2011 Iranian protests
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Iranian protests are a series of demonstrations across Iran
which began on 14 February 2011, called "The Day of Rage". The protests followed the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests and were influenced by other concurrent protests in the region
. To date the protests have resulted in at least three known deaths, with dozens more being hospitalized and hundreds arrested.
, massive protests erupted across Iran. The Iranian government suppressed the protests and stopped the mass demonstrations in 2009, with only very minor flare-ups in 2010. However, not many of the protesters' demands were met.
Then, the 2010–2011 Arab world protests spread across the Middle East
and North Africa
. After the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
in Tunisia
on 14 January 2011, millions of people began demonstrating across the region in a broad movement aimed at various issues such as their standards of living
or influencing significant reforms, with varying degrees of success. With the successful ousting of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
on 11 February 2011 following that of President Ben Ali of Tunisia, renewed protests began in Iran.
scheduled to take place prior to the "Revolution Day" march on 11 February.
On 9 February, various opposition groups in Iran sent a letter to the Ministry of Interior
requesting permission to protest under the control of the Iranian police. Permission was refused by the relevant government officials. Despite these setbacks and crackdowns on activists and members of opposition parties, opposition leaders such as Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi
, called for protests.
's Azadi Square
. The
number of protesters has been given by different sources, from "thousands" to "hundreds of thousands".
The solidarity protests turned into an anti-government demonstration during which the police fired tear gas and paintball
s at protesters. Protesters to protect themselves, responded by setting fires in garbage bins. Video footage showed one civilian being violently beaten by a group of protesters. Two protesters were killed in Tehran, both university students. Sane Jaleh
during the protest, and Mohammad Mokhtari
the next day from his wounds. According to reporter Farnaz Fassihi
, Jaleh and Mokhtari were both shot by men on motorcycles who their friends identified as Basij
members.
Protests were also reported in the cities of Isfahan and Shiraz
, which police forcibly dispersed, as well as in Rasht
, Mashhad
and Kermanshah
.
The protests that occurred on this day marked a setback for the government of Iran, as the regime has campaigned that Mousavi's Green Movement had lost momentum, but the revived uprisings helps prove otherwise.
According to some reports, 1,500 Hezbollah fighters assisted in the suppression of the protests in Azadi Square. Following the initial protests, Hezbollah fighters allegedly continued to participate, assisting local forces in suppressing protests.
Thousands of pro-government supporters turned up in Tehran for several state sponsored rallies on 16 February.
On 18 February, thousands of pro-government supporters called for the execution of opposition leaders after Friday prayers. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati
said that the opposition leaders had lost their reputation and are as good as "dead and executed." He said there should be more restrictions on Mousavi and Karroubi. "Their communications with people should be completely cut. They should not be able to receive or send messages. Their phone lines and Internet should be cut. They should be prisoners in their homes."
On February 19, the Interior Minister
Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar
stated that the protests set for Sunday, February 20, will "be confronted as per the law".
The Fars News Agency
released a report in the morning warning that "armed opposition groups plan to shoot at people in [the] protest rally set for Sunday afternoon." The agency claimed that this group was Mujahideen-e Khalq an Iraq-based Iranian opposition group, which had entered the country for the sole purpose of attacking the protesters.
Protesters began gathering in the tens of thousands throughout Iran and especially in Tehran. The protesters were seen occupying government buildings, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
building. However, extremely large numbers of police and plainclothes Basij militia were stationed throughout the city, even outnumbering the protesters in some of the city squares. Tear gas was fired and witnesses reported that security forces fired into protests and beat demonstrators with steel batons. In one neighborhood, Basij members reportedly took over a commercial building and dropped tear gas canisters from the roof onto protesters. Eyewitnesses reported that two protesters were killed by Basij paramilitaries, one each in the Vanak
and Vali Asr
squares. Police arrested a number of protesters and were seen stopping people on the streets and frisking them, along with removing people from vehicles.
The daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
, Faezeh Hashemi
, was arrested for taking part in a banned rally. Shortly afterward, she was reportedly released. The Fars News Agency
reported that she had been released after claiming that she was out shopping.
There were also reports of other protester demonstrations going on in other major cities across Iran. However, coverage by journalists was thin, because the Ministry of Intelligence and National Security had "sent a letter to foreign media offices in Tehran warning them that their bureaus would be shut down and their reporters deported if they wrote "negative articles" surrounding the opposition protests." While the protests were taking place, the IRNA news agency released television reports saying that things were "completely quiet and normal". Furthermore, the Fars News Agency had released reports to the public saying that the February 20 protests would be especially violent, because the "opposition plans to shoot people."
It was later reported by witnesses that demonstrations did take place in Isfahan and Shiraz
, most of which were dispersed after being attacked by police and Basij militia. Five protesters were reportedly injured in Shiraz.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
expressed its concern for these changes, since a safe house
is "considered a place for the secret detention of high security-value detainees, which is not under the control of the judiciary or any other monitoring mechanisms." They have been reportedly used in the past by the Iranian government as places where confessions are obtained from detainees through "methods and techniques".
. Officials of the Iranian government have denied it. An advisor to opposition leader Mousavi, Ardeshir Amir-Arjomand, said in response to this charge that Mousavi and Karroubi "have become hostages in the hands of the Iranian government. It is surprising that two prominent political figures have disappeared and no government official takes responsibility."
The opposition movement called for a protest for 1 March, which is the first in a series of protests dubbed the "Tuesdays of Protest". As in the other protests, security forces deploying tear gas and other weapons were out in significant numbers and clashed with protesters. According to opposition sources, over 200 protesters were arrested in Tehran by security services and plain clothes and another 40 in Isfahan. According to the BBC news, one of the arrested was Fakhrosadar Mohtashami, the wife of former minister Mostafa Tajzadeh
, who (according to a relative or hers) is being kept in Evin Prison
and "has not been allowed contact with her family for the time being."
According to RFERL, a "number of prominent Iranian activists" have appealed to United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
urging him "to use all `international levers` at his disposal" to ensure the welfare of Musavi and Karrubi and "seek their release from detention". Amnesty International
has issued a document of "Urgent Action" to their members asking them to write to Iranian authorities and appeal to them to "immediately disclose the whereabouts of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, Zahra Rahnavard and Fatemeh Karroubi."
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, stated that the situation with Mousavi and Karroubi was a "domestic issue" and that "the news related to some people [Karroubi and Mousavi] will be looked into by judiciary officials and within the legal frameworks. This issue cannot be used as a pretext by America and some other western countries ... to try to divert everyone's attention to unreal issues." Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary. also released a statement saying, "The news released by some hostile media regarding the transfer of Mr Moussavi and Mr Karroubi to Heshmatieh detention centre is not correct."
that called for a protest set for March 8, which is International Women's Day
. The protest is to be focused on "demanding more gender equality in the Islamic Republic and to protest the "incarceration" of opposition leaders Mir Houssein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and their wives".
Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi
made a similar announcement also calling for support for a March 8 protest, saying, "On this day, shoulder to shoulder with our brothers, we will come to the streets to support the popular and broad democratic demands, because achieving ‘equal rights’ is possible only if voiced in a democratic system. But, we must not allow anyone to disregard our demands under the auspices of preventing crisis or avoiding divisiveness." She also commented on the change of dress
for Iranian women that had become law at the beginning of the Iranian government, stating, "Thirty-two years ago on March 8, International Women’s Day, a statement broadcast on national television, stripped women employed by the government of one of their most basic rights – the freedom to choose their own dress...Iranian women are not starved for political power nor are they demanding decadence. They are simply weary of enduring more cruelty and disparagement. They are in search of justice and equality".
Ali Khamenei
had been directly involved in the "abduction of Karroubi and his wife, Fatemeh", having given the orders to the soldiers under his command to do so. The statement also said that Vahid Haghanian, the administrative advisor to Khamenei, had personally led the "security forces which raided Karroubi's house in north Tehran and confiscated his belongings."
, the former fourth Iranian president and prominent critic of the current Iranian government, was ousted as head of the Assembly of Experts
, a body of clerics that chooses Iran's Supreme Leader. His departure from the Assembly came about after a lengthy period of opposition towards him among the conservatives of the Assembly after his support for the 2009 election protests. He had been running for reelection as head of the assembly, against Mahdavi Kani, but withdrew himself upon leaving the assembly. During his last speech at the Assembly, he stated, "I would like to devote my time to writing my memoirs and not run for any more public office."
Rafsanjani's resignation from the Assembly caused concern among the opposition protesters, as they had been hoping that he would "help influence Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to moderate his support for Mr. Ahmadinejad". Analysts have stated that his resignation now allows the Assembly to choose a new supreme leader that will be more conservative than would otherwise have been possible.
A report was released by Tehran Bureau
's staff reporter Hamid Farokhnia who has been covering events in Tehran. He stated that in preparation for the protests planned for International Women's Day
on March 8, various groups that have been leading the opposition, such as the The Green Path of Hope
, the Mourning Mothers
and other groups, made announcements telling their followers to protest in multiple locations across Tehran. The purpose of this, according to Farokhnia, was to thin out the security presence at any one area, as this separation of protesters would require the Iranian police and the Basij to cover all possible places of protest in the city.
One of the methods that the Basij used to counteract this was to obtain more members, having new members "as young as 14" joining. Also, perhaps in order to show some sense of equality in light of International Women's Day, according to Farokhnia, the police also had groups of "female stormtroopers" working with the police and Basij, which he described as "fierce-looking chador-clad warriors".
