Polytechnic University students broke down gates that the Bassij had locked. Students clashed with the police and managed to repel them for a considerable time. They were shouting, "Marg Bar Khamenei" (Down with Khamenei!), as the focus of popular anger shifts from Ahmadinejad onto the supreme leader and the entire Islamic Republic.
At hospitals police with dogs prevented the injured from entering, arresting and beating those who looked like protestors. In Amir-Kabir University students were also savagely beaten by security forces. At the Medical College in Tehran, Bassij thugs attempted to break up a demonstration and assaulted several students. At Razi University in Kermanshah militia and police failed to stop the student demonstration. At Sanati University in Isfahan student protests were attacked by security forces. Professors at Beheshti University joined with the 2,000-strong protest, to scenes of massive cheering and chants of "Death to the dictator".
In Kurdistan students burned images of Ali Khamenei and Ruhollah Khomeini. The protests were particularly focused on the murder of socialist fighter Ehsan Fattahian, who was executed on November 11.
There was heavy fighting across Tehran, with students at times getting the better of the security forces and militia. At Khaje-Nasir University Bassij carrying Hezbollah flags were attacked and thrown out by brave students. Outside Tehran University, in the streets approaching Enghelab Square and Valiasr Street security forces opened fire, some reports claim that students were shot. Around Enghelab Square the Bassij abandoned their positions and vehicles, which were swiftly used to form burning barricades by the youth.
There were also reports of security forces refusing to attack demonstrators and at times accepting drinking water from students who called on them to join the protests. In another significant development, riot police actually turned against the Bassij who were attacking demonstrators. If this wavering from security forces and the stories of soldiers demonstrations are confirmed, then this will certainly undermine the regime's confidence in its ability to suppress protests and may possibly signal an acceleration of its collapse.
http://hopidisc.blogspot.com/2009/12/entire-regime-is-target.html |
| Quote: | Report on HOPI Britain Conference.
Chris Strafford reports on the 2009 HOPI Britain AGM. There is also a link to MIke McNairs keynote address to the conference. Vids will hopefully be available at a later stage.
Hopi has always called for the building of strong links between the democratic and revolutionary movements in iran, whilst others in the movement - the British Socialist Workers Party, George Galloway - previously attacked us for ‘trying to dictate to the movement in iran’. Some had even accused us of playing into the hands of imperialism for daring to criticise the theocratic regime. The SWP leadership realised the way the wind was blowing and made a U-turn, coming out in favour of the millions of protestors who marched through the streets of Tehran and other cities (although SWP comrades on the leadership of the Stop the War Coalition continue to oppose Hopi’s affiliation). Galloway, however, has simply made himself look idiotic by defending not only the rigged elections and the subsequent repression, but also the Islamic republic itself.
The next session was titled ‘Imperialism’s need for conflict and the situation in the Middle East’ with Moshé Machover (Matzpen founder) and Mike Macnair (CPGB). Comrade Macnair discussed US doctrine in the Middle East and its need as the imperialist hegemon to have undisputed military dominance. Full speech by Mike here:
http://hopidisc.blogspot.com/2009/12/no-way-back-for-warmongers.html
The second session was presented by Cyrus Bina, author of Modern capitalism and Islamic ideology in iran. Comrade Bina’s talk was titled ‘Why sanctions are not a “soft alternative” to war’. He said that sanctions are supplementary to war, and that they often are a precursor to military action and used to break the industrial base and civil society of countries in the sights of the imperialists.
He slammed those who said that demonstrations in iran following the rigged elections had been made up of the middle classes, pointing out that on one occasion there were over three million on the streets. Comrade Bina went to say that sanctions hurt the workers and the poor far more than they damage the regime and even so-called “smart sanctions” would be detrimental to the lives of ordinary iranians. The movement that has risen in iran has international implications and it is important for socialists to build solidarity with its working class and progressive component.
http://hopidisc.blogspot.com/2009/12/hopi-britain-conference-report.html |
| Quote: | Ahmadinejad’s possible role in savage beatings
Evidence is emerging that iranian "president" Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may have been involved in savagely assaulting members of the iranian Fedayeen at the iranian consulate in April 1984.Yassamine Mather was a member of the Fedayeen (Minority) at the time is interviewed below. Full text at link.
