Live blog - Student Day - Monday, 7 December 2009

That's it for today. I'll try to present a more detailed picture of today's protests through eyewitness accounts, footage, and photos tomorrow.


4:45 PM GMT - 8:15 PM Tehran time
Rasht
First footage purportedly from today in Gilan University:



4:30 PM GMT - 8:00 PM Tehran time
Kermanshah
First footage purportedly from today in Kermanshah University:


Caller to BBC Persian: All these dates and ceremonies that the Islamic Republic has stuffed into Iran's calendar have become a thorn in the regime's side. I guarantee that there will be another occasion very soon for us to protest once again.

Callers from Isfahan, Yazd, Ilam, and Tabriz describe widespread protests against the government.


4:00 PM GMT - 7:30 PM Tehran time
The following are accounts by callers and e-mailers on BBC Persian's 'Your Turn' program.

Mehran from Tehran: They bused Basijis into Tehran University and they were given loudspeakers. I didn't see anyone get arrested, but I saw some students getting beaten up.

Ramin in Tehran: The Basijis were even more violent than on November 4. I saw a girl being dragged on the ground in Amir Kabir University by the Basijis.

Nahid in Tehran: The people were supporting the students, even though the security forces showed particular violence. I was on a bus when they threw a tear gas canister into the vehicle. The bus driver had to open the doors so we could get out. There was so much tear gas that even some police officers asked us for cigarettes so they could use the smoke to counter the tear gas.

Massoud in Mazandaran: The plainclothesmen attacked Sari University, where I study. We'll fight to the last drop of our blood for freedom. The people outside the university were supporting us. I heard from a friend at Rasht University that it was the same situation over there. I've had my share of being beaten with batons and I'm not afraid any more. We have no hope. We're just studying to keep busy.

Email from a student from Sanandaj University: The university was in turmoil today. We'll continue fighting for our rights.

Email from Ahvaz: It was like martial law. Every group of even two or three people was attacked by security forces.

Email from Shiraz: Young and old, man and woman, were beaten. We'll keep coming, even if they might kill us.


3:45 PM GMT - 7:15 PM Tehran time
Tehran
To be fair and balanced, here's a photo of Basijis at Tehran University (looks more like 6.3% than 63%. Please compare to previous footage of the large number of protesters singing 'Yareh Dabestani Man' at Tehran University.):

3:30 PM GMT - 7:00 PM Tehran time
Hamedan
Disturbing reports of vicious attacks on students at Hamedan's Bou Ali Sina University. Gooya News writes that several students were seriously injured, including a young man who was thrown out of an upstairs window by Basijis. The young man had been transferred to a hospital.

Tehran
Photo of protest at Science and Research Azad University:

Isfahan:



3:00 PM GMT - 6:30 PM Tehran time
Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi called for talks with those who protest the results of the elections. 'After all, there are 13 or 14 million of them, and they're citizens of this country too,' he said. Makarem Shirazi was referring to the 'official results' of the presidential election which claimed Mousavi had garnered about 14 million votes (less than 37%).

Isfahan
Demonstrators in the streets of Isfahan:


Tehran
'Death to Khamenei!':



2:45 PM GMT - 6:15 PM Tehran time
Tehran
A rock-strewn street in Tehran, purportedly earlier today, as protesters shout 'Khamenei is a murderer, his guardianship is annulled!':


And the same message on another street:



2:30 PM GMT - 6:00 PM Tehran time
Mashhad
More footage purportedly from Mashhad earlier today:


Tehran
Caller on ePersian Radio: I'm on Vali Asr and people are still arriving.

Various reports claim that Hashemi Rafsanjani's daughter, Faezeh Hashemi, was arrested at the Science and Research University. This footage purports to show Faezeh Hashemi at a demonstration today:


Science and Technology students shouting through the fence atthe security forces - 'Get lost paid lackeys!' and 'Death to the dictator!':


Purportedly on Jomhouri Street earlier today:



2:15 PM GMT - 5:45 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Tehran is so unequivocally in turmoil that even sites close to the regime have to admit something is going on. Tabnak reported an hour ago that protests were taking place at Science and Research University (Elm-o Tahghighat), Science and Industry University (Elm-o Sanat), and Sharif University. Minutes ago, Tabnak reported that shots had been fired into the air on Enghelab Street and that tear gas had been employed on Vali Asr Square and Vali Asr Street. Tabnak belongs to former IRGC commander and presidential candidate Mohsen Rezai.