Farokhnia went on to say that the Mourning Mothers told their followers to gather in protest at the usual place, "Laleh Park west of Vali Asr". In contrast, the Green Path of Hope assigned "four or five strategic locales in the city to its followers." This resulted in confusion for both the police forces and for the protesters, who eventually gave up on gathering in one of the places given and instead returned to the "old routine of walking quietly on the sidewalks of Enghelab Avenue." Because of the approach of the Persian New Year, Farokhnia stated, there was a high number of shoppers that ended up mingling with the protesters, creating confusion on which people were the protesters. Farokhnia explained the scenario as having "made for unnerving moments of tension but also rare instances of congeniality: protesters offering cookies to the special units of NAJA (the state police) and some young Basijis smiling approvingly at the brave protesters, proving for the umpteenth time that no matter how foul a political ideology, most Iranians in their hearts are revolted by violence and fanaticism."
deputy bureau chief in Tehran, was expelled from the country and "stripped of his press card along with 10 other correspondents". In response, Agence France-Presse "lodged an official protest with the Iranian authorities, in Tehran and Paris." The spokesman of the French foreign ministry, Bernard Valero, also released a statement saying: "This pitiful decision by the Iranian authorities reflects a new deterioration in the working conditions of journalists in Iran. We have expressed to the Iranian ambassador our concern and incomprehension at this new infringement of press freedom which will not be without consequences."
It was reported by Radio Farda
in interviews with student activists in Iran that, since the start of the protests, "16-18 students of [Tehran] university have been detained". However, the students also noted that the number of student activists arrested could be much higher, as families of arrested student activists have been "warned against publicizing their plights".
, stating that he had been "a member of Mir Hossein Musavi's presidential campaign team in the June 2009 election". In response, Rezaie was "suspended from his teaching duties pending a ruling by the university's disciplinary committee."
Another of Karroubi's sons, Mohammad Taghi Karroubi, made an announcement in line with a previous statement from the daughters of opposition leader Mousavi, saying that he had been allowed to visit Karroubi, who is still under house arrest with his wife.
, leader of the Freedom Movement of Iran
, was released from jail after having been arrested for being a prominent opposition leader during the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests. Upon his release, the Islamic Republic News Agency
reported a "one-sentence statement from Yazdi saying he is resigning as leader of the Freedom Movement of Iran". The Freedom Movement organization itself is banned in Iran because it "opposes Iran's clerical rule and seeks democratic change." The center of Tehran was locked down after crowds of anti-regime demonstrators tried to gather there from across the city, the government denied the claim saying things were "peaceful" although the deputy police chief admitted that special forces had been deployed.
, Mahmoud Amedinejad demoted his top advisor. It was also reported that his chief of staff was fired.
, there were protests by Iranian Arabs in the city of Ahvaz
, capital of the Khuzestan province who were "demanding more rights and humanitarian benefits". Al Arabiya reports that when the protests began, the city was blockaded by Iranian security forces, who "broke up demonstrations by force." and that "15 people from Ahwaz have been killed and dozens have been wounded".
Lebanon-based journalist Roula Hajjar wrote on the Los Angeles Times
's blog that the protests on April 15 had also occurred in the cities Abadan, Khorramshahr, Mahshahr and Shadegan. She noted that the events had " largely escaped international attention primarily due to the efforts of Iranian officials." She also stated that the state news agencies in Iran had reported the killing of at least three people, "including one officer", by "armed insurgents".
Human Rights Watch
released a statement, saying that the Iranian government should allow international media into the area. Joe Stork, the Middle East director of HRW, stated, "Iran has made it impossible to confirm the scale of the deadly violence against protesters in Khuzestan province, making transparent and independent investigations into alleged killings and arrests there absolutely essential."
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and The Guardian
, Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi
sent "a letter to UN human rights chief Navi Pillay in which she describes a deadly crackdown by Iranian security forces last week on a peaceful protest in Khuzestan's capital, Ahvaz." The letter stated that "at least 12 people were killed" in the protests, "20 injured", and "dozens were arrested". Human rights activists told RFE/RL they have received reports that "there were more than 150 arrests, including a number of intellectuals, artists, and women's rights activists." and that "the rest of the activists were told to not speak to any media organization."
and Mohammed Khatami), recently tried to shortcut Khamenei powers; most notably by firing Heidar Moslehi, the intelligence minister, a conservative ally to Khamenei, without Khamenei's agreement. Moslehi was later restored by Khamenei, while several close allies of the president, including Amedinejad's progressive chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei
, have been arrested and accused of invoking djinns.
of Spain
in Iran, was arrested for a period of four hours during the early part of the day on 14 February. He was accused by Iranian police of going to one of the demonstrations. Spain later demanded an explanation or apology from the Iranian government about the arrest of Pérez-Cambra that included a "satisfactory response", threatening to call him home from Iran if one was not received. The foreign ministry already announced that it had "suspended an upcoming visit to Madrid by a senior Iranian diplomat." The UK also echoed its displeasure over the detainment of Cambra. Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Akbar Salehi
called the Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Trinidad Jiménez
on February 17 in order to apologize for the incident with Cambra, stating that those responsible for his arrest had been "unaware that they were violating the Vienna Convention
", but that an investigation was underway nonetheless.
Ghaneh Jaleh, the brother of one of the students who were killed, was arrested on February 17, reportedly because he gave "a telephone interview to foreign media about his brother", specifically to Voice of America
. During the interview, he told Voice of America that his brother, Saleh Jaleh, was not a member of the Basij, as was being claimed, but that the Basij membership card had been faked by the government. He explained that, on February 15, his cousin had taken a photo of Saleh from his home and it was this image of Saleh that was on the Basij membership card.
Faezeh Hashemi
, the daughter of former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
, was arrested on February 20 while attending one of the anti-government protests on that day. The reasons stated for her arrest included "making blunt statements" and "chanting provocative slogans." She was released from police custody shortly afterwards.
Ali Karroubi, the son of opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi
, and his wife were arrested on February 21 according to opposition websites, with Ali's wife later being released while Ali himself is still being kept in custody.
On the Tuesday protest of March 1, Fakhrosadar Mohtashami, wife of former minister Mostafa Tajzadeh
, was arrested and taken to Evin Prison
.
The official number of protesters arrested has been given as 150 by the government, but the opposition claims that the numbers are far higher, at around 1,500. Since the initial protests, the number of officially recognized arrests has risen to 1,500, with the opposition also raising their believed number of arrested protesters.
It was reported that at least 16-18 student activists at Tehran University have been arrested since the beginning of the protests. One student, Arzhang Alipour, had "given interviews to media describing how fellow student Hamed Nour-Mohammadi was killed during protests in the southwestern city of Shiraz on February 20", which resulted him being called in front of the disciplinary committe of the university three times before he was finally arrested on March 12.
, one of the injured protesters also died later in the day on February 14.
Both people killed (Mohammad Mokhtari and Sanee Zhaleh
) were students, though from different universities. According to the Iranian government, Sanee Zhaleh
was a member of the Basij
militia and was killed by the opposition. Reuters reported that protesters did not deny that Zhaleh was a Basij member, but that he had "attended Monday's rally as an active opposition supporter;" but other protesters have strongly denied Zhaleh's Basij involvement and produced an image of Zhaleh visiting Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri -- one of the main critics of Ayatollah Khamenei and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- indicating Zhaleh was truly with the opposition. International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
(ICHRI) and Tehran Bureau
both quote student oppositionists who deny Jaleh was a Basiji. A member of the Tahkim-e Vahdat student organisation (Office for Strengthening Unity
) told the ICHRI that Jaleh was "not a Basiji" but a member of the Tehran Arts University’s Islamic Association, and that "he had attended previous demonstrations as well". Sanee's brother, Ghaneh Jaleh, also denied Saleh's membership in the Basij. He and others assert that Jaleh's Basij membership card was faked from a photo taken from Ghaneh's house.
Clashes erupted during the funeral service held for Zhaleh. Voice of America reported that government loyalists arrived at the funeral and began fighting with the protesters, forcing them to leave and abandon the funeral service. The Guardian
also reported that Iranian authorities had "hijacked the funeral of Zhaleh, busing in hundreds of pro-government supporters and banning his own family from attending." The IRIB
new service reported that the mourners at the funeral were government supporters and could be heard chanting slogans such as "death to Mousavi" and "death to Karroubi." IRIB also reported that the funeral procession was then attacked by members of "the sedition movement," who were repelled by pro-government protesters.
Two unidentified men were killed by the Basij militia during the February 20 protests, each respectively in the Vanak
and Vali Asr
squares.
It was later reported that another student, Hamed Nour-Mohammadi, was killed by security forces during the protests in Shiraz. The Iranian state media later quoted the president of the student's university as saying that "Nour-Mohammadi died in a car accident and that he hadn't taken part in the antigovernment rallies that day." Since Mohammadi's death, student protesters have not been allowed into the university grounds and his family warned "to remain silent on the subject of Nour-Mohammadi's death."
Al Arabiyia citing an anonymous source, claimed tat 15 people had been killed in Ahvaz
(Khuzestan province), following protests by the Arab minority there.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad released a statement saying, "It is clear the Iranian nation has enemies because it is a nation that wants to shine, conquer peaks and change [its international] relations...Of course, there is a lot of hostility against the government. But they knew that they would get nowhere....[the organizers of the protests] just wanted to tarnish the Iranian nation's brilliance...It is a shining sun. They threw some dust towards the sun... but the dust will return to their eyes."
The commander of the Basij
Mohammad Reza Naghdi
told the Fars News Agency
that he believed the protests had been started by "western spies" and that "western intelligence agencies are searching for a mentally challenged person who can set himself on fire in Tehran to trigger developments like those in Egypt and Tunisia."