The Mail on Sunday (November 29) published a photograph purportedly showing iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the regime’s London consulate in April 1984. Comrades from the Fedayeen (Minority), who had forced their way into the building, were imprisoned and severely beaten by iranian staff.
Who took part in the action and what were they protesting about?
This was the second of a series of international protests by supporters of the Organisation of iranian People’s Fedayeen Guerrillas (Minority faction) to draw attention to the repression in iran. On April 26 1984 students in a number of major cities in Europe and North America staged occupations of offices belonging to the Islamic regime. The consulates in London and The Hague, iran Air offices in Paris, Frankfurt and Vienna, and premises in a number of other capital cities were targeted.
In London the peaceful occupation of the consulate was initially successful. The students sprayed red paint on the walls in the shape of the Fedayeen logo and placed two placards near a window. One read: “Mass executions in iran and the world is silent”, while the other stated: “We are not armed.”
According to the comrades involved, they were held hostage (a common practice of iran’s Islamic security forces). Staff locked them in a room on the upper ground floor and later returned with Revolutionary Guards from the main embassy building, who were armed with wooden clubs and iron bars.
Nine of the 11 unarmed protesters were kept blindfolded and two, identified as “troublemakers” and the main “ring leaders”, were taken to the basement, where they were severely beaten. After nine hours of negotiation with the Metropolitan police, the embassy released its hostages. Quite by coincidence this was less than 10 days after PC Yvonne Fletcher had been killed at a protest outside the Libyan embassy and the police were keen to resolve the incident quickly. Nine of the protesters walked out, with hoods over their heads and placards hung around their necks accusing them of being US and French spies, and were immediately arrested. The two held in the basement were taken to hospital for treatment.
How do you assess the April 1984 action?
In terms of publicity we did very well - in a large part thanks to the stupidity of the embassy staff in beating up peaceful protesters with iron bars. It was widely reported in news bulletins on TV and radio.
Many couldn’t believe the barbarism shown by the Pasdars (Revolutionary Guards) in London, but our main aim had been to draw attention to what was going on inside iran. By their actions in a foreign capital, the agents of the regime had proved the validity of our claims regarding the torture of political prisoners. Fred Halliday, who could still be considered on the left at the time, gave an interview to Newsnight detailing protests in other countries and explaining the history of the Fedayeen. Press coverage the next day was also extensive and, as most reporters were outside the consulate, their stories concentrated on the Pasdars, who were taunting those protesting outside from the first floor balcony - hence the photo of Ahmadinejad or his lookalike.
I Ironically the only people who helped us were members of the Socialist Workers Party. I don’t think we approached the SWP officially - only through personal contacts. I asked SWP member Jim Nicholl to defend the students in court and he did an excellent job, turning the tables on the Pasdar thugs and accusing them of grievous bodily harm. Paul Foot interviewed me and wrote a very sympathetic article in the Daily Mirror in defence of the iranian left. It is a shame that 25 years later and at a time when millions of iranians are on the street protesting against the Islamic regime one cannot find much solidarity with the iranian working class from the SWP leadership.
Has the news of the latest Mail on Sunday story reached iran? What do you think it will mean for the young generation now protesting in that country?
The short item on the Ahmadinejad lookalike has been translated and published on many iranian websites. Comrade Amin remembers the man in the photo, although she is unable to say if he was Ahmadinejad. But he was clearly a leading figure amongst the Pasdars and was giving orders to staff as the protesters were leaving the consulate.
I hope the young generation who get to know about the 1984 student protests will note that the struggle against the Islamic Republic has a long history. Victory will not be easy or swift, but we must persevere. They should also remember that, irrespective of whether the man in the photo is Ahmadinejad or someone else, the prime minister who authorised the savage Pasdar attack on unarmed students was a certain Mir-Hossein Moussavi, one of the ‘reformist’ presidential candidates in 2009.