Caller to ePersian Radio: The security forces are dismayed and exhausted. Only 30% of security forces are cracking down on the people. The rest aren't doing anything. You should see the energy and courage of the women. If only a few more people join us, we can take over Enghelab Street. Tell people to join us.


2:00 PM GMT - 5:30 PM Tehran time
Tehran

Majid Tavakoli

Amir Kabir University student leader Majid Tavakoli was arrested minutes ago when he left the campus. Tavakoli was released from prison on June 3, after his second stint in Evin.

Photos of plainclothes regime goons arresting a protester near Enghelab Street:

1:45 PM GMT - 5:15 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Very heavy traffic is reported in Tehran. The opposition planned to bring traffic to a standstill at 5 PM and had called on protesters to simply come out into the streets with their cars.

Photos posted by the Jonbesheh Raheh Sabz (Green Path Movement) show police working alongside club-wielding plainclothesmen and Basijis, some very young, as they throw rocks at opposition protesters in streets near Tehran University:

1:30 PM GMT - 5:00 PM Tehran time
Kerman
First footage coming in from Kerman University:


Tehran
Footage showing Amir Kabir students breaking the locked university gate, as was reported previously in this blog:


First footage coming from Khajeh Nassir Tousi University:


Bardia, reporter for ePersian Radio, on-site in Tehran: I'm near Enghelab Square. When I reported for you on November 4 (NB Anniversary of the takeover of the US embassy, when opposition protesters exploited the official ceremonies to stage mass rallies), the demonstrations petered out around 2:30 PM. But now, it's almost 5 PM, and the protests are still going on. They're beating the people, but the protesters aren't leaving. I even think that a few individuals were killed. I saw some people lying on the ground, other protesters surrounding them, but the demonstrations are still going on. 


1:10 PM GMT - 4:40 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Footage of the large number of students at Tehran University singing the protest anthem 'Yareh Dabestani Man':


Footage purportedly showing elderly lady as she recovers after being beaten by security forces:


Amir Kabir University students wave money at Basijis because they are paid lackeys:



12:40 PM GMT - 4:10 PM Tehran time
ePersian Radio has been struck off the Hotbird satellite by electrical interference, making it impossible for Iranians to listen to the programs, according to ePersian reports which can still be heard on the Internet.

Isfahan
First footage coming in from Isfahan University:


Tehran
'Salute to the protesting students':


Footage of Elm-o Sanat University... 'We are women and men of war, fight and we'll fight back!'



12:30 PM GMT - 4:00 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Tabnak news, former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezai's news site, confirms that 'plainclothesmen entered Amir Kabir University and broke windows.'

The Islamic Republic News Agency has finally reported that clashes have broken out between protesters ('rioters') and security forces in the streets around Tehran University.

The following footage purports to be from today. Of note: Protesters in T-shirts may mean the video is from earlier this year, however I have not seen this footage before:



12:10 PM GMT - 3:40 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Protesters are fighting back in several locations around Tehran: Ferdowsi Square, Vali Asr Street, Enghelab Street, 7th Tir Square. The security forces are countering protesters in 7th Tir Square with particular aggression.

This video is purportedly of Amir Kabir University at around 1:30 PM local time:

Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

And other photos from Amir Kabir University. The neighboring Arts College entrance can be seen, with the words 'Mousavi' and a green 'V' spray-painted on it:

 

11:55 AM GMT - 3:25 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Photo purporting to be from Elm-o Sanat University:

And Amir Kabir Polytechnic University:

11:40 AM GMT - 3:10 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Plainclothesmen led a charge into Amir Kabir University and threw rocks at the students. But they quickly retreated. Unfortunately several students were injured in the attack.

Young woman to Radio Farda: Students who attempted to leave the university individually were arrested. I'm sorry, I have to run. They're attacking the people from the south, from Vali Asr Junction. We were told the demo would be from 10 AM to 5 PM, but this is going to go on until late into the night.

Young man to Radio Farda: The protesters have lit a trash can on fire to counter the tear gas. The sky is full of rocks being thrown from both sides.

Young man to Radio Farda: It's 1PM and I'm at Ferdowsi Square. The situation is much worse than I thought. Tehran has become an army barracks. The people are simply asking for their rights, but in front of us, there are people who do not refrain from using their batons, even against mothers. There are a lot of people 7th Tir Square, going towards Tehran University. This is a lose-lose situation for the regime. I just hope that a heavy toll is not imposed on the people.