The Mourning Mothers
gave their support to the protests and stated that they would be joining the protesters in their marches. They called for the unconditional release of all political prisoners, abolition of the death penalty and a public trial for all those who had permitted massacres of citizens in the past 35 years.
reported that members of the Iranian parliament had called for the execution of two opposition leaders for inciting demonstrations on the previous day. 221 of the MPs present at the Iranian parliament signed a statement that said "Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi are corrupts (sic
) on earth and should be tried. We believe the people have lost their patience and demand capital punishment." After signing the statement, the signatories gathered in the center of the chamber chanting "Death to Mousavi, death to Karroubi". The term "corrupts on earth" is a specific Iranian charge also known as Mofsed-e-filarz
that carries the death penalty.
Mousavi said that "the demonstrations [are] a 'great achievement'" and Karroubi responded directly to the MPs claiming that he "is willing to 'pay any price' for his country."
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, Prosecutor General of Iran, voiced his support for the actions of parliament and that he thought the opposition leaders should be "punished."
Pro-government clerics began calling for the execution of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
on 16 February as he had become increasingly aligned with the Green Movement since the 2009 election protests.
were banned from covering the protests, though the demonstrators were still able to release information by utilising social media like Facebook
and Twitter
. In addition, foreign media were banned from covering the events. After 10 February, the keyword "Bahman," which was the current month in the Persian calendar, was also a blocked keyword for messages on mobile phones. This resulted in slower internet connection speeds in some cities of Iran.
On 16 March 2011, Comodo, a major American certificate authority
, advised Microsoft
that nine fraudulent SSL certificates had been issued by one of its affiliates in Southern Europe. The domains affected are:
Microsoft subsequently released an emergency update to revoke the fraudulent certificates which could have led to spoofing attacks. Similarly, Mozilla also blacklisted the fraudulent certificates. According to Comodo, both attacks originated from IP addresses assigned to ISPs in Iran and may have originated from government agencies interested in monitoring dissident activity.
reported that after the 1 March protest onwards, children from ages 12–16 began being used
by the Basij against the protesters. According to information released by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
, these children were "armed with batons, clubs and air guns and ordered to attack demonstrators who have tried to gather in Tehran." They had been bussed in by the government from rural provinces far from the capital. People in the area stated that the children had been paid and were also promised chelo kebab dinners.
The executive director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran Hadi Ghaemi stated that "it's really a violation of international law. It's no different than child soldiers, which is the custom in many zones of conflict. They are being recruited into being part of the conflict and armed for it." He also commented that "they are very keen to display violence. Teenage boys are notorious for that. They are being used to ensure there is a good ratio of government forces to protesters and because the average policeman in Tehran could have some kind of family connection to the people they have to beat up. It's a classic tactic to bring people from outside, because they have no sense of sympathy for city dwellers."
of the 27 members of the European Union on February 21, seven of the EU countries "called for sanctions to be adopted when the ministers gather again next month" against Iran for their human rights violations. This was in response to the government's actions in terms of the protesters and because of the execution of "Zahra Bahrami, an Iranian-Dutch national sentenced for drug trafficking", on February 4.
- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
stated in a council meeting that the arrest of opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi "violated the Iranian Constitution and civil law as well as the international provisions of human rights."
States - Foreign Minister
Lawrence Cannon
released a statement saying that "Canada is deeply concerned by the violence perpetrated by Iranian authorities against peaceful protestors in Tehran. The hypocrisy of Iranian authorities' calls for democracy in Egypt and suppression of the same demands in Iran is deeply disturbing."
- Guido Westerwelle
, the German Minister for Foreign Affairs
, spoke with Germany's diplomat from Iran to "protest the removal of [Mousavi and Karroubi], and called on Tehran to allow the pair access to lawyers." He also spoke with Germany's diplomat in Iran, urging him to "guarantee the safety" of the opposition leaders.
- Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
called upon the West to act against Iran: "If the international community is applying special pressure on Libya and warning its leader and soldiers against violating civil rights, the same warning must be aimed at Iran's leaders and their henchmen...At the same time as Kadhafi is massacring his opponents in Libya, the regime of the ayatollahs in Iran is systematically executing its opponents...I believe that a firm reaction will send a very clear message of encouragement and hope to the Iranian people, that no one has forgotten their struggle for freedom and liberty."
- Frank Belfrage, the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
, summoned and spoke with the Iranian ambassador, Rasoul Eslami, on March 3 to discuss the arrest of opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi. State Secretary Belfrage said that "the ambassador's explanation of the circumstances was 'unsatisfactory' and that Sweden will keep a close eye on the development of the case."
- William Hague
, the Foreign Secretary for the U.K., commented, "I have seen reports today of peaceful demonstrators being assaulted by Iranian security forces. President Ahmadinejad last Friday told the Egyptian people that they had the right to express their own views about their country. I call on the Iranian authorities to allow their own people the same right and to ensure that the security authorities exercise restraint."
- During a press conference, President Barack Obama
spoke out about Iran and its protesters saying: "My hope and expectation is that we’re going to continue to see the people of Iran have the courage to be able to express their yearning for greater freedoms and a more representative government, understanding that America cannot ultimately dictate what happens inside of Iran any more than it could inside of Egypt." Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State
for the United States
, said that the White House "very clearly and directly support[s] the aspirations [of the protesters]". She also noted the hypocrisy of the Iranian government for supporting the protests and revolution in Egypt but not allowing peaceful protests within Iran. She added, "We think that there needs to be a commitment to open up the political system in Iran to hear the voices of the opposition and civil society." In an advance response, the US State Department set up a Persian
language Twitter feed the day before, in order to allow easier communication by Iran's internet users with the outside world. The Department's first tweet on the feed announced, "US State Dept recognizes historic role of social media among Iranians. We want to join in your conversations". The United States Treasury Department
released a statement placing sanctions on Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor general, and Mohammad Reza Naqdi
, the commander of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps' Basij Forces. Both men had been put on the Office of Foreign Assets Control
blacklist, which "bans any U.S. persons from transactions with them and seeks to freeze any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction. It also subjects them to State Department visa sanctions." This was in response to the human rights violations they had conducted during the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests. Reuters
described the timing of the release of the statement as a "show of solidarity with victims of torture, persecution and arbitrary detention" in relation to the current protests in Iran and the rest of the Middle East and Northern Africa. During his annual address to the Iranian people on the Persian New Year, President Barack Obama cited the violent oppression of past events, saying, "But the future of Iran will not be shaped by fear. The future of Iran belongs to the young people – the youth who will determine their own destiny.” He also referenced the 1979 Iranian Revolution, stating, "You are not bound by the chains of the past – the distracting hatred of America that will create no jobs or opportunity; the rigid and unaccountable government; the refusal to let the Iranian people realize their full potential for fear of undermining the authority of the state. Instead, you – the young people of Iran – carry within you both the ancient greatness of Persian civilization, and the power to forge a country that is responsive to your aspirations. And though times may seem dark. I want you to know that I am with you."
Non-governmental organisations
The police crackdown on protesters led Amnesty International
to denounce Iranian authorities. They released a statement saying, "Iranians have a right to gather to peacefully express their support for the people of Egypt and Tunisia."
Marvin Feuer, the director of policy and government affairs for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
, stated in a seminar with the Reserve Officers Association
that "despite turmoil in the region it is critical not to lose focus on Iran." He also commented on the American government's problems with supporting democracy in the area while still keeping American security interests stable: "The Iranian case does not pose the same problem. In Iran, all of these concerns align. Iran is a bad player in any realm we can think of."
Academia
Reza Aslan
, an Iranian-American
activist and writer of No god but God
stated in an interview with Neon Tommy
that "the [Iranian] regime is unsustainable," referring to its current governmental system and how it responds to both internal and external forces such as the current protest movement. He commented to the Washington Post that "pressure is going to continue to build on Iran. Iran sees itself as an exemplar for the region for having thrown off an American-backed dictatorship. But it really only replaced one tyrant with another."
Financial markets
The violence from the street protests caused fear in the global stock market that oil supplies would be interrupted from Iran, which is one of the world's leading exporters of oil. These fears caused the price of WTI
crude oil to rise above $85 a barrel and brent crude
to exceed $103 per barrel.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
which began on 14 February 2011, called "The Day of Rage". The protests followed the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests and were influenced by other concurrent protests in the region
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...
. To date the protests have resulted in at least three known deaths, with dozens more being hospitalized and hundreds arrested.
Background
Following the highly controversial 2009 Iranian presidential electionsIranian presidential election, 2009
Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election...
, massive protests erupted across Iran. The Iranian government suppressed the protests and stopped the mass demonstrations in 2009, with only very minor flare-ups in 2010. However, not many of the protesters' demands were met.
Then, the 2010–2011 Arab world protests spread across the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. After the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali is a Tunisian political figure who was the second President of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011. Ben Ali was appointed Prime Minister in October 1987, and he assumed the Presidency on 7 November 1987 in a bloodless coup d'état that ousted President Habib Bourguiba, who was...
in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
on 14 January 2011, millions of people began demonstrating across the region in a broad movement aimed at various issues such as their standards of living
Standard of living
Standard of living is generally measured by standards such as real income per person and poverty rate. Other measures such as access and quality of health care, income growth inequality and educational standards are also used. Examples are access to certain goods , or measures of health such as...
or influencing significant reforms, with varying degrees of success. With the successful ousting of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
on 11 February 2011 following that of President Ben Ali of Tunisia, renewed protests began in Iran.
Protests
On 27 January, the opposition Green Movement of Iran announced a series of protests against the Iranian governmentPolitics of Iran
The politics of Iran take place in a framework of theocracy guided by an Islamist ideology. The December 1979 constitution, and its 1989 amendment, define the political, economic, and social order of the Islamic Republic of Iran, declaring that Shi'a Islam of the Twelver school of thought is...
scheduled to take place prior to the "Revolution Day" march on 11 February.
