Iran’s parliament has recently asked authorities to arrest Mehdi Karoubi, Mir Hossein Moussavi and Fa’ezeh Hashemi. These are the most prominent leaders of the opposition that has challenged the hard-line Islamic regime.
Legislator Hassan Noroozi said about the opposition’s leaders, “They must not remain on the sidelines and be safe. Those who issue statements and invite people to create chaos in the streets and attack one another must be dealt with according to Islamic laws.”
It has also been widely reported that Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani urged “most severe punishment” for Ashura Day anti-government protesters.
Ali Larijani was quoted as saying. “Majlis calls on officials at the Interior and Intelligence Ministries and the Judiciary to arrest the desecraters of the religion and to administer the most severe punishment for these anti-government individuals,”
Ashura is a day for Shiites to remember Imam Hussein, the grandson or Mohammed who was killed in 680 AD. This is a very holy day in Iranm but this is not the only reason for Larijani to be so pissed and anti-democratic.
What we are seeing in Iran today is a continuation of the anger that was felt after the right-wing radical, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, “won” an election against Mir-Hossein Moussavi.
Moussavi and his supporters have repeatedly claimed victory in this election, even though Ahmadinejad was said (by Iranian government) to have won by a landslide. The supporters of Moussavi have called for government and social reform.
It is unclear how many people have lost their lives for these protests. CNN claims that seven people died this past Sunday, December 27th. The Iranian state media has reported that no protestors have been killed. According to the Iranian Labor News Agency Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had said that the world leaders condemning Iran only “want to malevolently change the facts and realities and are also influenced by the Zionist media.”
On Wednesday, December 30th, a pro-government demonstration saw hundreds of thousands or people chanting, “Death to America,” “Death to Israel,” and “Death to Moussavi.” The Iranian leadership has also moved to counteract all of the negative publicity they are receiving over these protests.
They have maintained their media blackout and it has been reported that the arrest warrants for over 200 journalists were issued.
According to NoroozNews:
Masha-Allah Shams Alvazein, a journalist, was arrested. “Three young agents showed up at his house with a nameless arrest warrant, and about one hour after he resisted and asked for a name-specific arrest warrant, two older agents showed up and threatened to take him by force if he did not go willingly.”
Similarily, Nushin Ebadi, the sister of Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, has also been detained.
From CNN.com:
Iranian intelligence officials have detained the sister of Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian lawyer and human rights activist said.
Ebadi said Monday that three men and a woman arrived at the Tehran home she shared with her sister, searched the house and seized Nushin Ebadi, 47, and her computer.
“They have detained her so I stop my work,” Shirin Ebadi, 62, told CNN’s Reza Sayah in a phone call from London. “She has done nothing wrong. She’s not involved in human rights work, and she’s never participated in any of the protests.”
Nushin Ebadi’s arrest came in the middle of a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests that has left at least eight dead, according to the Supreme National Security Council, although the Iranian government denies its forces have killed anyone.
From Muhammad Sahimi at the Tehran Bureau:
Former president Mohammad Khatami called the June 12 election a “velvet coup” against the people of Iran. Now as the Green Movement gains momentum, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) seems poised to stage a second such coup.
As predicted, the Green Movement came out in force on December 27, the day of Ashura. Even before the day had ended, the IRGC, its intelligence unit and the Ministry of Intelligence had rounded up political figures, journalists, university activists and others. The police announced the arrest of 1100 people in Tehran on Sunday alone.
Mr. Sahimi continues to list the names of prominent journalists and leaders who have been arrested. You go see this list by clicking here.
What we are seeing in Iran today is an upheaval of their social order. A growing number of Iranian citizens are showing their anger towards an increasingly authoritarian regime. In this situations a few things can happen. The reformers can be slowly integrated into the existing system, the reformers can take over or they can be arrested or detained. So far, the Iranian regime has decided to attempt to arrest or detain the leadership of this opposition and many other supporters.
This move will only infuriate protestors more and will cause a greater backlash against the current regime. This in turn will cause the regime to crack down even harder against the protesters. Fortunately, the democratic movement in Iran is growing strong and has new media and technology to aid them in their struggle.
Iran Facebook page
For information about Mir Hossein Moussavi go here to his Wikipedia page.
Go here for the article, “I speak for Mousavi. And Iran” by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
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