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Iranians Protest | 06/18/2009 9:15 am

Iran Election Update: Clerics to Discuss Ahmadinejad Victory, Mousavi Calls for Protestors to Wear Black in Peace, Mourning

Meetings to take place to discuss challenge of election results; opponents asked to wear black today to mourn casualties.
By The Staff at wowOwow.com
Demonstrators on June 17 in Tehran

© Getty Images

Opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi has asked Iranians to wear black to peacefully mourn those killed or injured in protests over the disputed presidential election in Iran. Since Ahmadinejad’s victory last Friday, opponents of the extremist president have boldly taken to the streets to rally – despite the threat of being jailed, flogged — or harsher. Demonstrators have also taken to social-networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to voice their disapproval and to keep from being silenced.

Both CNN and The New York Times report that the Guardian Council announced Thursday that it had invited candidates challenging the official results to meet to discuss their grievances. The news comes after the Iranian government claimed that a record-breaking 85 percent of the voting population took to the ballots. Ahmadinejad opponents say that the figures reveal nearly 30 Iranian towns cast more votes than they had registered users, reports the Guardian.

The New York Times reports that Iranians are posting on Twitter to arrange for peaceful protests. From reading tweets, The New York Times  reports that demonstrators plan to gather in Tehran’s Imam Khomeini square at four o’clock PM local time. "All wear BLACK — we pray together," one Twitter posting said. 

As tens of thousands of protestors gathered in Tehran on Wednesday, some wearing green headbands (in support of Mousavi), rallies were happening in other cities as well, reports the AFP. Reported death tolls vary among publications. Amnesty International reported Monday eight deaths and approximately 100 more detainees. The New York Post, Reuters and AP report 32 slain as a result of protests. A blogger on the website Anonymous Iran claims he’s posting tweets about the situation in Iran and "confirmed" 32 people around Iran have been killed. His findings include:
So far, it has been confirmed that 15 people in Tehran and 32 people around the country have been killed. Hundreds more have been injured and in excess of 800 people have been detained. Among these there are dozens of reformists. Most of these arrests have been made by the notorious plainclothesmen mentioned above.
Text Messaging is still down in Iran and Internet is extremely slow. People are unable to get satellite channels on their televisions. At the same time, police and plainclothesmen are going door to door and taking away people’s satellite dish antennas.

Most alarming was the message he wrote to those who are reading this:

People Who Want to Hunt Me Down: I’m an Afghan. If you ever tried to attack me, you’ll see my back only after your back has met the ground.
The recent protests in Iran are said to be the largest since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

36 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Maggie W
I’m sure those clerics are stuck on pause.  After all, the Supreme Leader spoke and the youthful protesters barely gave him a nod. Imagine the shock. So, yes, there is much to discuss and worry about.  What future can there be for Iran when there is this much turmoil and rightful distrust of voting procedures and government officials.   Removing satellite antenna is only throwing gasoline on a brightly burning inferno.  Nothing can truly suppress the energy and focus of irate youth.
By Maggie W on 06/18/2009 9:56 am
deber B

President Obama doesn’t know what the hoopla is all about in Iran… 

"Many Iran experts lauded Mr. Obama’s measured stance just after the election. But some of that support evaporated on Tuesday when he said there was not much difference between Mr. Ahmadinejad and Mr. Moussavi.

“For Barack Obama, this was a serious misstep,” said Steven Clemons, director of the American strategy program at the New America Foundation. “It’s right for the administration to be cautious, but it’s extremely bad for him to narrow the peephole into an area in which we’re looking at what’s happening just through the lens of the nuclear program.”

Mr. Obama’s comments deflated Mr. Moussavi, who is rapidly becoming a political icon in Iran, even supporters of Mr. Obama’s Iran policy say.

“Up until now, the president had very thoughtfully calibrated his remarks on Iran, but this was an uncharacteristic and egregious error,” said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “People are risking their lives and being slaughtered in the streets because they want fundamental change in the way Iran is governed. Our message to them shouldn’t be that it doesn’t make much difference to the United States.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/us/politics/18prexy.html?_r=2&hp

By deber B on 06/18/2009 10:38 am
Patty E
Taken out of context, one can create any fantasy they want to…….. like this one—-the guy is middle eastern, and he is emotionally attached to the issue in Iran, and is mad at Obama for being a statesman instead of a dictator who dictates what Mr. dinner jacket should do….
By Patty E on 06/18/2009 12:44 pm
f p
Very good—well done, Patty ;-)
By f p on 06/18/2009 1:21 pm
DeBúrca obj
The worse thing Obama could do now is start endorsing and getting behind a candidate. With our history of meddling in Iranian politics any candidate we would get behind would be ruined. Extremists looking for a war with Iran would love to see Obama do something idiotic like jump in and ruin the momentum of the people there.
By DeBúrca obj on 06/18/2009 10:13 pm
f p
Exactly De—meddling in Iranian politics at present would be counter-productive—diplomacy is the way to go.
By f p on 06/19/2009 5:58 am
S G
Thankfully once again we are being diplomatic and not putting our countrys nose where it doesn’t belong.
By S G on 06/18/2009 11:05 am
Maggie W
Thank goodness for that, SG.  As for President Obama, he is all too familliar with the 70’s Rastakhiz Party ,and Iranians haven’t forgotten either.  For that reason, a new Iranian presidency will not significantly alter the USA/Iranian rocky relationship of several decades. 
By Maggie W on 06/18/2009 11:25 am
S G
Exactly!
By S G on 06/18/2009 12:18 pm
MK P
Yes — the US trying to throw its weight into this issue would only benefit the Mr. Dinner Jacket — we need to let the Iranians take care of their own business, they seem to be doing quite the brave job of it right now.    It’s so sad that the Republican party just can’t seem to get away from the philosophy of world domination through military strength……they worry so much about spending money on Americans in America,  but seem to never have any qualms about sending Americans to die and spending money to flex military muscle.
By MK P on 06/18/2009 11:28 am
Patty E

Exactly!  And thanks for the ‘tip’ on how to pronounce the name too—-from yesterday, MK….

As I mentioned on another thread, when I read what the rest of the world media comments on, I am very thankful that Obama has stepped back, publicly, on this issue…..privately, from what I can glean, there is plenty of co-operative discussion amongst the nations of the world, happening…but to GRANDSTAND, which is what the GOP is shouting for, is not only arrogant, it would be destructive to America….

 

    

By Patty E on 06/18/2009 12:10 pm
MK P
I have to give props to Whoopi on the name pronunciation.  =)   Seems the GOP learned nothing from the Iraq debacle.
By MK P on 06/18/2009 12:12 pm
S G
They need to get quiet.( The republicans) They do not need to show solidarity with the Iranians. All they do by that is sign death warrants of protesters. This is for Iranians to handle.
By S G on 06/18/2009 12:20 pm
MK P
Let’s face it, for the Republicans it is all about making noise — they could give a rip what happens to the Iranians — they just want to get some air time.
By MK P on 06/18/2009 12:27 pm
Kristy B
I’m glad that they are protesting and forwarding pictures to the Internet.  The world is watching and we see the oppression!
By Kristy B on 06/18/2009 11:12 am