On 9 February, various opposition groups in Iran sent a letter to the Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Interior (Iran)
The Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Iran is in charge of performing, supervising and reporting elections, and policing, among other responsibilities related to the interior....
requesting permission to protest under the control of the Iranian police. Permission was refused by the relevant government officials. Despite these setbacks and crackdowns on activists and members of opposition parties, opposition leaders such as Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
, called for protests.
February 14
This date was chosen for protests to coincide with 25 Bahman, the 11th month of the Persian calendar, and was publicized as "The Day of Rage". The day before the protests were due to begin, opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi were placed under house arrest and denied access to telephones and the Internet. Their homes were blockaded and they were not allowed visitors. On 14 February 2011, thousands of protesters began to gather in a solidarity rally with Egypt and Tunisia. There was a large number of police on the streets to keep an eye on the protesters, but thousands were still able to gather together in TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
's Azadi Square
Azadi Square
Azadi Square is a city square in Tehran, Iran.It has an area of about 50,000 m2, plus adjacent areas, and is the largest square in Tehran and the second largest in Iran, being smaller than Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan....
. The
number of protesters has been given by different sources, from "thousands" to "hundreds of thousands".
The solidarity protests turned into an anti-government demonstration during which the police fired tear gas and paintball
Paintball
Paintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside propelled from a device called a paintball marker . Paintballs have a non-toxic, biodegradable, water soluble...
s at protesters. Protesters to protect themselves, responded by setting fires in garbage bins. Video footage showed one civilian being violently beaten by a group of protesters. Two protesters were killed in Tehran, both university students. Sane Jaleh
Sane Jaleh
Sane Jaleh also Sanea Jaleh, Saneh Jaleh, or Sani Zhaleh was an Iranian student at the University of Arts. He was one of two students shot dead during the February 14, 2011 demonstrations in support of Egyptians and Tunisians for ousting Presidents Hosni Mubarak and Ben Ali, in Tehran, Iran...
during the protest, and Mohammad Mokhtari
Mohammad Mokhtari (protester)
Mohammad Mokhtari was an Iranian university student fatally wounded by a gunshot during the February 14 2011 protests in Tehran in support of Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions. He died the next day, while hospitalized...
the next day from his wounds. According to reporter Farnaz Fassihi
Farnaz Fassihi
Farnaz Fassihi is an award winning Iranian-American journalist. She is a senior staff writer for The Wall Street Journal covering the Middle East....
, Jaleh and Mokhtari were both shot by men on motorcycles who their friends identified as Basij
Basij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
members.
Protests were also reported in the cities of Isfahan and Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz may refer to:* Shiraz, Iran, a city in Iran* Shiraz County, an administrative subdivision of Iran* Vosketap, Armenia, formerly called ShirazPeople:* Hovhannes Shiraz, Armenian poet* Ara Shiraz, Armenian sculptor...
, which police forcibly dispersed, as well as in Rasht
Rasht
Rasht is a city in and the capital of Gilan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 551,161, in 159,983 families.Rasht is the largest city on Iran's Caspian Sea coast. It is a major trade center between Caucasia, Russia and Iran using the port of Bandar-e Anzali...
, Mashhad
Mashhad
Mashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its...
and Kermanshah
Kermanshah
Kermanshah is a city in and the capital of Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 784,602, in 198,117 families.The overwhelming majority of Kermanshahi people are Shi'a Muslims...
.
The protests that occurred on this day marked a setback for the government of Iran, as the regime has campaigned that Mousavi's Green Movement had lost momentum, but the revived uprisings helps prove otherwise.
According to some reports, 1,500 Hezbollah fighters assisted in the suppression of the protests in Azadi Square. Following the initial protests, Hezbollah fighters allegedly continued to participate, assisting local forces in suppressing protests.
February 15–16
Protests on 15 February were not as intense as the day before. On 16 February there were sporadic clashes between protesters and pro-government forces. Karroubi and Mousavi responded to calls for their execution by saying they are willing to die for change.Thousands of pro-government supporters turned up in Tehran for several state sponsored rallies on 16 February.
February 17–19
On Thursday February 17, it was reported that opposition leader Mousavi had been missing since Tuesday February 15. Mousavi's daughters stated that they had had no contact with their father for over two days after security forces had put him under house arrest. His daughters feared that both Mousavi and their mother "had been detained". Mousavi's website stated that the "normal" guards that had been surrounding his home during his house arrest over the past week had been replaced with "masked security forces". Karroubi reported that one of his son's homes had been raided in an attempt to arrest his eldest son, but he was not in the building at the time.On 18 February, thousands of pro-government supporters called for the execution of opposition leaders after Friday prayers. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati
Ahmad Jannati
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati Massah is a hardline Iranian politician, fundamentalist Shi'i cleric and a founding member of Haghani school with close ties with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mesbah-Yazdi...
said that the opposition leaders had lost their reputation and are as good as "dead and executed." He said there should be more restrictions on Mousavi and Karroubi. "Their communications with people should be completely cut. They should not be able to receive or send messages. Their phone lines and Internet should be cut. They should be prisoners in their homes."
On February 19, the Interior Minister
Ministry of Interior (Iran)
The Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Iran is in charge of performing, supervising and reporting elections, and policing, among other responsibilities related to the interior....
Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar
Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar
Mostafa Mohammad Najjar is the current Interior minister of Iran since August 9, 2009. He was Minister of Defense in the first cabinet of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from 2005 to 2009. He is a veteran of the Revolutionary Guards .-Early life:...
stated that the protests set for Sunday, February 20, will "be confronted as per the law".
February 20
Protests were also planned for 20 February, to mark a week since the deaths of those killed in the 14 February protests.The Fars News Agency
Fars News Agency
Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency", news organizations such as CNN and Reuters describe it as a "semi-official" news agency with ties to the government...
released a report in the morning warning that "armed opposition groups plan to shoot at people in [the] protest rally set for Sunday afternoon." The agency claimed that this group was Mujahideen-e Khalq an Iraq-based Iranian opposition group, which had entered the country for the sole purpose of attacking the protesters.
Protesters began gathering in the tens of thousands throughout Iran and especially in Tehran. The protesters were seen occupying government buildings, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcaster, or IRIB, , formerly called the National Iranian Radio and Television until the Islamic revolution of 1979, is a giant Iranian corporation in control of radio and television which is among the largest media organizations in Asia and Pacific region, and a regular...
building. However, extremely large numbers of police and plainclothes Basij militia were stationed throughout the city, even outnumbering the protesters in some of the city squares. Tear gas was fired and witnesses reported that security forces fired into protests and beat demonstrators with steel batons. In one neighborhood, Basij members reportedly took over a commercial building and dropped tear gas canisters from the roof onto protesters. Eyewitnesses reported that two protesters were killed by Basij paramilitaries, one each in the Vanak
Vanak
Vanak is a neighbourhood in the northern part of Tehran, capital of Iran and there is a square and a street named after it. The word Vanak means "Small Tree" in Persian....
and Vali Asr
Valiasr Street
Valiasr Street is a tree-lined street in Tehran, Iran, dividing the metropolis into western and eastern parts. It is considered one of Tehran's main thoroughfares and commercial centres...
squares. Police arrested a number of protesters and were seen stopping people on the streets and frisking them, along with removing people from vehicles.
The daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
, Faezeh Hashemi
Faezeh Hashemi
Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani is an Iranian journalist, women rights activist, former member of Iranian parliament, and daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani....
, was arrested for taking part in a banned rally. Shortly afterward, she was reportedly released. The Fars News Agency
Fars News Agency
Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency", news organizations such as CNN and Reuters describe it as a "semi-official" news agency with ties to the government...
reported that she had been released after claiming that she was out shopping.
There were also reports of other protester demonstrations going on in other major cities across Iran. However, coverage by journalists was thin, because the Ministry of Intelligence and National Security had "sent a letter to foreign media offices in Tehran warning them that their bureaus would be shut down and their reporters deported if they wrote "negative articles" surrounding the opposition protests." While the protests were taking place, the IRNA news agency released television reports saying that things were "completely quiet and normal". Furthermore, the Fars News Agency had released reports to the public saying that the February 20 protests would be especially violent, because the "opposition plans to shoot people."
It was later reported by witnesses that demonstrations did take place in Isfahan and Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz may refer to:* Shiraz, Iran, a city in Iran* Shiraz County, an administrative subdivision of Iran* Vosketap, Armenia, formerly called ShirazPeople:* Hovhannes Shiraz, Armenian poet* Ara Shiraz, Armenian sculptor...
, most of which were dispersed after being attacked by police and Basij militia. Five protesters were reportedly injured in Shiraz.