11:20 AM GMT - 2:50 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Tabnak, the news site of former Revolutionary Guards head and presidential candidate Mohsen Rezai, has published a report confirming the unprecedented security presence around Tehran's universities. The report, posted an hour ago, also speaks of heavy automobile traffic hours before the opposition's planned 5 PM attempt to bring traffic in the capital to a halt. 'On Enghelab Street, from Vali Asr Junction to Enghelab Square, heavy traffic has been reported. The police is attempting to alleviate the problem by directing cars into the bus lane,' Tabnak writes. Tabnak, still close to the regime, claims that there are no protests in universities or the streets.


11:05 AM GMT - 2:35 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Ferdowsi Square and streets leading to it are the scenes of widespread clashes, according to a caller on ePersian Radio. Caller claims protesters are preparing Molotov cocktails to throw atthe security forces and their motorcycles.

Security forces are attacking protesters on Vali Asr Street, near gate of Amir Kabir Polytechnic University. A poster of Ahmadinejad was set on fire, according to university source, and tear gas was fired into the crowd. Regime goons broke into the university and started breaking windows.

Al Arabiya reports that Ferdowsi University in Mashhad is in chaos. Reporter says this is the beginning of the end for the regime.

New footage purporting to be from Amir Kabir University from much earlier today:



10:55 AM GMT - 2:25 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Reports of very harsh skirmishes in Abou Reyhan Street near Tehran University. A Basij motorcycle was set on fire. A young woman is said to be leading the protesters, according to ePersian Radio.

Serious problems in mobile telephone and Internet services in Tehran.


10:40 AM GMT - 2:10 PM Tehran time
Mashhad
Video purporting to be from Mashhad's Ferdowsi University earlier today. 'Basiji get lost!':


Tehran
Severe clashes reported on Jomhouri Street, between Hafez and Istanbul streets. Tear gas was fired into covered walkways and malls where protesters were taking refuge.

Al Arabiya reports that live rounds were fired in Palestine Street, near Tehran University.

Caller to ePersian Radio: I'm on 7th Tir Square. The girls are like judo fighters! You should see the girls, how they hit the plainclothesmen with sticks and stones and then run away! But they're getting beaten too.


10:30 AM GMT - 2:00 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Bardia, ePersian radio reporter on site: I'm in front of Amir Kabir University. Massive number of security troops have moved into the street and are beating people mercilessly. They're really savagely pounding the people. I don't know how many people died today. I personally saw two ladies who were sprawled on the street.


10:25 AM GMT - 1:55 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Footage purpoting to be of Basij motorcyclists rushing towards Tehran University:


Amir Kabir University gate has been broken, according to the university student organization's live blog.


10:15 AM GMT - 1:45 PM Tehran time
Tehran
First videos purporting to be from Tehran University this morning. Of note: Flags are the Iranian tricolor without the seal of the Islamic Republic:



10:10 AM GMT - 1:40 PM Tehran time
Tehran
First photos of Amir Kabir University coming in... The small group holding banners in the bottom right-hand corner of the photo are the Basijis. The rest are the anti-regime protesters.

Original Video- More videos at TinyPic


10:00 AM GMT - 1:30 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Crowd growing in Imam Hossein Square, according to several reports.

Fars news, close to the Revolutionary Guards, only reports that 2,000 pro-regime students are demonstrating at Tehran University and chanting 'Death to opponents of the Supreme Leader!' as they make their way to the university mosque.


9:50 AM GMT - 1:20 PM Tehran time
Tehran
About 2,000 Amir Kabir students are facing off a group of about 200 plainclothesmen and a few Basij students at the main gate on Vali Asr Street, according to the university's live blog.


9:45 AM GMT - 1:15 PM Tehran time
Isfahan
Reports of clashes between plainclothesmen and students at Najafabad Azad University in Isfahan.


9:40 AM GMT - 1:10 PM Tehran time
Arak
Arak University students burned Ahmadinejad's photgraph, according to ePersian Radio.

Tehran
Tajrish Square, northern Tehran, is being blocked by security forces attempting to stop protesters from going downtown.

Caller to ePersian Radio: I live across from Tehran University and saw Dr. Zahra Rahnavard, Mousavi's wife, trying to get into Tehran University. She was repelled by the police.