In 1984, members and supporters of the Fedayeen were protesting against the mass execution of political prisoners, but the severe repression meant we were isolated inside iran, forcing us to mount demonstrations outside the country. Yet, at least for a few days, we did manage to draw attention to the atrocities of the regime. Today, however, there are huge demonstrations in Tehran itself.
That is why young people inside iran should not be disheartened by temporary setbacks. We have come a long way and everyone agrees that we are now witnessing the beginning of the end of this regime.
http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/796/ahmadinejad.php |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 17-06-2010 13:23 Post subject: |
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Some more articles on Iran
| Quote: | ‘Reformists’ exposed on first anniversary
As imperialist sanctions are stepped up, leaders of Iran’s ‘opposition’ are in headlong retreat. Yassamine Mather reports on the anniversary of the 2009 rigged elections
http://www.cpgb.org.uk/article.php?article_id=1003983 |
| Quote: | Regime paranoia
Ben Lewis reports on the campaign to free all political prisoners in Iran
Jafar Panahi, the Iranian film maker recently released after three months in Iran’s notorious Evin prison, protests that at the moment he has little hope of making another film - all he can do is produce one in his head. However, he adds defiantly: “I will have to make a film - that is my life.”
http://www.cpgb.org.uk/article.php?article_id=1003978 |
| Quote: | Save Majid Tavakoli. Political Prisoner In iran.
Majid Tavakoli, a 24 year old student activist at Amir Kabir University, must not become another victim of the Islamic regime of iran. He has been arrested and tortured a number of times for his student activities. The last time he was arrested was in December 2009 for a speech about the ruling dictatorship and for criticising Khamenei. He has started a hunger strike on 23 May and is in very poor health.
On 26 May, Mina Ahadi of the International Committee against Executions briefly spoke to his mother. His mother is also on hunger strike in support of her son. She is very worried and concerned about his health. She said that no matter where she goes, she is given no information on him nor allowed to speak to or see him.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/96790?search_text=iran |
| Quote: | iran: Execution to impose terror
Four of the five political prisoners executed by the Islamic government in iran in the early hours of Sunday May 9 came from Kurdistan and were accused of membership of the left nationalist group, the PJAK (an iranian version of the PKK). The executed prisoners - Farzad Kamangar, Ali Heydarian, Farhad Vakili, Shirin Alamhouli and Mehdi Eslamian - all denied membership of “political organisations” and the PJAK issued a statement clarifying that none of those executed had any organisational links with it. Farzad Kamangar was a teacher and trade unionist who had been accused of “endangering national security” and “enmity against god”.
http://hopidisc.blogspot.com/2010/05/execution-to-impose-terror.html
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 16-07-2010 20:44 Post subject: |
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Some more articles on Iran.
| Quote: | iran: Kidnapping and torture of Mansour Osnaloo's daughter-in-law by agents of Intelligence Ministry
Parvaneh Osanloo: "Because of agents' assaults my daughter-in-law Suffered Miscarriage."
According to reports received by “Human Rights and Democracy activists of iran Roya Samadi, daughter-in-law of Mansour Osanloo, president of the board of directors of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, was kidnapped and savagely tortured by three agents of Intelligence Ministry.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/97084?search_text=iran |
| Quote: | Divided theocratic regime paralysed by sanctions
As the US steps up it efforts to provoke regime change from above, Yassamine Mather looks at the reasons for the failure of the working class to win leadership of the opposition movement.
http://www.cpgb.org.uk/article.php?article_id=1004030 |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 08-09-2010 18:02 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani Sentenced to Another 99 Lashes!
by Mina Ahadi - International Committee against Stoningauthor
For Immediate Release.
According to an open letter published today, September 3rd, by Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, son of Mrs. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, under the pretext of the publication in the London Times of a photo of a woman without Islamic hijab, Sakineh has been sentenced to 99 lashes on charges of spreading corruption and indecency.
On August 28, The Times mistakenly published a front page photo of a woman without Islamic hijab and attributed the image as that of Mrs. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. However, the photo was actually of another woman, Mrs. Susan Hejrat, a political activist living in Sweden. The photo of Mrs. Hejrat had been published earlier on a website along with her article about Sakineh.
https://www.indymedia.ie/article/97580?search_text=iran |
| Quote: | Demand The Release Of iranian Trade Unionists.