February 21
A statement released by the "Green Wave" movement in France said that the first secretary and vice consul at the consulate in Milan, Ahmed Maleki, a nephew to opposition leader Ayatollah Medhi Karroubi, had defected to the side of the opposition movement, and applied for political asylum in France where the rest of his immediate family were already residing.February 24
A statement was released by opposition websites and opposition leader Mousavi calling for "nationwide street protests every Tuesday for the next three weeks as a way to increase pressure on the government", which would have protests occurring on 1, 8, and 15 March. Dubbed the "Tuesdays of Protest", they were decided upon in order to keep the "momentum" of the protests going and to call for the protesters to move onto other types of resistance, such as "sit-ins, strikes, boycotts and civil resistance." The opposition has also stated that these new protests were called for in order to end the house arrests of the opposition leaders, Mousavi and Karroubi.February 25
A video depicting opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi was released early February 25 on the news website Sahamnews.org. It had been recorded by Karroubi before he had been placed under house arrest on February 13. It called for the protesters to remain determined, saying "We must remain determined on the road of our convictions, and I am certain we will succeed...We are committed to the pact we made with the people, to establish the power of the people and Islam based on elections. And on this road, no trouble, no difficulty is too hard to bear." The video itself was snuck out of his home by his wife in order to get it to the local media.February 26
It was reported that opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi, along with their wives, had been "placed in a safe house for their own welfare, but they have not been arrested", according to officials in the Iranian government. This was stated to be for their own protection, as the protesters were "looking for martyrs".The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran is a non-government organization that works to bring international attention on what it views as the Iranian government’s repression of human rights and civil liberties in Iran. It is based in the United States...
expressed its concern for these changes, since a safe house
Safe house
In the jargon of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, a safe house is a secure location, suitable for hiding witnesses, agents or other persons perceived as being in danger...
is "considered a place for the secret detention of high security-value detainees, which is not under the control of the judiciary or any other monitoring mechanisms." They have been reportedly used in the past by the Iranian government as places where confessions are obtained from detainees through "methods and techniques".
February 28
The statement that opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi had been moved to a safe house was put at odds with a statement released by a member of the Iranian judiciary, who stated that, "The two are currently in their homes and there have only been restrictions on their contacts,"March 1
According to the families of opposition leaders Karroubi and Mousavi, and the website Kaleme, (which is connected to the leaders), Karroubi and Mousavi and their wives have been arrested and are being held in Heshmatiyeh PrisonHeshmatiyeh Prison
Heshmatiyeh Prison is a prison in Iran, located in the East of Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing.-Iranian opposition leaders in Heshmatiyeh Prison:...
. Officials of the Iranian government have denied it. An advisor to opposition leader Mousavi, Ardeshir Amir-Arjomand, said in response to this charge that Mousavi and Karroubi "have become hostages in the hands of the Iranian government. It is surprising that two prominent political figures have disappeared and no government official takes responsibility."
The opposition movement called for a protest for 1 March, which is the first in a series of protests dubbed the "Tuesdays of Protest". As in the other protests, security forces deploying tear gas and other weapons were out in significant numbers and clashed with protesters. According to opposition sources, over 200 protesters were arrested in Tehran by security services and plain clothes and another 40 in Isfahan. According to the BBC news, one of the arrested was Fakhrosadar Mohtashami, the wife of former minister Mostafa Tajzadeh
Mostafa Tajzadeh
Seyyed Mostafa Tajzadeh is an Iranian progressive, reformist politician, and a member of Islamic Iran Participation Front .-Political career:...
, who (according to a relative or hers) is being kept in Evin Prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
and "has not been allowed contact with her family for the time being."
According to RFERL, a "number of prominent Iranian activists" have appealed to United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
urging him "to use all `international levers` at his disposal" to ensure the welfare of Musavi and Karrubi and "seek their release from detention". Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
has issued a document of "Urgent Action" to their members asking them to write to Iranian authorities and appeal to them to "immediately disclose the whereabouts of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, Zahra Rahnavard and Fatemeh Karroubi."
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, stated that the situation with Mousavi and Karroubi was a "domestic issue" and that "the news related to some people [Karroubi and Mousavi] will be looked into by judiciary officials and within the legal frameworks. This issue cannot be used as a pretext by America and some other western countries ... to try to divert everyone's attention to unreal issues." Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary. also released a statement saying, "The news released by some hostile media regarding the transfer of Mr Moussavi and Mr Karroubi to Heshmatieh detention centre is not correct."
March 3
During President Amedinejad's trip to Lorestan province, which is in the west of the country he blamed foreign powers for triggering unrest in Iran.March 5
Opposition website Kaleme posted an announcement by the Green Coordination Council of the Green Path of HopeThe Green Path of Hope
The Green Path of Hope is an Iranian association established by Iranian presidential campaign candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, on August 15, 2009, as the organizational body of Green Movement....
that called for a protest set for March 8, which is International Women's Day
International Women's Day
International Women's Day , originally called International Working Women’s Day, is marked on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and...
. The protest is to be focused on "demanding more gender equality in the Islamic Republic and to protest the "incarceration" of opposition leaders Mir Houssein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and their wives".
Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
made a similar announcement also calling for support for a March 8 protest, saying, "On this day, shoulder to shoulder with our brothers, we will come to the streets to support the popular and broad democratic demands, because achieving ‘equal rights’ is possible only if voiced in a democratic system. But, we must not allow anyone to disregard our demands under the auspices of preventing crisis or avoiding divisiveness." She also commented on the change of dress
Chador
A chādor or chādar is an outer garment or open cloak worn by many Iranian women and female teenagers in public spaces. Wearing this garment is one possible way in which a Muslim woman can follow the Islamic dress code known as ḥijāb. A chador is a full-body-length semicircle of fabric that is...
for Iranian women that had become law at the beginning of the Iranian government, stating, "Thirty-two years ago on March 8, International Women’s Day, a statement broadcast on national television, stripped women employed by the government of one of their most basic rights – the freedom to choose their own dress...Iranian women are not starved for political power nor are they demanding decadence. They are simply weary of enduring more cruelty and disparagement. They are in search of justice and equality".
March 6
The official website of opposition leader Karroubi released a statement saying that AyatollahAyatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Ali Khamenei
Ali Khamenei
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i is the Supreme Leader of Iran and the figurative head of the Muslim conservative establishment in Iran and Twelver Shi'a marja...
had been directly involved in the "abduction of Karroubi and his wife, Fatemeh", having given the orders to the soldiers under his command to do so. The statement also said that Vahid Haghanian, the administrative advisor to Khamenei, had personally led the "security forces which raided Karroubi's house in north Tehran and confiscated his belongings."
March 8
Akbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAkbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
, the former fourth Iranian president and prominent critic of the current Iranian government, was ousted as head of the Assembly of Experts
Assembly of Experts
The Assembly of Experts of Iran , also translated as Council of Experts, is a deliberative body of 86 Mujtahids that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.Members of the assembly are elected from a government-screened list of candidates by...
, a body of clerics that chooses Iran's Supreme Leader. His departure from the Assembly came about after a lengthy period of opposition towards him among the conservatives of the Assembly after his support for the 2009 election protests. He had been running for reelection as head of the assembly, against Mahdavi Kani, but withdrew himself upon leaving the assembly. During his last speech at the Assembly, he stated, "I would like to devote my time to writing my memoirs and not run for any more public office."
Rafsanjani's resignation from the Assembly caused concern among the opposition protesters, as they had been hoping that he would "help influence Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to moderate his support for Mr. Ahmadinejad". Analysts have stated that his resignation now allows the Assembly to choose a new supreme leader that will be more conservative than would otherwise have been possible.
A report was released by Tehran Bureau
Tehran Bureau
Tehran Bureau is an online news magazine covering politics, foreign affairs, culture and society in Iran and the Iranian Diaspora. It was founded by Iranian-born journalist Kelly Golnoush Niknejad in February 2008, initially as a blog...
's staff reporter Hamid Farokhnia who has been covering events in Tehran. He stated that in preparation for the protests planned for International Women's Day
International Women's Day
International Women's Day , originally called International Working Women’s Day, is marked on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and...
on March 8, various groups that have been leading the opposition, such as the The Green Path of Hope
The Green Path of Hope
The Green Path of Hope is an Iranian association established by Iranian presidential campaign candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, on August 15, 2009, as the organizational body of Green Movement....
, the Mourning Mothers
Mourning Mothers
The Mourning Mothers are a group of Iranian women whose spouses or children were killed by government agents in the protests following the disputed Iranian presidential election of 2009. The principal demand of the Mourning Mothers is government accountability for the deaths, arrests, and...
and other groups, made announcements telling their followers to protest in multiple locations across Tehran. The purpose of this, according to Farokhnia, was to thin out the security presence at any one area, as this separation of protesters would require the Iranian police and the Basij to cover all possible places of protest in the city.
One of the methods that the Basij used to counteract this was to obtain more members, having new members "as young as 14" joining. Also, perhaps in order to show some sense of equality in light of International Women's Day, according to Farokhnia, the police also had groups of "female stormtroopers" working with the police and Basij, which he described as "fierce-looking chador-clad warriors".
Farokhnia went on to say that the Mourning Mothers told their followers to gather in protest at the usual place, "Laleh Park west of Vali Asr". In contrast, the Green Path of Hope assigned "four or five strategic locales in the city to its followers." This resulted in confusion for both the police forces and for the protesters, who eventually gave up on gathering in one of the places given and instead returned to the "old routine of walking quietly on the sidewalks of Enghelab Avenue." Because of the approach of the Persian New Year, Farokhnia stated, there was a high number of shoppers that ended up mingling with the protesters, creating confusion on which people were the protesters. Farokhnia explained the scenario as having "made for unnerving moments of tension but also rare instances of congeniality: protesters offering cookies to the special units of NAJA (the state police) and some young Basijis smiling approvingly at the brave protesters, proving for the umpteenth time that no matter how foul a political ideology, most Iranians in their hearts are revolted by violence and fanaticism."
March 11
Jay Deshmukh, the Agence France-PresseAgence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
deputy bureau chief in Tehran, was expelled from the country and "stripped of his press card along with 10 other correspondents". In response, Agence France-Presse "lodged an official protest with the Iranian authorities, in Tehran and Paris." The spokesman of the French foreign ministry, Bernard Valero, also released a statement saying: "This pitiful decision by the Iranian authorities reflects a new deterioration in the working conditions of journalists in Iran. We have expressed to the Iranian ambassador our concern and incomprehension at this new infringement of press freedom which will not be without consequences."