Caller from 7th Square: (loud sounds of protesters chanting and cars honking incessantly) I'm on 7th Tir Square. I ran over from Ferdowsi Square. The people are chanting. I can't talk any longer.


9:30 AM GMT - 1:00 PM Tehran time
Tehran
First footage coming from behind Sharif University's main gate. 'Poliseh zedeh shouresh, Ahmadi-ro beshouresh!' (Anti-riot police, go wash Ahmadi!)



9:25 AM GMT - 12:55 PM Tehran time
Tabriz
Protest has started at Tabriz University while growing number of people outside the university are beaten by security forces as they try to approach the campus from Falakeh.

Tehran
Green kites are being flown inside Sharif University and can be seen by protesters outside the campus, according to Khabar online.

New important slogan: 'Mousavi bahanast, kolleh nezam neshounast!' (Mousavi is an excuse, the whole regime is the target!)


9:05 AM GMT - 12:35 PM Tehran time
Shiraz
As heavy rain falls on the city: 'Natarsid, natarsid, ma hameh ba ham hastim!' (Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we're all together!) Crowd growing in Mollah Sadra street and Danshjou Junction as regime goons attack the people.

Today's slogans:
'Khamanei bedouneh, bezoudi sarnegouneh!' (Khamanei should know that he will soon be overthrown!)
'Ghazeh-o Lobnan kaman, raftan soragheh Yaman!' (Gaza and Lebanon weren't enough, they've gone to Yemen!)


9:00 AM GMT - 12:30 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Streets surrounding Ferdowsi Square are suddenly filling up with people all the way to Imam Hossein Square.

Live on ePersian Radio: Sounds of chanting on Ferdowsi square. Seconds later, the caller shouts, 'No, don't beat--' and is cut off.


8:50 AM GMT - 12:20 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Caller to ePersian Radio: Students were shouting 'Death to the dictator! behind Tehran University gates. People in the street chanted in support of the students. Then Basiji motorcyclists carged the people who dispersed into the side streets. But they regroyuped minutes later. There are clashes near Amir Kabir University, north of Vali Asr Junction.


8:35 AM GMT - 12:05 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Caller to ePersian Radio: I'm in front of the Enghelab Hotel on Takhteh Jamshid. The crowd is growing by the minute. On Vali Asr, they were beating the people in front of the City Theater. The Basijis on motorcycles would come onto the sidewalk and either shoot in the air or use some kind of firework with a loud bang.


8:30 AM GMT - 12:00 PM Tehran time
Tehran
Several reports that the sound of 'Death to the dictator' can heard inside Sharif University.

Eyewitness to Mardomak: Demonstration in front of Leader Khamenei's representative office inside Shahid Beheshti University.


8:15 AM GMT - 11:45 AM Tehran time
Tehran
Hassan, caller on ePersian Radio: People are clashing with the security forces in Enghelab (Revolution) Square. A large number of people have managed to make it here. Enghelab Square is in trumoil! Skirmishes on the side of Tehran University towards Foozieh. 

Bardia, reporter for ePersian Radio: I'm at 24 Esfand Square (old name of Enghelab Square), going towards Vali Asr. They're beating the people. (to security forces) Don't beat them! Don't beat them! Okay, I'll leave. (to radio host) They fired into the air. The women are cursing the security troops. This is just a small part of the street that I'm talking about, but clashes are occurring all along Enghelab Street. (sounds of demonstrators chanting 'Political prisoners must be freed!' and 'Death to the dictator!') Yes, yes, I'm leaving. (Bardia's phone is cut.)


8:00 AM GMT - 11:30 AM Tehran time
Tehran
A strange report in today's ultra-conservative Keyhan daily says that opposition leaders will seek to radicalize the student movement through 'student deaths' in today's protests. Regime covering its backside and blaming any deaths today on agents of the opposition?


7:45 AM GMT - 11:15 AM Tehran time
Tehran
Reuters reports heavy police presence surrounding Tehran University.

Caller on ePersian Radio says mobile telephone service is disrupted. He is in the subway, which is particularly busy, and on his way to Tehran University.


