|
Post by webm@ster on Jun 17, 2009 11:06:10 GMT -5
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran's opposition Wednesday pledged to continue protests over disputed presidential elections as authorities tightened controls on media, threatening Web sites reporting on the country's worst crisis for decades. Al-Alam footage shows Ahmadinejad supporters rallying Tuesday in central Tehran.
A
Opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi, who claims last week's re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was rigged, called on his supporters to join him on the streets of Tehran Thursday in the latest in a series of demonstrations.
Meanwhile, the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard -- which enforces strict Islamic codes -- said it will prosecute Web sites it accuses of inciting riots, adding to a ban on foreign media reporting on the protests and a block on Internet site such as Facebook or Twitter.
Even as the Guard made its announcement, thousands of Iranians planned to head to Haft-e-Tir Square in central Tehran on Wednesday evening despite a stepped-up government crackdown that has seen people arrested across the country. Video Watch Christiane Amanpour on media restrictions »
The scale of the protests, the worst seen in the country since a 1979 revolution overthrew its monarchy, Tuesday prompted Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has already endorsed Ahmadinejad's win, to appeal for calm, urging citizens to support the Islamic state.
His appeal came a day after at least seven people were killed during a pro-Moussavi demonstration in Tehran.
Moussavi, who has dismissed a move by Iran's Guardian Council election authority to hold a partial recount, Wednesday called on Iranians to "put on display all signs of mourning" to show sympathy for families of those killed.
Despite reported arrests across Iran, many protests pledged to continue defying government bans on their demonstration.
"We are fighting with our lives and the world is just watching," said Ali, a Tehran University student who did not want his full name used for safety reasons. "They see how the government is trying to silence us, how they are beating us -- but they don't come to our help. It's OK. We will succeed, even if we have to fight alone."
In Iran's southwestern city of Shiraz, 28-year-old hospital nurse Najmeh has also taken to the streets in mass demonstrations every day since Saturday, but says she is now too afraid to participate.
"The police are everywhere you look," she said. "They hurt and arrested so many people last night that one wants to go out."
U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated his "deep concerns" about the elections Tuesday but said: "My hope is that the Iranian people will take the right steps in order for them to be able to express their voices, express their aspirations." Video Watch world leaders' comments on Iran »
The European Union has also expressed concern about the use of force against protesters, but the countries have not dismissed the results outright.
On Tuesday night, riot police hauled demonstrators off to jail in Shiraz -- in some cases waiting outside hospital rooms while they were treated for injuries first -- according to hospital staff.
Pro-Ahmadinejad supporters, armed with bats and batons, rode through city streets in Tehran in a show of force. Video Watch government coverage of a pro-Ahmadinejad rally »
The government restricted access to news Web sites, such as CNN. It blocked social networking sites to prevent citizens from posting pictures of the protests. Video Watch how cyberspace is used by opposition »
And Tehran told reporters working for international news outlets, including CNN, they could not shoot footage of the protests. The government said it could not guarantee their safety.
"I do believe them because the militia, they don't care who you are. If they see a camera, you will be a target," said a CNN producer who is not being identified for safety reasons. Don't Miss
* Timeline of election aftermath * Iran: Foreign media supporting 'hooligans' * Q & A: Was the Iranian election rigged? * Iranians take their protests online * CNN.com in Arabic * Iranian-Americans keep tabs on election aftermath * iReport.com: Are you in Iran? Share your story with CNN
He was referring to the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary force that takes its orders from the Revolutionary Guard, and is suspected of being behind most of the violent acts.
The decision to ban international reporters from filming rallies was an apparent reaction to video showing violence at recent demonstrations in support of Moussavi.
The government has criticized some of that coverage and the images, describing them as biased.
Still, residents found ingenious ways to get their message to the outside world using proxy servers.
Their amateur videos and photographs began appearing on video-sharing sites, such as YouTube and CNN's iReport. iReport.com: On the ground in Iran
In most cases, the content was impossible to verify. Some were posted anonymously or through third parties. Others provided little information on where they were taken.
A video from Monday shot in Tehran showed a man firing repeatedly from a building rooftop, sending protesters scrambling for cover. Another showed demonstrators rushing through the crowd carrying an unconscious man, his shirt soaked red.
A still photograph showed five policemen stomping on a man while a woman in a black chador -- a full-length loose robe that women in Iran wear like a cloak -- screamed for them to stop.
"I have never seen anything like what we saw yesterday," said a man who sent in footage to iReport of a rally in Azadi, or Freedom, Square in central Tehran on Monday. "(The chants) were so loud, the building we were in was trembling."
Counter-demonstrations by Ahmadinejad backers have also drawn thousands, reflecting a deep fissure in the country. The protests have claimed at least seven lives. advertisement
Eighty-five percent of the country's 46 million eligible voters went to the polls on June 12 -- an unprecedented voter turnout.
The government declared Ahmadinejad the winner -- with 62.63 percent of the vote. Moussavi received 33.75 percent, surprising many experts who expected him to win. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend Share this on: Mixx Facebook Twitter Digg del.icio.us reddit MySpace StumbleUpon | Mixx it | Share
-- CNN's Samson Desta and Reza Sayah in Tehran, and Mitra Mobasherat and Saeed Ahmed in Atlanta contributed to this report.
|
|
|
Post by joeyfrancis on Jun 17, 2009 11:53:14 GMT -5
100,000 people protested silently in the streets of Tehran today.
|
|
|
Post by NYR on Jun 17, 2009 15:31:51 GMT -5
i was coerced into making a twitter account recently. i made my time zone to tehran, like many others, in order to make things harder for the iranian censors.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2009 5:55:25 GMT -5
Iran protests 'to go ahead'A key rally against Iran's presidential elections will go ahead - in defiance of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - opposition sources say. The wife of defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, and an aide to another rival candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, said the rally would go ahead. Mr Mousavi later announced he would be making a statement imminently. Police warned they would arrest the leaders of any protest rallies, which they said would be illegal. The warning follows a demand from Ayatollah Khamenei on Friday that street protests should cease. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8110582.stmi fear its going to get very bloody, after the speech yesterday the pressure is on.
|
|
|
Post by MEANSTREAK on Jun 20, 2009 6:17:31 GMT -5
Now the word is that former President Khatami (the moderate who was defeated by Ahmadinejad the first time) will be joining in the fray. I'm thinking if these protests continue to spread the guardian council will have only 2 choices.
1 - Have an internationally monitored run-off between Moussavi and Ahmadinejad or
2 - Order the revolutionary guard to start shooting protesters en masse
It's probably gonna get nasty in the next couple of weeks
|
|
|
Post by MEANSTREAK on Jun 20, 2009 7:00:59 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by NYR on Jun 20, 2009 19:30:41 GMT -5
nice denis leary quote.
|
|
|
Post by lampard on Jun 20, 2009 20:43:19 GMT -5
mahmoud ahmadinejad is a fucking nutcase.
|
|
|
Post by MEANSTREAK on Jun 21, 2009 3:27:38 GMT -5
lol ya, but changed up a bit to reflect the present day of course!
|
|