March 13
The children of opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi released a statement through Mousavi's website Kaleme stating that on March 8, they had been allowed to visit their parents. It was revealed that the two opposition leaders were being held in separate houses that were in the same neighborhood as Mousavi's home. Mousavi had told them that during an earlier raid on his home by police forces "various documents pertaining to the period of [his] years as prime minister, and a series of CDs containing years of work and research by Zahra Rahnavard were confiscated". Their children had been warned after their visit not to discuss it with anyone; but, after a few days of consideration, they decided to publish the information.It was reported by Radio Farda
Radio Farda
Radio Farda is the Iranian Branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's broadcast services. It broadcasts 24 hours a day in the Persian language from its headquarters Prague, Czech Republic. Radio Farda first aired December 2002. Radio Farda broadcasts political, cultural, social, and art news...
in interviews with student activists in Iran that, since the start of the protests, "16-18 students of [Tehran] university have been detained". However, the students also noted that the number of student activists arrested could be much higher, as families of arrested student activists have been "warned against publicizing their plights".
March 16
Sajjad Rezaie, the head of the Islamic Association of Tehran University's art faculty, had spoken out previously about Sanee ZhalehSane Jaleh
Sane Jaleh also Sanea Jaleh, Saneh Jaleh, or Sani Zhaleh was an Iranian student at the University of Arts. He was one of two students shot dead during the February 14, 2011 demonstrations in support of Egyptians and Tunisians for ousting Presidents Hosni Mubarak and Ben Ali, in Tehran, Iran...
, stating that he had been "a member of Mir Hossein Musavi's presidential campaign team in the June 2009 election". In response, Rezaie was "suspended from his teaching duties pending a ruling by the university's disciplinary committee."
March 19
One of opposition leader Karroubi's sons, who had been arrested three weeks prior during the beginning of the protests, was "released on bail", but still "remains under unofficial house arrest".Another of Karroubi's sons, Mohammad Taghi Karroubi, made an announcement in line with a previous statement from the daughters of opposition leader Mousavi, saying that he had been allowed to visit Karroubi, who is still under house arrest with his wife.
March 20
Ebrahim YazdiEbrahim Yazdi
Ebrahim Yazdi is an Iranian politician and diplomat who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the interim government of Mehdi Bazargan, until his resignation in November 1979, in protest to the Iran hostage crisis...
, leader of the Freedom Movement of Iran
Freedom Movement of Iran
The Freedom Movement of Iran is an Iranian political organization which was founded in 1961 by Mehdi Bazargan, Mahmoud Taleghani, Yadollah Sahabi, Mostafa Chamran, Ali Shariati, Sadegh Ghotbzadeh and some other political or religious figures...
, was released from jail after having been arrested for being a prominent opposition leader during the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests. Upon his release, the Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamic Republic News Agency
The Islamic Republic News Agency , or IRNA, is the official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is government-funded and controlled under the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. The agency also publishes the newspaper Iran. , the Managing Director of IRNA is Ali Akbar...
reported a "one-sentence statement from Yazdi saying he is resigning as leader of the Freedom Movement of Iran". The Freedom Movement organization itself is banned in Iran because it "opposes Iran's clerical rule and seeks democratic change." The center of Tehran was locked down after crowds of anti-regime demonstrators tried to gather there from across the city, the government denied the claim saying things were "peaceful" although the deputy police chief admitted that special forces had been deployed.
March 22
Yasser Khomeini, a grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, made a comment saying that the house arrest of opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi was an "unacceptable measure." This statement was made while he was "visiting Mehdi Karrubi's son, Ali, who was recently released from prison on bail." He also reportedly said he "hopes that with the beginning of the Persian new year on March 21, 'the rule of law would be established' in Iran and 'people, political activists, and leading figures of the Iranian Revolution would be treated with wisdom and prudence.'"April 9
According to the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Mahmoud Amedinejad demoted his top advisor. It was also reported that his chief of staff was fired.
April 15–18
According to the Saudi-owned pan-Arab news channel,Al ArabiyaAl Arabiya
Al Arabiya is a Pan-Arabist Saudi-owned Arabic-language television news channel. Launched on March 3, 2003, the channel is based in Dubai Media City, United Arab Emirates, and is majority-owned by the Saudi broadcaster Middle East Broadcasting Center ....
, there were protests by Iranian Arabs in the city of Ahvaz
Ahvaz
-History:For a more comprehensive historical treatment of the area, see the history section of Khūzestān Province.-Ancient history:Ahvaz is the anagram of "Avaz" and "Avaja" which appear in Darius's epigraph...
, capital of the Khuzestan province who were "demanding more rights and humanitarian benefits". Al Arabiya reports that when the protests began, the city was blockaded by Iranian security forces, who "broke up demonstrations by force." and that "15 people from Ahwaz have been killed and dozens have been wounded".
Lebanon-based journalist Roula Hajjar wrote on the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
's blog that the protests on April 15 had also occurred in the cities Abadan, Khorramshahr, Mahshahr and Shadegan. She noted that the events had " largely escaped international attention primarily due to the efforts of Iranian officials." She also stated that the state news agencies in Iran had reported the killing of at least three people, "including one officer", by "armed insurgents".
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
released a statement, saying that the Iranian government should allow international media into the area. Joe Stork, the Middle East director of HRW, stated, "Iran has made it impossible to confirm the scale of the deadly violence against protesters in Khuzestan province, making transparent and independent investigations into alleged killings and arrests there absolutely essential."
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
sent "a letter to UN human rights chief Navi Pillay in which she describes a deadly crackdown by Iranian security forces last week on a peaceful protest in Khuzestan's capital, Ahvaz." The letter stated that "at least 12 people were killed" in the protests, "20 injured", and "dozens were arrested". Human rights activists told RFE/RL they have received reports that "there were more than 150 arrests, including a number of intellectuals, artists, and women's rights activists." and that "the rest of the activists were told to not speak to any media organization."
April 30-May 7
It has been reported Iranian media has censored all coverage on protests in the rest of North Africa and the Middle East, especially in Syria, possibly in an attempt to prevent more protests. It has also been reported that Mahmoud Amedinejad has been "boycotting" his duties, with some analysts predicting that the country could soon go unstable. Tensions between Amedinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are said to have increased. Amedinejad, having sidelined many of its powerful opponents (Notably Akbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAkbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
and Mohammed Khatami), recently tried to shortcut Khamenei powers; most notably by firing Heidar Moslehi, the intelligence minister, a conservative ally to Khamenei, without Khamenei's agreement. Moslehi was later restored by Khamenei, while several close allies of the president, including Amedinejad's progressive chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei
Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei
Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei is a top adviser, and close confident of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He is currently Ahmadinejad's Chief of Staff. He served as the head of the Presidential Center from 2009 to 2011, and was First Vice President of Iran for one week in 2009 before he was ordered...
, have been arrested and accused of invoking djinns.
September 11
Reports that two more Gonabadi Dervishes have been arrested in Kovar in southeastern Iran.Arrests
Ignacio Pérez-Cambra, the ConsulConsul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in Iran, was arrested for a period of four hours during the early part of the day on 14 February. He was accused by Iranian police of going to one of the demonstrations. Spain later demanded an explanation or apology from the Iranian government about the arrest of Pérez-Cambra that included a "satisfactory response", threatening to call him home from Iran if one was not received. The foreign ministry already announced that it had "suspended an upcoming visit to Madrid by a senior Iranian diplomat." The UK also echoed its displeasure over the detainment of Cambra. Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Akbar Salehi
Ali Akbar Salehi
Ali Akbar Salehi is an Iranian politician, diplomat and academic and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs since 13 December 2010. Previous to his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he was Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran from 16 July 2009 to 13 December 2010...
called the Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Trinidad Jiménez
Trinidad Jiménez
Trinidad Jiménez García-Herrera is a Spanish Socialist Workers' Party politician and is currently Spain's Foreign Affairs Minister....
on February 17 in order to apologize for the incident with Cambra, stating that those responsible for his arrest had been "unaware that they were violating the Vienna Convention
Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 is an international treaty that defines a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries. It specifies the privileges of a diplomatic mission that enable diplomats to perform their function without fear of coercion or...
", but that an investigation was underway nonetheless.
Ghaneh Jaleh, the brother of one of the students who were killed, was arrested on February 17, reportedly because he gave "a telephone interview to foreign media about his brother", specifically to Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
. During the interview, he told Voice of America that his brother, Saleh Jaleh, was not a member of the Basij, as was being claimed, but that the Basij membership card had been faked by the government. He explained that, on February 15, his cousin had taken a photo of Saleh from his home and it was this image of Saleh that was on the Basij membership card.
Faezeh Hashemi
Faezeh Hashemi
Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani is an Iranian journalist, women rights activist, former member of Iranian parliament, and daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani....
, the daughter of former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
, was arrested on February 20 while attending one of the anti-government protests on that day. The reasons stated for her arrest included "making blunt statements" and "chanting provocative slogans." She was released from police custody shortly afterwards.
Ali Karroubi, the son of opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
, and his wife were arrested on February 21 according to opposition websites, with Ali's wife later being released while Ali himself is still being kept in custody.
On the Tuesday protest of March 1, Fakhrosadar Mohtashami, wife of former minister Mostafa Tajzadeh
Mostafa Tajzadeh
Seyyed Mostafa Tajzadeh is an Iranian progressive, reformist politician, and a member of Islamic Iran Participation Front .-Political career:...
, was arrested and taken to Evin Prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
.
The official number of protesters arrested has been given as 150 by the government, but the opposition claims that the numbers are far higher, at around 1,500. Since the initial protests, the number of officially recognized arrests has risen to 1,500, with the opposition also raising their believed number of arrested protesters.