Instead of being released Mansour Osanloo has been sentenced to a further year in prison. Reza Shahabi was arrested and is held incommunicado. The long night of repression for iranian Trade Unionists continues. But you can act and make a difference. Send the sample letter at the end of this article to address' provided.
Mansour Osanloo, president of the board of directors of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (a public transit company owned by Tehran Municipal government with about 17000 employees) has been sentenced this week to one year imprisonment by the City of Karaj Islamic Revolutionary Court for "propaganda against the system". Mr. Osanloo has been subject to increasing harassment in recent months and was put on trial recently at Karaj Revolutionary court. Osanloo had also been charged with "connection with the opponents of the system". He has gone through all this in recent months while he has been in prison for the past three years.
https://www.indymedia.ie/article/97547?search_text=iran
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 12-10-2010 23:49 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | URGENT ACTION REQUIRED NOW
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s son and lawyer have been arrested along with two journalists
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s son, Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, and lawyer, Houtan Kian, were arrested along with a German journalist and photographer in Tabriz on 10 October 2010 at 1900 hours local time. The security forces raided the lawyer’s office where an interview was taking place and arrested all four.
Their whereabouts are currently unknown and no news has been received of their situation since the arrests. It is known they were arrested given that at the time of the raid, one of the journalists was on the phone speaking with Mina Ahadi, Spokesperson of the International Committee against Stoning and International Committee against Execution. The four have not returned home or to their hotels since; the Islamic regime has confirmed the arrest of the two journalists.
We, the undersigned, unequivocally condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran for the arrests and call for the immediate release of the four. We also demand the release of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and an end to stoning and execution.
To see a list of the 80 signatories to the letter, click here: http://stopstonningnow.com/wpress/4155
PLEASE ACT NOW!
1. Sign on to the above letter by adding your name, profession, organisation if any and country to the comments section here: http://stopstonningnow.com/wpress/4155.
2. Organise rallies or actions preferably on Saturday 16 October 2010. Demand the release of all four as well as Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and call for an end to execution and stoning. Send your events to actionforsakineh@gmail.com to be listed here: http://stopstonningnow.com/wpress/4158. You can also do an act of solidarity wherever you are – organise a flash mob with your friends, hold a placard in your neighbourhood, sing a song, or stand in silence next to a pile of stones on the day. Send in written or video messages for our site as well as videos and photos of your acts or events to actionforsakineh@gmail.com.
3. Send letters of protest to the Islamic regime of Iran using the above open letter as a sample. Protest letters can be addressed to the below:
Head of the Judiciary
Sadeqh Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737, Iran
Email: info@dadiran.ir or via website: http://www.dadiran.ir/tabid/75/Default.aspx
First starred box: your given name; second starred box: your family name; third: your email address
Head of the Judiciary in East Azerbaijan Province
Malek-Ashtar Sharifi
Office of the Head of the Judiciary in Tabriz
East Azerbaijan, Iran
Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street - Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Iran
Email: via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English)
http://www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=letter (Persian)
Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights
Mohammad Javad Larijani
Howzeh Riassat-e Ghoveh Ghazaiyeh
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri
Tehran 1316814737, Iran
Fax: +98 21 3390 4986
Email: bia.judi@yahoo.com
4- Write to government officials, heads of state, MEPs and MPs in your country of residence and the UN calling on them to intervene to demand their release and to cease recognition of a regime that stones people to death in the 21st century.
5- Donate to the Save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani campaign by making your cheque payable to ‘Count Me In – Iran’ and sending it to BM Box 6754, London WC1N 3XX, UK. You can also pay via Paypal (http://countmein-iran.com/donate.html). We also are looking for volunteers to help with design, graphics, fundraising, and outreach so please contact us if you can help at actionforsakineh@gmail.com.
6- For more information, contact:
Mina Ahadi, International Committee Against Stoning and International Committee Against Executions, minaahadi@aol.com, 0049 1775692413 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0049 1775692413 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; http://notonemoreexecution.org/; http://stopstonningnow.com.