7:30 AM GMT - 11:00 AM Tehran time
Tehran
First photos of Tehran University this morning... As previously reported, white banners around Tehran University and security troops stationed every few meters around the campus perimeter:

7:15 AM GMT - 10:45 AM Tehran time
Tehran
Security forces have set up barriers around Tehran University and white banners have been hoisted around the fences to prevent people from seeing inside the campus. The banners have slogans wishing Muslims a happy Eid Al-Ghadir.

Caller to ePersian Radio: I'm at Azadi Square now and there are thousands of security troops stationed along the streets. Main gate of Tehran University is closed and they're hiding the interior of the campus with banners.

Opposition web sites report plainclothesman, Basijis on motorcycles, regular police, in the thousands at Ferdowsi Square to Enghelab Square, Towhid Junction to Sharif University, Azadi Street. Passengers on Tehran buses were taking photos of the 'martial presence.' A bus driver said that Tehran transit drivers have been told that bus lines passing through the Enghelab-Azadi area may be closed today.


7:00 AM GMT - 10:30 AM Tehran time
Tehran
Six routes planned for today's marches, starting at 3 PM in order to arrive at Tehran University at 5 PM:
1. Azadi Square - Enghelab Square - Tehran University
2. Sattar Khan - Tehran University
3. 7th Tir Square - Karim Khan Zand Street - Tehran University
4. University Street - North Kargar Street - Tehran University
5. Amir Kabir University - Vali Asr - Tehran University
6. Ferdowsi Square - Tehran University

Caller on ePersian Radio describes massive security presence already at Ferdowsi Square, preventing pedestrians from walking towards Tehran University.


6:30 AM GMT - 10:00 AM Tehran time
Tehran
Strong security presence surrounding Tehran University, according to caller on ePersian Radio.


Last night
In anticipation of Student Day, Iranians had been called to shout from their rooftops. Here are a few videos from last nights chants...
Tehran

Basij commander allegedly shoots Tehran traffic control chief in the foot

Behrouz, in tan jacket

Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naghdi, the new head of the Basij militia, shot the Tehran traffic control chief, Hojjatollah Behrouz, in the foot at a crisis meeting on Tuesday, December 1, according to opposition web sites.

The meeting had been called to prepare for opposition plans to bring Tehran automobile traffic to a halt on December 7, Student Day in Iran, at 5 PM. The opposition, particularly students, are expected to hold mass protests throughout the country on that day.

opposition posterThe Basij commander allegedly pulled out his sidearm during a heated exchange with Behrouz and shot him in the foot, according to an e-mail reproduced on opposition web sites. The e-mail purports to be from a journalist in a reformist newspaper. Some reports claim the journalist belongs to the editorial staff of Aftabeh Yazd daily and that the newspaper's editor-in-chief has decided not to publish the news in tomorrow's edition.

Senior IRGC officers and traffic control directors attended the emergency meeting held on Tuesday, according to a participant, to discuss ways to counter deliberate disruptions in Tehran's automobile traffic on December 7. Tempers rose when traffic control chief Behrouz apparently told Naghdi that it would be impossible to neutralize such efforts if they were widespread.

'This news has been reported through several channels [...] and it appears to be true,' said Mohsen Sazegara, a founder of the IRGC and currently a dissident in Washington, in his daily video address on Sunday (starts at 5:03 mark):


'At a meeting held at the traffic control center in Tehran's City hall, Mr. Hojjatollah Behrouz said that his office and Tehran's City Hall did not have the capability to control people who were planning to block traffic by coming out into the streets with their cars on December 7,' says Sazegara in the video. 'General Naghdi [...], with his corrupt record, apparently lost his temper and shot Mr. Behrouz in the foot and sent him to the hospital.'

Activist Salman Sima's arbitrary detention, broken ribs: When students become 'threats to national security'

Salman Sima

Student activist Salman Sima was arrested outside his home in the early hours of November 4, 2009. Security agents had been lying in wait for the Azad University student who had stayed away from the apartment for several days.

The regime has been rounding up student activists and leaders in a desperate attempt to prevent widespread protests planned for December 7, Student Day in Iran. (NB Student Day in Iran is different from International Student Day which is on November 17. Student Day in Iran is December 7 -- 16th of the Iranian month of Azar -- and, while celebrating student activism in general, it is also a commemoration of the slaying of three Tehran University students by the Shah's police in 1953, shortly after the coup that brought the Shah back to power.)

Salman Sima is a member of the Advareh Tahkimeh Vahdat, the national alumni association. The Advar is an associate organization of the Daftareh Tahkimeh Vahdat, the Office to Consolidate Unity, which is Iran's largest student organization.

