After the revolutions Tunisian and Egyptian, the eyes of the world were turned to Iran. More than a year after the latest mass protests in Iran, after suffering a bad year for total repression marked by arrests, torture and executions, the Iranian resistance once again defied the totalitarian regime of the Mullahs. Over the historical events of that unforgettable day, the green movement has demonstrated its ability to mobilize the masses, his vigor, his intelligence and modernity. We summarize below the main events of that day.
We thank all our compatriots who have taken considerable risks to inform the world risking their lives.
Recall the context:
- Following the call of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, the Iranians were to demonstrate to show their solidarity with Tunisian and Egyptian peoples. A request for authorization was submitted to the Ministry of Interior. The authorities refused to grant such permission.
- The route announced for this event was Imam Hossein Square to Square Azadi (Freedom). The event was to start at 15h.
- Facebook page " 25 Bahman" was "loved" by more than 60,000 users.
- The U.S. State Department launched his Twitter "conversation" in Farsi few hours before the start of the event in Iran! After powerful speech of Barack Obama following the fall of Hosni Mubarak, many observers watched a change in approach towards the Iranian resistance. The Obama administration was indeed considered "too soft" in wave of demonstrations in 2009.
Summary of events:
- One protester was killed . The official news agency of the regime, Fars News , confirmed the news and attribute it to the People ... mudjahedin (opposition army based in Iraq).
- Unheard: poster Khamenei burned and protesters chanted: "Mubarak, Ben Ali, is the turn of Seyyed-Ali (Khamenei)"
"Mubarak, Ben Ali, is the turn of Seyyed-Ali (Khamenei)
- A witness tells : To 15h, I found the place to Tohid with other friends. The demonstrators were silent and quietly congratulate themselves with smiles. The police were content to observe the scene and did not intervene. The rumor about getting a permit last minute. The behavior of the police gave any credibility to this rumor. The number of protesters grew from minute to minute. Everyone seemed to relive the massive demonstration of June 15, 2010 (where more than 3 million protesters marched through the streets of Tehran three days after the fraudulent election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad). But suddenly, the police and special forces stormed. demonstrators who previously wanted to stay quiet and tried not chanting provocative slogans, began shouting slogans against the regime. The police seemed helpless. They did not know if they were to attack or just control. The phones were cut off. The violence of security forces increased gradually. In response, protesters chanted "Death to Dictators ", "Death to Khamenei " and tried to protect themselves by attacking their attackers sometimes with stones. What was amazing at this event was the absence of forces dressed as civilians and Basij forces. But by early evening, the regime had to resort to Basijis to maintain order. There was injured. I saw a protester seriously injured by 23-24 years at the helm. People gave their handkerchiefs and scarves to heal its wounds. Women who were once again at the forefront, trying to avoid that in general the level of violence increases. Shops and houses had become havens for the demonstrators. Protesters also took refuge in public transport buses, but police threw tear gas even inside buses. Protesters burned trash cans and created barricades, chanting "Death to Khamenei", "Death to the Dictator," "Independence, Freedom, Republic of Iran (instead of" Islamic "), " Mubarak, Ben- Ali is the turn of Seyyed-Ali (Khamenei) " - source
"Mubarak, Ben Ali, is the turn of Seyyed-Ali (Khamenei)
- Ardeshir Amir-Arjomand , one of the main advisers of Mir Hossein Mousavi , called it a day "great victory unexpected." We wanted a peaceful and popular reaction and demonstrate that despite all that it has been said, this movement was alive. "" If the government was doing his duty and allowed this event we would have millions of demonstrators in Tehran and provincial towns. "During the 48 hours preceding the event, and Mousavi Karoubi were literally cut off from the world . Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard have tried three times to join the demonstrators unsuccessfully . The homes of Mohammad Khatami (former president) and Abdollah Nouri (former vice president) were also rounded up to prevent them ; to join the demonstrators. source.
- Ardeshir Amir-Arjomand , advisor Mousavi : " These gentlemen seem not to have learned from what 'they did last year and recent events in the region . " It seems to me that the power was fundamentally committed to a dead end, both theoretical and operational ." We need to analyze what happened today and think about our tactics for future actions. Our approach has been good so far. We base our action on a non-violent struggle. We believe that our tactic worked well . "We hope the authority will be wise enough to avoid promoting indiscriminate violence in Iran. We reject violence. We believe instead that the problems of our countries must be treated in an atmosphere of serenity and calm in the rights of our citizens. If the plan does not find the reason, the country will suffer. source
- The police violently attacked the students at Amir Kabir University . "They have literally decimated the students," said one student witness. "They handcuffed students so they had no handcuffs and had to use belts. Cut
- total electricity to the neighborhoods surrounding the squares and Azadi Enghelab since 19h. The
- clashes were reported until 22:30 on the square Imam Hossein. The special forces broke the windows of stores that remained open and destroyed public property.
- The number of protesters in Shiraz was very important. Until 23:30, scores Protesters chanted "Death to Khamenei", "Death to the Dictator." They offered to show day and night and not leave the streets. The police fired tear gas and demonstrators were arrested. They violently beat the demonstrators and some even claimed that there were gunshot wounds. source.
- Amnesty International accuses the Iranian government for the violence against peaceful demonstrators. One charge of Amnesty: "The Iranian people have the right to demonstrate peacefully to show their support for Tunisian and Egyptian peoples."
- Video of a protester seriously injured
- In this chaotic atmosphere in Tehran, the Turkish president Abdullah Gul began a state visit to Iran. Some blogs claimed that the relative lack of response from the police at the beginning of the event was related to the will power not to escalate the situation with President of Turkey. The absence of the Basij militia and agents dressed as civilians and armed with batons were also remarkable. The security services had to totally change the protocol and call on Ahmadinejad to receive the Turkish president in a building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (instead of the Presidential Palace). Gul did not fail to encourage "governments to hear the voice of the people"! Tomorrow Tuesday, Gul should visit Isfahan (move announced by the Fars News site, close to the regime).
- 4:50 p.m.: Mobile phones were completely cut between place and Enghelab Azadi. The police do not even let the demonstrators from approaching the telephone kiosks in hitting.
- 17h : special teams hit the demonstrators, using tear gas heavily and proceed to fire warning shots to disperse the large number of demonstrators.
- 5:30 p.m.: 500 to 600 police attacked the demonstrators. Meanwhile, militiamen dressed in civilian clothes began to strike the demonstrators to disperse them also. Local residents were throwing newspapers on the sidewalks for that protesters can burn and protect against tear gas. Some demonstrators took refuge in the bus. Several witnesses described the lack of preparation and organization of law enforcement. The plan does not clearly expecting such an involvement.
- The U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton praised the bravery of Iranian demonstrators and claimed the support of the United States. Clinton added that "the Iranian regime is a military dictatorship under the banner of religion, completely ignores the most fundamental rights of its people. "What happened today in Iran demonstrates the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime that has not stopped to congratulate the events of these last 3 weeks in Egypt. " source.
Compilation of videos of the day
Press review: The
- Figaro
- Still nothing in this hour on the site of the World ... The
- Parsien
- Radio Canada
- the Point
- the Nouvel Observateur
- New York Times
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