Maryam Namazie, Iran Solidarity, iransolidaritynow@gmail.com, 0044 7719166731 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0044 7719166731 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, Iran Solidarity: www.iransolidarity.org.uk; http://iransolidarity.blogspot.com/.
Maria Rohaly, Mission Free Iran, maria.rohaly@gmail.com, www.missionfreeiran.com |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 17-01-2011 19:00 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Jailed for 11 years for challenging state abuses
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0117/1224287679662.html
Mon, Jan 17, 2011
In the first of a monthly series to mark the 50th birthday of Amnesty International, a profile of human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who is at present incarcerated in an Iranian jail
NASRIN SOTOUDEH is one of Iran’s best-known human rights lawyers. Her past clients include juvenile offenders facing the death penalty, victims of domestic violence and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi. She also defended men and women whose only crime was to participate in peaceful protests following the disputed Iranian presidential election in 2009.
The Iranian government is determined to silence all opposition. Detainees have been held incommunicado for days, weeks or even months while relatives are unable to find out where they are being held, or on what charges.
The secrecy surrounding these arrests makes it easier for interrogators to resort to torture, including rape, and mock executions, to extract forced “confessions” which are used later as evidence in trial.
These are the people that Nasrin stood up for, the human rights abuses that she challenged, and that is why this 45 year-old mother of two young children was sentenced to 11 years in prison earlier this month.
She was warned. She received threats from the Iranian authorities telling her to stop her work on behalf of her clients. They told her she could face reprisals if she continued to speak up, but she refused to be intimidated.
Nasrin was arrested on September 4th after her home and offices were searched. She was taken to Evin prison in Tehran, a place notorious for the torture, rape and execution of prisoners. There she was held in solitary confinement, allowed only very limited contact with her family and her lawyer.
Twice, Nasrin went on hunger strike to protest her innocence, at one stage refusing water as well, only to come off her protest after the intervention of her family.
The effects of her imprisonment and the hunger strikes have seriously damaged her health. When her husband was last allowed to see her at the start of the month, she was physically very weak.
As well as her 11-year prison sentence, Nasrin was also banned from practising as a lawyer, or leaving the country, for the next 20 years. And this is what the Iranian authorities are afraid of. It fears human rights activists such as Nasrin Sotoudeh who refuse to back down in the face of threats and harassment, who stand up for human rights in Iran.
Now Nasrin needs your help. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Amnesty International. To mark this, in association with The Irish Times, over each of the coming 12 months we will profile a prisoner of conscience, someone held in prison solely for their work in support of human rights. And we will ask you to join us in working for their release.
Despite the image it likes to portray publicly, the Iranian government is not immune to international pressure. Prisoners have been released, conditions of detention eased, executions postponed or abandoned because enough people like you decided it is not just enough to read about human rights abuses, you must act.
Please write now calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Nasrin Sotoudeh to
His Excellency, the Iranian ambassador to Ireland:
Mr Hossein Panahiazar, Embassy of Iran, 72 Mount Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Or log on to www.amnesty.ie, and take action online. |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 25-01-2011 16:11 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Iranian opposition activists hanged for protest footage
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12272067
A protester in Hamburg, Germany holds up pictures of Iranian opposition activists Jafar Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Hajaghaei who were hanged in Iran, 24 January 2011 Iranian dissidents in Germany protested over the executions in Iran
Related stories
* The new cyber battlefield in Iran
* Iranian blogger temporarily freed
* Iran 'show trials' make sorry spectacle
Iranian authorities have hanged two men convicted of taking part in protests following the disputed presidential election in 2009.
Iranian prosecutors said Jafar Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Hajaghaei had taken photos and footage of the protests and distributed them on the internet.
They were also found guilty of chanting slogans promoting the exiled People's Mujahideen of Iran (PMOI).
A PMOI leader in France, Maryam Rajavi, described the executions as barbaric.
The People's Mujahideen of Iran is an exiled opposition group which has campaigned against clerical rule in Iran and, before that, the Iranian monarchy.
It is seen by Tehran as a terrorist cell in the pocket of Western security services but is also on Washington's list of proscribed organisations because of its history of violent attacks.