Sima spent 34 days in solitary confinement last year and was released on $60,000 bail in early August 2008. He had been arrested in early July 2008, prior to demonstrations marking the 9th anniversary of the student uprising and regime crackdown of July 9, 1999.

Sima graduated with a degree in industrial engineering from the Azad University - South Tehran Branch and is currently a graduate student in energy economics at Azad University - Central Tehran Branch. As an undergraduate student, he published Sokhaneh Tazeh (New Comment) newspaper which was subsequently banned. After organizing a December 7 ceremony in 2006, he was deprived of the right to study for two semesters and was forced to relocate to Azad University - Karaj. But in Karaj, he was instrumental in organizing another December 7 event in 2008, the only such ceremony in a university in Tehran province that year.

Sima's sister was interviewed by the Voice of America on December 2. The following is the video and translation of the interview:



VOA anchor Setareh Derkhshesh:
Over 15 students remain in detention in the days leading up to Student Day on Monday. Salman Sima is one of them. He was arrested because of his activities in Azad University. His family, who finally managed to see him 20 days after his arrest, said that he was beaten in prison to such a degree that his ribs were broken. Arash Sigarchi spoke to Saedeh Sima, his sister, by telephone.

Saedeh Sima:
...November, he was arrested in front of the house. Several people came upstairs with Salman and searched his room for an hour. They took a computer and several CDs. Whet we know, what they told us, is that he is in wing 209 of Evin prison.

Arash Sigarchi:
Why was he arrested?

Saedeh Sima:
There's no particular reason. The warrant cited acts against national security. But I think that Salman, like his friends who are in prison, is simply a freedom-seeker who has been active for the cause of liberty. In a country which is a dictatorship and whose government comes to power through a coup d'état, freedom-seekers and political activists who struggle for freedom have no place but prison. I hope that all political prisoners, particularly these students who have been arrested on the eve of December 7 (NB Student Day), are freed.

Arash Sigarchi:
Have you taken any legal steps and have these been effective?

Saedeh Sima:
Yes, we've taken many steps. We went to the Revolutionary Court... But they haven't given us any proper answers.

State radio-television web sites hacked

At least a dozen web sites connected to the Islamic regime's radio and television broadcasters were hacked early this morning in an orchestrated operation.

The attacked web sites include Radio Javan, Radio Payam, Radio Varzesh, Radio Tehran, Radio Qoran, the literary section of the state radio-television's web site, and the Jomeh Irani (NB Iranian Friday) program.

The hackers, calling themselves Y! Underground, substituted the homepages of the attacked web sites with the above image. The Farsi text reads, 'We will stand until the end.' The title of the pages became 'Defaced by Y! Underground.' Most of the web sites were quickly closed down by their technical staff.

The group claimed it has five members -- Y4ho0, Blackc0der, Aroush4, l2odon, and Slash -- and posted a Yahoo! e-mail address, y4ho0_emperor@yahoo.com.

As of 3 PM GMT today, service has been restored on Radio Payam's site, but others like Radio Javan continue to be down. Radio Javan's page on the Islamic Republic of Iran's (IRIB) web site is also unavailable. The link to Radio Varzesh has not been provided because Google considers it an attack site.

Astonishingly, the literary section of IRIB's web site continues to show the image placed on it by the hackers.

New video shows censored portions of Abtahi's confession

Akbar Alami

A new video of a jailed opposition figure's confessions was released by a group close to the Islamic regime in mid-November, but the footage went unnoticed until it was posted by a former reformist legislator on Wednesday. (video and translation at the end of this report)

Akbar Alami, representative from Tabriz in the past two legislatures, posted the footage of Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a former vice president in the government of reformist President Mohammad Khatami, on his personal web site. The new video, initially released by the hardliner group Bachehayeh Ghalam, appears to show segments of Abtahi's court confession which were censored from the state radio-television's extensive coverage.

Abtahi, a senior aide to opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi and a member of the reformist Association of Combatant Clerics, was arrested shortly after the disputed election of June 12. He was among the dozens of personalities who were brought before a show trial at the beginning of August.