It was reported that at least 16-18 student activists at Tehran University have been arrested since the beginning of the protests. One student, Arzhang Alipour, had "given interviews to media describing how fellow student Hamed Nour-Mohammadi was killed during protests in the southwestern city of Shiraz on February 20", which resulted him being called in front of the disciplinary committe of the university three times before he was finally arrested on March 12.
Casualties
The human rights organisation HRANA's website reported that one person had died after riot police opened fire at protesters near Tohid Square in Tehran. According to Kazem JalaliKazem Jalali
Kazem Jalali is a member of the Majlis in the Islamic Republic of Iran for three progressive period from the city of Shahrood. He is presently the spokesman for the foreign relations committee of the Majlis....
, one of the injured protesters also died later in the day on February 14.
Both people killed (Mohammad Mokhtari and Sanee Zhaleh
Sane Jaleh
Sane Jaleh also Sanea Jaleh, Saneh Jaleh, or Sani Zhaleh was an Iranian student at the University of Arts. He was one of two students shot dead during the February 14, 2011 demonstrations in support of Egyptians and Tunisians for ousting Presidents Hosni Mubarak and Ben Ali, in Tehran, Iran...
) were students, though from different universities. According to the Iranian government, Sanee Zhaleh
Sane Jaleh
Sane Jaleh also Sanea Jaleh, Saneh Jaleh, or Sani Zhaleh was an Iranian student at the University of Arts. He was one of two students shot dead during the February 14, 2011 demonstrations in support of Egyptians and Tunisians for ousting Presidents Hosni Mubarak and Ben Ali, in Tehran, Iran...
was a member of the Basij
Basij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
militia and was killed by the opposition. Reuters reported that protesters did not deny that Zhaleh was a Basij member, but that he had "attended Monday's rally as an active opposition supporter;" but other protesters have strongly denied Zhaleh's Basij involvement and produced an image of Zhaleh visiting Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri -- one of the main critics of Ayatollah Khamenei and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- indicating Zhaleh was truly with the opposition. International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran is a non-government organization that works to bring international attention on what it views as the Iranian government’s repression of human rights and civil liberties in Iran. It is based in the United States...
(ICHRI) and Tehran Bureau
Tehran Bureau
Tehran Bureau is an online news magazine covering politics, foreign affairs, culture and society in Iran and the Iranian Diaspora. It was founded by Iranian-born journalist Kelly Golnoush Niknejad in February 2008, initially as a blog...
both quote student oppositionists who deny Jaleh was a Basiji. A member of the Tahkim-e Vahdat student organisation (Office for Strengthening Unity
Office for Strengthening Unity
The Office for Strengthening Unity , is an Iranian student organization created in 1979, and has been described as "the country's most well-known student organization," and "Iran's leading prodemocracy student group"...
) told the ICHRI that Jaleh was "not a Basiji" but a member of the Tehran Arts University’s Islamic Association, and that "he had attended previous demonstrations as well". Sanee's brother, Ghaneh Jaleh, also denied Saleh's membership in the Basij. He and others assert that Jaleh's Basij membership card was faked from a photo taken from Ghaneh's house.
Clashes erupted during the funeral service held for Zhaleh. Voice of America reported that government loyalists arrived at the funeral and began fighting with the protesters, forcing them to leave and abandon the funeral service. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
also reported that Iranian authorities had "hijacked the funeral of Zhaleh, busing in hundreds of pro-government supporters and banning his own family from attending." The IRIB
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcaster, or IRIB, , formerly called the National Iranian Radio and Television until the Islamic revolution of 1979, is a giant Iranian corporation in control of radio and television which is among the largest media organizations in Asia and Pacific region, and a regular...
new service reported that the mourners at the funeral were government supporters and could be heard chanting slogans such as "death to Mousavi" and "death to Karroubi." IRIB also reported that the funeral procession was then attacked by members of "the sedition movement," who were repelled by pro-government protesters.
Two unidentified men were killed by the Basij militia during the February 20 protests, each respectively in the Vanak
Vanak
Vanak is a neighbourhood in the northern part of Tehran, capital of Iran and there is a square and a street named after it. The word Vanak means "Small Tree" in Persian....
and Vali Asr
Valiasr Street
Valiasr Street is a tree-lined street in Tehran, Iran, dividing the metropolis into western and eastern parts. It is considered one of Tehran's main thoroughfares and commercial centres...
squares.
It was later reported that another student, Hamed Nour-Mohammadi, was killed by security forces during the protests in Shiraz. The Iranian state media later quoted the president of the student's university as saying that "Nour-Mohammadi died in a car accident and that he hadn't taken part in the antigovernment rallies that day." Since Mohammadi's death, student protesters have not been allowed into the university grounds and his family warned "to remain silent on the subject of Nour-Mohammadi's death."
Al Arabiyia citing an anonymous source, claimed tat 15 people had been killed in Ahvaz
Ahvaz
-History:For a more comprehensive historical treatment of the area, see the history section of Khūzestān Province.-Ancient history:Ahvaz is the anagram of "Avaz" and "Avaja" which appear in Darius's epigraph...
(Khuzestan province), following protests by the Arab minority there.
Domestic responses
Iranian PresidentPresident of Iran
The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in, and the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran; although subordinate to the Supreme Leader of Iran, who functions as the country's head of state...
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad released a statement saying, "It is clear the Iranian nation has enemies because it is a nation that wants to shine, conquer peaks and change [its international] relations...Of course, there is a lot of hostility against the government. But they knew that they would get nowhere....[the organizers of the protests] just wanted to tarnish the Iranian nation's brilliance...It is a shining sun. They threw some dust towards the sun... but the dust will return to their eyes."
The commander of the Basij
Basij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
Mohammad Reza Naghdi
Mohammad Reza Naqdi
Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, , is the commander of the Basij paramilitary force of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in October 2009, replacing Hossein Taeb...
told the Fars News Agency
Fars News Agency
Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency", news organizations such as CNN and Reuters describe it as a "semi-official" news agency with ties to the government...
that he believed the protests had been started by "western spies" and that "western intelligence agencies are searching for a mentally challenged person who can set himself on fire in Tehran to trigger developments like those in Egypt and Tunisia."
The Mourning Mothers
Mourning Mothers
The Mourning Mothers are a group of Iranian women whose spouses or children were killed by government agents in the protests following the disputed Iranian presidential election of 2009. The principal demand of the Mourning Mothers is government accountability for the deaths, arrests, and...
gave their support to the protests and stated that they would be joining the protesters in their marches. They called for the unconditional release of all political prisoners, abolition of the death penalty and a public trial for all those who had permitted massacres of citizens in the past 35 years.
Calls for executions
On 15 February Press TVPress TV
Press TV is a 24-hour English language global news network owned by the Iranian government. Its headquarters are located in Tehran, Iran, with bureaux in Beirut , Damascus , London , Seoul and Washington DC ....
reported that members of the Iranian parliament had called for the execution of two opposition leaders for inciting demonstrations on the previous day. 221 of the MPs present at the Iranian parliament signed a statement that said "Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi are corrupts (sic
Sic
Sic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
) on earth and should be tried. We believe the people have lost their patience and demand capital punishment." After signing the statement, the signatories gathered in the center of the chamber chanting "Death to Mousavi, death to Karroubi". The term "corrupts on earth" is a specific Iranian charge also known as Mofsed-e-filarz
Mofsed-e-filarz
Mofsed-e-filarz is the title of capital crime in the Islamic Republic of Iran, that has been translated in English language sources variously as "spreading corruption on earth", "spreading corruption that threatens social and political well-being", "corrupt of the earth; one who is...
that carries the death penalty.
Mousavi said that "the demonstrations [are] a 'great achievement'" and Karroubi responded directly to the MPs claiming that he "is willing to 'pay any price' for his country."
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, Prosecutor General of Iran, voiced his support for the actions of parliament and that he thought the opposition leaders should be "punished."
Pro-government clerics began calling for the execution of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
on 16 February as he had become increasingly aligned with the Green Movement since the 2009 election protests.
Clerics call for "anger" rally
The Islamic Propagation Coordination Council called for a rally on 18 February in order to show anger at what it called the "crimes" of "seditionist" leaders and their rebel allies. As a result, before and after Friday prayer, thousands of pro-government demonstrators poured into the streets of major cities to demonstrate their support and demand prosecution of Mousavi, Karroubi and Khatami.Censorship
All forms of Iranian mediaIranian media
The Media of Iran are privately and publicly owned but subject to the control of the government. A special court has authority to monitor the print media and may suspend publication or revoke the licenses of papers or journals that a jury finds guilty of publishing antireligious material, slander,...
were banned from covering the protests, though the demonstrators were still able to release information by utilising social media like Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. In addition, foreign media were banned from covering the events. After 10 February, the keyword "Bahman," which was the current month in the Persian calendar, was also a blocked keyword for messages on mobile phones. This resulted in slower internet connection speeds in some cities of Iran.
On 16 March 2011, Comodo, a major American certificate authority
Certificate authority
In cryptography, a certificate authority, or certification authority, is an entity that issues digital certificates. The digital certificate certifies the ownership of a public key by the named subject of the certificate...
, advised Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
that nine fraudulent SSL certificates had been issued by one of its affiliates in Southern Europe. The domains affected are:
- login.live.com
- mail.google.com
- www.google.com
- login.yahoo.com (3 certificates)
- login.skype.com
- addons.mozilla.org
- "Global Trustee"
Microsoft subsequently released an emergency update to revoke the fraudulent certificates which could have led to spoofing attacks. Similarly, Mozilla also blacklisted the fraudulent certificates. According to Comodo, both attacks originated from IP addresses assigned to ISPs in Iran and may have originated from government agencies interested in monitoring dissident activity.