After the presidential election in 2009, the internet - and specifically social networking sites - became a crucial means of mobilising hundreds of thousands of Iranians who disputed the results to protest.
Hundreds of people were arrested after the protests and although most have been released, more than 80 people have been jailed for up to 15 years, and at least four other people convicted of involvement in the demonstrations are reported to be on death row. |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 29-01-2011 17:07 Post subject: |
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Yassamine Mather analyses recent events in Iran and looks at the growing tensions in the Islamic regime . Full text at link
| Quote: | Iran: Amadinejad slapped as factions turn on each other
Last week's stalemate in nuclear talks between Iran and the so-called 'five plus one' countries (US, China, France, Russia, Britain and Germany) came at a time when a number of events had already promised a turbulent start to the new year for Iranians: a plane crash for which sanctions must have been partly responsible; the execution of 53 prisoners, including four political prisoners, in less than three weeks; accusations by the 'principlist' faction of the regime that president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's closest ally, chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, is an "agent of foreign powers" (Israel); that vice-president Rahimi is corrupt; stories that Ahmadinejad was slapped in the face by a revolutionary guard commander; confirmation that Israel and US jointly sponsored the Stuxnet computer worm; the escalation of US sanctions against Iranian shipping companies; Afghan protests over Iran's month-long near blockade of cross-border fuel shipments; the passing of harsh sentences against film maker Jafar Panahi, 'human rights' lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and journalist Shiva Nazar Ahari; and a wave of workers' strikes demanding the release of all political prisoners.
Iranians have been looking at events in Tunisia with envy and websites have compared the success of the protests in overthrowing Ben Ali's government with the failure of larger, more militant protests last year in Iran to achieve similar results. Answering the question, "Why Tunis, not Iran?", one cartoonist sums up the feelings of frustration and anger amongst young Iranians: "Moussavi talks about the 'golden years' under Khomeini, Karroubi is nostalgic for the 'dear imam', Khatami supports velayate faghih [religious guardianship of the nation], Rafsanjani addresses Khamenei as the 'dear leader' ... Now do you get why Ben Ali fled and Seyyed Ali [Khamenei] is still in power?"
http://www.hopi-ireland.org/ |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 10-02-2011 19:44 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Stepping up solidarity
John McDonnell MP will launch a new campaign at the Hands Off the People of Iran (GB) annual conference this coming Saturday (February 12), reports Yassamine Mather
The 'Free Panahi! Free all political prisoners!' initiative is expected to pick up significant international support. Renowned film director Jafar Panahi has had a savage six-year jail sentence imposed on him, plus a 20-year ban on making films and travelling abroad, for the 'crime' of planning to make a film about the mass movement for democracy that spilled onto the streets of major Iranian cities in 2009.
The conference will also feature an important session on the latest imperialist threats against Iran in the context of the global economic crisis and the dynamic situation across the whole Middle East. It will discuss solidarity with Iranian workers and commemorate the 40th anniversary of a key act in the rebellion against the shah's regime.
According to information compiled by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, 121 individuals were hanged between December 20 2010 and January 31 2011. Amongst them were at least four political prisoners. We must do all we can to stop this wave of terror, and the campaign to end all executions and free all political prisoners will be a crucial part of Hopi's activities this year.
Fightback
The new wave of oppression unleashed in Iran has been directed against all opponents of the regime - including trade unionists, democracy campaigners and students.
But there have been stirrings of rebellion from below. Last week workers in Iran Khodro, the country's main car manufacturer, reported a major accident. Four workers died and 13 were injured when a worker who was unwell and exhausted after repeated shifts had been forced to come to work. The truck he was driving ran into a group of workers in the transport section of the plant during the night shift.
This sparked a protest by workers in every section of the plant. Rattled managers tried to remove the bodies, but angry workers stopped them. They got hold of the body of one of their dead colleagues and carried him around the plant shouting, "Death to Najmodin" (Iran Khodro's CEO). This is not the first time that workers in Iran Khodro have lost their lives at work - far from it. A large, spontaneous demonstration took place outside the factory and workers were involved in scuffles with both company security and the regime's revolutionary guards, and the protest spread rapidly to other plants.
