Iran Gov’t Targets Press as More Demonstrations Planned

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17 June 2009 :: staff

On Tuesday, as opposition demonstrations calling for a full accounting for all votes cast in Friday’s election spread, authorities revoked press credentials for foreign journalists and warned media not to report from the protest marches. Opposition leaders, protest organizers and some media staff have reportedly been rounded up and held in undisclosed locations.

The Ministry of Culture reportedly issued this warning to foreign journalists: “Hereby we inform all foreign media representatives to avoid any news coverage which has not been coordinated or authorised by this bureau”. The government has brazenly undertaken a nationwide crackdown to prevent the protests, and has promised to use any means necessary to block a “velvet revolution”.

There is mounting evidence of a power struggle between the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene’i and the former president Hashemi Rafsanjani, once considered a candidate for the post Khamene’i now holds. One report suggests the choice of candidates for the election actually amounted to a “proxy war” between the two old rivals. And Rafsanjani now appears to have called for an emergency meeting of the Assembly of Experts, the panel of clerics who have the power to seat or unseat the supreme leader.

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The BBC has shown scenes from the Tehran metro where passengers “spontaneously break into anti-government chanting”. The regime has sought to block foreign media sources, including efforts to shut down websites like the BBC’s, or foreign newspapers and blogs, or the messaging service Twitter. With opposition leadership figures like former vice president Mohammad Ali Abtahi and Said Hajjarian (a Mousavi backer) reportedly detained, the effort to clamp down on organized opposition is clearly escalating.

Mir Hossein Mousavi has called for a national day of mourning on Thursday, in recognition of those killed by security forces during yesterday’s demonstrations. Saying “A number of our countrymen were wounded or martyred,” the opposition leader called on ”the people to express their solidarity with the families … by coming together in mosques or taking part in peaceful demonstrations”.

Last night, opposition demonstrators carried out a massive “silent march” in order to demonstrate the peaceful nature of the opposition and legitimate their calls for credible investigations of electoral fraud. Mousavi has stressed that Thursday’s rallies should remain non-violent and seek to honor those killed so far. With all non-state media barred from reporting from rally sites, only limited pictures are emerging from Tehran today, but some observers estimated another rally of 500,000 in central Tehran, in support of the opposition.

UPDATE, 15:54 GMT: A new report suggests thousands of Revolutionary Guard troops are being deployed in Tehran, entering the capital from three sides, to expand the government’s crackdown on the opposition movement. While Mousavi is calling for nationwide peaceful demonstrations to honor those killed by security forces since the election, fear is growing that the government is contemplating a military solution.

UPDATE, 18:04 GMT: An image is now circulating that alleges to include two video captures of Iranian state-run television, reporting the election results on Friday. In the image, it appears that one of the opposition candidates, Mohsen Rezai, is listed as having amassed a total of 587,913 votes as of 13:53.

That total is 45,135 votes fewer than Rezai was reported to have four hours earlier, at 9:47, when he had 633,048, suggesting the numbers had been manipulated in the intervening time. Bloggers are suggesting the image is “proof” of vote-rigging, but the authenticity of the video captures has not been independently verified, nor has any official reason been given for the apparent modification in vote tallies.

UPDATE, 19:47 GMT: The sourcing of this video is not independently confirmed, but it alleges to show the shooting of an unarmed opposition supporter. The images are graphic, and some viewers may find them disturbing (posted to YouTube on the 15th):

Online discussions are suggesting Ahmedinejad “supporters”, possibly plainclothes security agents, took to the streets openly assaulting unarmed civilians and breaking into buildings. It has been repeatedly alleged today that the authorities want to “provoke” Mousavi supporters, in order to justifiy a brutal military crackdown, but unconfirmed online sources are saying it is pro-Ahmedinejad elements that are engaging in street violence.

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