Police blocked cars on their way to Pasargadae, the site of Cyrus the Great's tomb, and chased away hundreds who had convened at the complex in central Iran to celebrate Cyrus the Great Day on Thursday, according to opposition news sources.
October 29, designated as International Cyrus the Great Day, is the date the founder of the Persian Empire entered Babylon in 340 BC. His proclamation that day was inscribed on the Cyrus Cylinder, considered by some to be the world's first human rights charter.
Iranians from across the country were driving towards Persepolis and Pasargadae when their automobiles were blocked and turned around by the police on Thursday, according to Mardomak. The hundreds who had managed to make it to the mausoleum complex were chased away by security forces or blocked on the road going up to the tomb.
The following is footage (courtesy of mahastim.info and NedaSoltan Youtube channel)of some of the events that day. Security guards can be heard telling the people, 'The complex is closed.' One of the individuals tells the official, 'Someone was reading a poem about Cyrus and they took him away.'
Another person says, 'We are here for our patriotism, for Cyrus, for the human rights that find their source here.'
'I've come all the way from the Caspian Sea. Is this right?' complains one man, before another says, 'We've come from Ramsar, Abadan, from all over. We've come from all over.'
After conversing with the officials, the participants began chanting, 'We exist! We exist!' and 'Rest in peace Cyrus, we are awake!'
The crowd then shouted, 'Cyrus is our father, Iran is our homeland' and 'Long live Iran!'
They then chanted, 'Free thought is our inalienable right,' a noteworthy transformation of the regime slogan of 'Nuclear energy is our inalienable right' that had been prevalent in past years.
'Be free, oh Iran,' they shouted before embarking on a forceful rendition of the pre-revolutionary patriotic song 'Ey Iran.'
Saturday, October 31, 2009
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