Also this week workers at Iran's Alborz tyre factory resumed a strike over the non-payment of their wages - they had only received 50% of their back pay - and more than 5,000 workers at the Haft-Tapeh sugar cane factory in the southern province of Khuzistan were also on strike. Vahed Bus workers demonstrated in front of the prison where their leaders are detained, including Mansour Osanloo, who is serving a five-year sentence for union activities. Meanwhile, truck drivers blocked main roads and ports in protest at price rises. Following the abolition of subsidies, including for fuel, the price of diesel has gone up by 25%. At the same time, according to the Islamic government's ministry of labour, the Iranian economy is shedding an average of 3,000 jobs a day.
These types of protests are not new, but what has changed over the last few weeks is the slogan, "Death to the dictator!", which has become the standard cry of workers' protests all over Iran. Ruben Markarian from the executive committee of the Organisation of Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar) will speak about workers' struggles in Iran and what we can do to support them at the Hopi conference.
Staking a claim
Both factions of the Islamic regime have claimed that the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen mark some kind of continuity with past events in Iran.
The leaders of the 'reformist' wing, Mir-Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi, were quick off the mark, describing the protests in Tunisia and later in Cairo as an extension of Iran's massive demonstrations of 2009, which challenged the legitimacy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency. Former 'reformist' president Hashemi Rafsanjani, not usually known for his outspokenness, also claimed affinity with protest movements in the Arab world. He stated that the people want to see the "bad elites" behind bars: "No dictator can stop popular movements ... People want democracy," he said.
However, last week Iran's supreme leader, ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Friday worshippers that the protests are an "Islamic uprising" in line with the principles of Iran's 1979 revolution. Khamenei's remarks immediately sparked rebuttals from Islamists in Tunisia and Egypt, where 12 Islamic groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood itself, issued statements denouncing the comparison.
While the 'reformist' green movement has called for demonstrations in support of Egyptian protests on February 14, it is not clear that they will go ahead if the ministry of interior refuses them permission.
Mike Macnair and Moshé Machover will lead a session on Iran and the international situation at the Hopi event.
War and sanctions
The world's attention might be turned to events in north Africa, but the threat of war on Iran (be it at the level of cyber war, sanctions or propaganda) has not gone away. On February 1 Defence secretary Liam Fox told MPs that it is "entirely possible" that Iran may develop a nuclear weapon by next year. During questions in the Commons Fox appeared to ratchet up the threats by stating it "would be worse for Iran to have a nuclear weapon" than for the west to organise an Iraq-style invasion of the country.
Following the failure of discussions between the six international mediators (Britain, China, Russia, USA, France and Germany) in the negotiations with Iran, the Iranian representatives are being accused of putting forward "unrealistic" proposals. Ominously, the French foreign minister and German chancellor have warned that western countries will tighten sanctions further if Iran does not comply with their demands.
Sanctions are clearly just one of a number of weapons used by the US and its allies. We now have confirmation that the Stuxnet virus was the product of US-Israeli intelligence cooperation. And interestingly, on the propaganda front, a controversial film - Iranium - about Iran's 'nuclear threat' was launched in US this week. The hour-long 'documentary' will be screened in cinemas across the United States and Canada and is also available on the internet. It is produced by Clarion Fund, an organisation founded by Canadian-Israeli film producer Raphael Store, whose self-proclaimed mission is to "educate Americans about issues of national security and the most urgent threat of radical Islam".
Iranium allegedly reveals Iran's plans to acquire nuclear weapons with the intention of using them against the west. It gives a brief history of Iran, from the Islamic Revolution up to the present day. It is an over-dramatised, neo-conservative view of the current conflict, based on material from the rabidly rightwing Fox News and featuring commentary from James Woolsey, an ex-CIA director who has long advocated bombing Iran. The film advocates pre-emptive strikes against what it labels the "sponsor of Islamic terrorism" to prevent it acquiring nuclear weapons.
