Iranian Protests
In Society > Activism - Posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 7:44pmDespite the fact that the members of the international press had their licenses revoked in Iran until the 9th of December and that Iran has severely limited internet access in the middle-eastern country, you may still have heard about the protests going on there.
Iranian students of the various universities scattered across the country are once again protesting this summer's election results. Why are they protesting now specifically when the elections were held this summer? Well the reason for that is that student rallies have been held annually on December the 7th to mark the date of the deaths of three students in anti-American protests back in 1953. The date has been associated to student activism and this year the date has been dedicated to anti-government protests.
Most of the information I could find about the protests is from yesterday, but I did manage to find an Associated Press article stating that tens of thousands of protestors showed up at various locations around the country and that more than 200 people were arrested yesterday in Tehran alone. The government is also alleged to have threatened action against the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.
In addition, Mousavi was supposedly threatened by masked and armed 'hardline' militiamen and his response was to dare them to kill him. If anything can be said about Mousavi, it's that he's got guts. His wife was also threatened and it seems that hardline students assaulted her with pepper spray.
Even with the government cracking down on the populace it seems that the movement hasn't lost momentum since the summer. From the article:
Here's a video of the protests filmed by members of the associated press who are essentially risking their lives to document the protests and should be commended on their incredible dedication:
It seems that we're witnessing a period of transition in Iran. Students are risking their safety for change and the leader of their movement, for the moment, appears to be dedicated to his cause. Furthermore, protesters include women, which shows even greater dedication to the cause considering the even harsher treatment they're likely to receive if caught. The movement echoes what I've read about the great revolutions of South America of the last century. If the movement continues to grow, the grasp of the Islamic hardliners may one day be broken.
I'll keep an eye out for further information pertaining to the protests, but finding anything of substance is relatively difficult with the press blackout.
-Adje
Iranian students of the various universities scattered across the country are once again protesting this summer's election results. Why are they protesting now specifically when the elections were held this summer? Well the reason for that is that student rallies have been held annually on December the 7th to mark the date of the deaths of three students in anti-American protests back in 1953. The date has been associated to student activism and this year the date has been dedicated to anti-government protests.
Most of the information I could find about the protests is from yesterday, but I did manage to find an Associated Press article stating that tens of thousands of protestors showed up at various locations around the country and that more than 200 people were arrested yesterday in Tehran alone. The government is also alleged to have threatened action against the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.
In addition, Mousavi was supposedly threatened by masked and armed 'hardline' militiamen and his response was to dare them to kill him. If anything can be said about Mousavi, it's that he's got guts. His wife was also threatened and it seems that hardline students assaulted her with pepper spray.
Even with the government cracking down on the populace it seems that the movement hasn't lost momentum since the summer. From the article:
The turnout in Monday's protests showed that months of arrests and government intimidation have failed to stamp out the movement, sparked by opposition claims that Mousavi was the rightful winner of the June vote and that Ahmadinejad won by fraud.
In the crackdown, more than 100 politicians, activists and protesters have been put on a mass trial, accused of being part of a foreign-backed plot to overthrow the Islamic Republic. Five have been sentenced to death and 80 others to prison terms up to 15 years.
In the crackdown, more than 100 politicians, activists and protesters have been put on a mass trial, accused of being part of a foreign-backed plot to overthrow the Islamic Republic. Five have been sentenced to death and 80 others to prison terms up to 15 years.
Here's a video of the protests filmed by members of the associated press who are essentially risking their lives to document the protests and should be commended on their incredible dedication:
It seems that we're witnessing a period of transition in Iran. Students are risking their safety for change and the leader of their movement, for the moment, appears to be dedicated to his cause. Furthermore, protesters include women, which shows even greater dedication to the cause considering the even harsher treatment they're likely to receive if caught. The movement echoes what I've read about the great revolutions of South America of the last century. If the movement continues to grow, the grasp of the Islamic hardliners may one day be broken.
I'll keep an eye out for further information pertaining to the protests, but finding anything of substance is relatively difficult with the press blackout.
-Adje
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