Abtahi made what was widely believed to be a coerced confession in court. On August 2, he and Mohammad Atrianfar, a senior member of the Executives of Construction party close to Assembly of Experts head Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, appeared in a televised 'news conference' and again admitted to their supposed transgressions and denied that they had been tortured or fed psychotropic drugs in prison. (A translation of the transcript of an Iranian state radio program on the August 2 'news conference' can be read on Juan Cole's blog.)

Abtahi was sentenced to six years in prison and released on bail of 700 million toumans (about $700,000) on Sunday, November 22.

The reasons for the circulation of the new footage at this particular moment are uncertain, but former Tabriz representative Akbar Alami's critical tone on his blog towards Abtahi and the enormous number of comments it has provoked indicates that at least one consequence has been a rift among some reformists.

'During the time Mr. Abtahi spent in prison, he accused a number of individuals and groups of deviation and committing distasteful and illegal activities,' says Alami on his blog. 'Now that he is outside prison and has access to the media and his own web site, public opinion expects him to clearly express his official and honest position on the comments he made while incarcerated.'

Many users criticized Alami for his unflinching stand and said that some individuals, like Abtahi, had succumbed to pressure in prison. Alami responded, 'Dear friend, in politics they don't only hand out sweets. A person who seeks to become a fighter must also accept threats and pressure, as Khosro Golesorkhi did.' (NB Golesorkhi was a Communist activist who was executed by the Shah's government in 1974. He refused to repent during his trial, an act which would have saved his life. When the judge told him to present his final defense, he said, 'I have nothing to say in my defense. I can only speak in defense of my people.' the following is a video of that trial, which was televised:)


Alami continued, 'They've set up five serious court cases against me for insulting sanctities, the Revolutionary Guards, the Basij... Should I, because of these threats, stop writing and speaking about justice and start flattering the authorities and justify their actions and deny my own beliefs and insult other people? I just want to know what happened in prison and whether the confessions of Abtahi and Shariati and Hajjarian and Atrianfar were voiced out of conviction.'

In another response to a comment, Alami points out that some jailed figures such as Behzad Nabavi and Mostafa Tajzadeh, senior members of the Organization of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, have not implicated anyone in the show trials.

Alami was disqualified by the Guardian Council from running in the 2008 legislative elections. According to Rooz online, one of Alami's serious transgressions was a speech he made in Zanjan in 2007. In that address, Alami had said, 'Imam Hussein can form a cabinet too, but because I have taken an oath to ‎defend the rights of the people and the nation’s interests, if I determine that the Imam’s ‎cabinet has undermined the Constitution, I will impeach that Imam’s cabinet.'

Some of the information from the new footage, particularly Abtahi's account of an alleged meeting between opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, Khatami, and Rafsanjani on June 13, had already been revealed by dailies and news services close to the regime at the time of the show trials.

'Mr. Mousavi, Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani, and Mr. Khatami held a joint meeting on the Saturday right after the election,' says Abtahi in the video. 'That day, the group established a very strong support front for Mr. Mousavi.'

However, it is primarily the new information in the videotaped confession that may provide the most concrete clues as to the source of the footage and the motives for its release.

Abtahi clearly states that Mousavi began opposing the regime out of ignorance. 'Mr. Mousavi really had no idea about what was going on in the country,' says Abtahi. This places Mousavi in a much more lenient light than Khatami and Rafsanjani who are accused respectively of being treacherous and vengeful.

A number of senior conservative figures within in the regime, including former Majlis Speaker and Khamenei confidant Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, have been working on a plan to re-establish 'national unity' between conservatives and reformists in order to resolve the post-election crisis. They have strived to isolate and neutralize 'extreme elements' on both sides of the equation -- people like former Tehran Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi on the right and Ayatollah Youssef Saanei among the reformists -- as they try to provide Mousavi with a face-saving way to come in from the cold. Branding Mousavi as a sheep who has strayed from the flock may be their misguided attempt to achieve this. These efforts have failed miserably thus far.

Ayatollah Saanei, an extremely vocal critic of the regime, is incidentally mentioned in Abtahi's truncated confessions which implicate not only reformist clerics in the Ghom seminaries, but also the Association of Combatant Clerics which is close to Khatami and Etemad Melli party chief Mehdi Karroubi.

But the veiled warnings do not stop there. Rafsanjani is roundly accused by Abtahi of being one of the masterminds behind the plot for the 'soft overthrow' of the regime. As the head of the Assembly of Experts, he is one of the few men in Iran who has the nominal power to replace Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Rafsanjani is widely believed to have met with other members of the Assembly of Experts after the post-election unrest to at least discuss the possible dismissal of Khamenei.