Of course, despite the regime's own claims, Tehran is nowhere near nuclear capability. It is true that it is continuing to upgrade its conventional weaponry, however. On February 8, for example, the revolutionary guards test-fired a ballistic surface-to-sea missile capable of hitting targets within a 300km range. According to the chief commander of the revolutionary guards, general Mohammad Ali Jafari, the missile, called Persian Gulf, is supersonic, immune to interception and features high-precision systems. It is ironic that a country that cannot feed its population, a country where basic health and safety standards do not apply in workplaces like the Khodro plant, claims to have produced such a sophisticated weapon. Of course, this assumes that some of the images shown to the world media were not Photoshop-manufactured, as was the case with Iran's previous aerospace claims.
However, the regime's hyperbole does not excuse the continuing imperialist threats and we in Hopi are clear that we must keep our focus on the campaign's dual themes: No to imperialist war and sanctions. No to the theocratic regime.
Siahkal
February 8 was the 40th anniversary of the 1971 Siahkal uprising. In a forest in the north of Iran, a dozen or so young revolutionaries took up arms, having taken over a gendarmerie. They were rebelling not just against the shah's regime, but also against the Tudeh Party, the traditional 'official communist' party in Iran, whose name had become synonymous with compromise and betrayal.
Of course, it was suicidal for so few comrades to launch an armed struggle against the regime and inevitably a large number of those who did would be killed - 13 out of the 19 of what was the original cell of the Fedayeen died in the fighting and a number of members and supporters were executed later. Nevertheless, Siahkal had a considerable impact on the youth and student movements in Iran subsequently. It marked the birth of the new left - not just politically, but culturally too. Many of Iran's prominent contemporary poets have written extensively about the event.
Siahkal's historic significance cannot be ignored and at Hopi's AGM we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of this insurrection.
http://www.hopi-ireland.org/
http://hopoi.org/ |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 14-02-2011 19:20 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Maryam Namazie speaking at European Parliament on executions in Iran
On Tuesday 15 February Maryam Namazie will be speaking at a 1500 hours press conference and 18:30 meeting at the European Parliament on the rising executions in Iran at Avenue du President Robert Schuman, 67000 Strasbourg.
http://maryamnamazie.blogspot.com/ |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 14-02-2011 19:48 Post subject: |
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I put this on indymedia (not my reakl name).
| Quote: | Iranian state forces attack opposition rally in Tehran
by John Cornford
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/98930
So much for the Iranian Regimes support for democracy in Egypt and Tunisia. A solidarity demo in Tehran is attacked by state forces. The mullahs tremble as the time of change approachs in Iran. The regime in Iran is just as much a dictatorship as those that timbled in Tunisia and Egypt. Only an innocent or a charlatan would suggest otherwise.
The BBC reports: Iranian police have fired tear gas at opposition supporters participating in a rally in the centre of the capital, Tehran, called in solidarity with the popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
A BBC producer, who was affected by the gas, said there had been severe clashes and described a scene of "total chaos".
There were also reports of protests in the cities of Isfahan and Shiraz.
In their first major show of dissent since Ashura in December 2009, when eight people were killed, thousands of opposition supporters defied the government ban and gathered at Tehran's Azadi Square on Monday. They chanted "Death to dictators".
Riot police and plain-clothes police backed by the Republican Guards used tear gas to disperse the protesters. Other witnesses said police also fired paintball guns at demonstrators.
The fiercest clashes were reported on Azerbaijan Street, close to Azadi Square, and one witness said a number of ambulances had come and gone.
Police also later surrounded Tehran University and Sharif University, and the houses of former President Mohammad Khatami and Abdollah Nuri, a former interior minister and head of Tehran City Council.
Earlier, an activist wearing a green headband - the colour of the main opposition movement - was detained after he climbed a tall crane in the capital and began inviting people to attend Monday's demonstration.
Vid of crane incident at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12447225
The Irish Times reports: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia an "Islamic awakening", akin to the 1979 revolution that overthrew the US-backed shah.
But the opposition see the unrest as being more similar to their own protests following the June 2009 election which they say was rigged in favour of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia are clearly not in favour of an Islamist Dictatorship. They are secular democratic revolutions. Even the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt have made it clear that they have no desire to takr conrol. The Tunisian Islamists have made similar statements.
Change is coming for Iran but it will be change from within and from below. |
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