It is interesting to note that the only other person to be accused in the new footage is Majid Ansari, a member of the Assembly of Experts.

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Video and translation:



The following is a translation of Mohammad Ali Abtahi's statements on the new footage(To download the video from Akbar Alami's web site, click here.):

Mohammad Ali Abtahi:
He (NB opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi) also made the false assumption that he was a part of the regime, the revolution, and the line of the Imam (NB Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini), and because he thought he was a part of the regime, the revolution, and the line of the Imam, he had no hesitation to say among some friends that he was closer to the Imam than even the Supreme Leader (NB Ayatollah Ali Khamenei). Whereas we often joked in our meetings that if it weren't for the Imam's daily intercessions while he was Prime Minister (NB Mousavi was prime minister from 1981 to 1989), he would not have been able to run the country's everyday affairs and that it was the Imam's daily support that allowed him to carry out everyday tasks. He thought that the line of the Imam was his own personal property and that, under this banner, he could garner the votes of the people who felt close to the Imam.
[Tape is cut]
...one of them was a a joint meeting held by Mr. Mousavi, Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani (NB head of the Assembly of Experts and the Expediency Council), and Mr. Khatami (NB former reformist President Mohammad Khatami) on the Saturday right after the election (NB June 13). That day, the group established a very strong support front for Mr. Mousavi. Then, from that same place, a message was dispatched to the [holy city of] Ghom seminaries, saying, If you also support us, it will be very significant in the current circumstances. Some marajeh (NB sources of emulation or very senior clerics) from the Ghom seminaries... Ayatollah Saanei... declared, If you ask us, we will extend our support. They sent a letter to Ayatollah Saanei and other marajeh in order to get the support of the Ghom seminaries. The Association of Combatant Clerics held a meeting that afternoon and called for the annulment of the election... an election in which 40 million ballots had been cast... they called for the annulment of the election. That was another serious false assumption by Mr. Mousavi, who thought that these groups supported him because of Mr. Mousavi himself, his views, or his statements, whereas they did not abandon Mr. Mousavi because of their own interests. I believe... and I apologize to the two or three people that I'm about to name. I do not intend to insult them. I'm just saying this because I believe it... Mr. Mousavi got into this situation out of ignorance. Mr. Khatami got into it because of betrayal. Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani got into it out of revenge. Mr. Mousavi really had no idea about what was going on in the country, that's why I say out of ignorance. Mr. Khatami, on the contrary, knew full well about the authority of the government, the regime, the authority of the security forces, the judiciary... the spiritual authority of the Imam in the country... He knew about all of this, and yet because he wanted to take revenge for his own defeat in that situation where he had given his support to Mr. Mousavi, he induced Mr. Mousavi to beat that drum. And I believe that Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani wanted to take revenge on Mr. Ahmadinejad because of the clashes he had with him over the past few years and, also in a way, to take revenge on the Supreme Leader... revenge indirectly on the Supreme Leader and directly on Mr. Ahmadinejad. These were the reasons for those developments. Their support was not, as Mr. Mousavi thought, really the kind of support--
[Tape is cut]
...in the elections, I really underline the strength, determination, and the actions of Mr. Rafsanjani and the Executives of Construction party (NB close to Rafsanjani). The Executives and Mr. Rafsanjani had broad political and financial means. For Mr. Rafsanjani, rivalry with Mr. Ahmadinejad and getting rid of him were... principles that if he could get to this principle in any way possible, he worked towards that end. I... ummm... see the movements of the Executives and Mr. Rafsanjani as significant movements.
[Tape is cut]
I was at that the meeting of the Association of Combatant Clerics which is affiliated with the Imam and whose members are all clerics. Mr. Majid Ansari was there.. I don't know if they'll broadcast this or not, but it's an interesting point... Mr. Majid Ansari was there and he's a member of the Expediency Council (NB and the Assembly of Experts) and a member of the Imam's office. He sought to quickly release a statement in support of Mr. Mousavi that very Saturday. He said, We'll put this on the Association's web site right away, then two minutes later it will be on Ghalam News, which was a site that belonged to Mr. Mousavi and was run by one of his supporters. We asked, What happens next? He said, From Ghalam News it will go on the BBC's ticker tape three minutes later. Meaning that it would take that path with that speed...