Use of child soldiers
The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reported that after the 1 March protest onwards, children from ages 12–16 began being used
Military use of children
The military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities , or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs, and sexual slaves; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in...
by the Basij against the protesters. According to information released by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran is a non-government organization that works to bring international attention on what it views as the Iranian government’s repression of human rights and civil liberties in Iran. It is based in the United States...
, these children were "armed with batons, clubs and air guns and ordered to attack demonstrators who have tried to gather in Tehran." They had been bussed in by the government from rural provinces far from the capital. People in the area stated that the children had been paid and were also promised chelo kebab dinners.
The executive director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran Hadi Ghaemi stated that "it's really a violation of international law. It's no different than child soldiers, which is the custom in many zones of conflict. They are being recruited into being part of the conflict and armed for it." He also commented that "they are very keen to display violence. Teenage boys are notorious for that. They are being used to ensure there is a good ratio of government forces to protesters and because the average policeman in Tehran could have some kind of family connection to the people they have to beat up. It's a classic tactic to bring people from outside, because they have no sense of sympathy for city dwellers."
International reactions
Supranational bodies At the meeting in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
of the 27 members of the European Union on February 21, seven of the EU countries "called for sanctions to be adopted when the ministers gather again next month" against Iran for their human rights violations. This was in response to the government's actions in terms of the protesters and because of the execution of "Zahra Bahrami, an Iranian-Dutch national sentenced for drug trafficking", on February 4.
- Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security PolicyHigh Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security PolicyThe High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is the main co-ordinator and representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy within the European Union...
for the EU, made a statement in regards to Iran's reasoning that house arrest is "necessary for the opposition leaders' own protection." She said in her statement, "This justification remains unconvincing and does not explain why they have not been allowed normal communications." She also went on to say that if they were released, this would "dispel the impression that the continued restrictions under which they are held constitute a means of deliberate suppression of political opposition in Iran."
- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
stated in a council meeting that the arrest of opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi "violated the Iranian Constitution and civil law as well as the international provisions of human rights."
-
- The United Nations Human Rights CouncilUnited Nations Human Rights CouncilThe United Nations Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations System. The UNHRC is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights , and is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly...
had a vote on March 24 that appointed a "Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran", who will "independently investigate and report on abuses in Iran, and make recommendations on how they can be addressed".
- The United Nations Human Rights Council
States - Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
Lawrence Cannon
Lawrence Cannon
Lawrence Cannon, PC is a Canadian politician from Quebec and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former Quebec lieutenant. On October 30, 2008 he was sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs...
released a statement saying that "Canada is deeply concerned by the violence perpetrated by Iranian authorities against peaceful protestors in Tehran. The hypocrisy of Iranian authorities' calls for democracy in Egypt and suppression of the same demands in Iran is deeply disturbing."
- Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle [] is a German liberal politician, who, since 28 October 2009, has been serving as the Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who was Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011. He is the first openly gay person to hold either of those positions...
, the German Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany)
The Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs is the head of the Federal Foreign Office and a member of the Cabinet of Germany. The current office holder is Guido Westerwelle...
, spoke with Germany's diplomat from Iran to "protest the removal of [Mousavi and Karroubi], and called on Tehran to allow the pair access to lawyers." He also spoke with Germany's diplomat in Iran, urging him to "guarantee the safety" of the opposition leaders.
- Steffen Seibert, a spokesman for the German government, said that "the removal of the men was an "intimidation tactic" that violates international human rights laws."
- Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
called upon the West to act against Iran: "If the international community is applying special pressure on Libya and warning its leader and soldiers against violating civil rights, the same warning must be aimed at Iran's leaders and their henchmen...At the same time as Kadhafi is massacring his opponents in Libya, the regime of the ayatollahs in Iran is systematically executing its opponents...I believe that a firm reaction will send a very clear message of encouragement and hope to the Iranian people, that no one has forgotten their struggle for freedom and liberty."
- Frank Belfrage, the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)
The State Secretary for Foreign Affairs is the highest position below the rank of cabinet minister at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. , Frank Belfrage is State Secretary....
, summoned and spoke with the Iranian ambassador, Rasoul Eslami, on March 3 to discuss the arrest of opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi. State Secretary Belfrage said that "the ambassador's explanation of the circumstances was 'unsatisfactory' and that Sweden will keep a close eye on the development of the case."
- William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
, the Foreign Secretary for the U.K., commented, "I have seen reports today of peaceful demonstrators being assaulted by Iranian security forces. President Ahmadinejad last Friday told the Egyptian people that they had the right to express their own views about their country. I call on the Iranian authorities to allow their own people the same right and to ensure that the security authorities exercise restraint."
-
- Tony BlairTony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, former British Prime MinisterPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, stated "I think it's very important that we stand up now for those people who want to protest for freedom and proper democratic elections in Iran." He added, "I think [a change in Iran's government] would be possibly the single most dramatic change in the whole of the region because you would then have Iran playing a constructive part. You would have Iran not trying to destabilize other countries in the region, and arming militia-type groups."
- Tony Blair
- During a press conference, President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
spoke out about Iran and its protesters saying: "My hope and expectation is that we’re going to continue to see the people of Iran have the courage to be able to express their yearning for greater freedoms and a more representative government, understanding that America cannot ultimately dictate what happens inside of Iran any more than it could inside of Egypt." Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, said that the White House "very clearly and directly support[s] the aspirations [of the protesters]". She also noted the hypocrisy of the Iranian government for supporting the protests and revolution in Egypt but not allowing peaceful protests within Iran. She added, "We think that there needs to be a commitment to open up the political system in Iran to hear the voices of the opposition and civil society." In an advance response, the US State Department set up a Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
language Twitter feed the day before, in order to allow easier communication by Iran's internet users with the outside world. The Department's first tweet on the feed announced, "US State Dept recognizes historic role of social media among Iranians. We want to join in your conversations". The United States Treasury Department
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
released a statement placing sanctions on Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor general, and Mohammad Reza Naqdi
Mohammad Reza Naqdi
Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, , is the commander of the Basij paramilitary force of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in October 2009, replacing Hossein Taeb...
, the commander of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps' Basij Forces. Both men had been put on the Office of Foreign Assets Control
Office of Foreign Assets Control
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is an agency of the United States Department of the Treasury under the auspices of the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. OFAC administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on U.S...
blacklist, which "bans any U.S. persons from transactions with them and seeks to freeze any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction. It also subjects them to State Department visa sanctions." This was in response to the human rights violations they had conducted during the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests. Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
described the timing of the release of the statement as a "show of solidarity with victims of torture, persecution and arbitrary detention" in relation to the current protests in Iran and the rest of the Middle East and Northern Africa. During his annual address to the Iranian people on the Persian New Year, President Barack Obama cited the violent oppression of past events, saying, "But the future of Iran will not be shaped by fear. The future of Iran belongs to the young people – the youth who will determine their own destiny.” He also referenced the 1979 Iranian Revolution, stating, "You are not bound by the chains of the past – the distracting hatred of America that will create no jobs or opportunity; the rigid and unaccountable government; the refusal to let the Iranian people realize their full potential for fear of undermining the authority of the state. Instead, you – the young people of Iran – carry within you both the ancient greatness of Persian civilization, and the power to forge a country that is responsive to your aspirations. And though times may seem dark. I want you to know that I am with you."
- United States RepresentativeUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Ileana Ros-LehtinenIleana Ros-LehtinenIleana Ros-Lehtinen is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1989. She is a member of the Republican Party....
commented that "The regime’s oppression of the Iranian people has only grown since the rigged elections and suppressed demonstrations of 2009. The US made a mistake then by not voicing full and vigorous support for Iranians demanding freedom and democracy. We cannot make that mistake again."
Non-governmental organisations
The police crackdown on protesters led Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
to denounce Iranian authorities. They released a statement saying, "Iranians have a right to gather to peacefully express their support for the people of Egypt and Tunisia."
Marvin Feuer, the director of policy and government affairs for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
American Israel Public Affairs Committee
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies to the Congress and Executive Branch of the United States...
, stated in a seminar with the Reserve Officers Association
Reserve Officers Association
The Reserve Officers Association is a professional association of officers, former officers, and spouses of all the uniformed services of the United States, primarily the Reserve and National Guard. Chartered by Congress and in existence since 1922, ROA advises and educates the Congress, the...
that "despite turmoil in the region it is critical not to lose focus on Iran." He also commented on the American government's problems with supporting democracy in the area while still keeping American security interests stable: "The Iranian case does not pose the same problem. In Iran, all of these concerns align. Iran is a bad player in any realm we can think of."
Academia
Reza Aslan
Reza Aslan
Reza Aslan is an Iranian-American activist, a nationally acclaimed writer of religions. He is on the faculty at the University of California, Riverside, and is a contributing editor for The Daily Beast...
, an Iranian-American
Iranian-American
Iranian-Americans are Americans of Iranian ancestry or people possessing Iranian and American dual citizenship.Iranian-Americans are amongst the most highly educated groups in the United States...
activist and writer of No god but God
No god but God
No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam is a 2005 non-fiction book written by Iranian-American Shiite Muslim scholar Reza Aslan. The book describes the history of Islam and argues for a liberal interpretation of the religion...
stated in an interview with Neon Tommy
Neon Tommy
Neon Tommy is the 24/7, multimedia online news publication sponsored by the Anennberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California.-Publication:Neon Tommy is a web-only student publication...
that "the [Iranian] regime is unsustainable," referring to its current governmental system and how it responds to both internal and external forces such as the current protest movement. He commented to the Washington Post that "pressure is going to continue to build on Iran. Iran sees itself as an exemplar for the region for having thrown off an American-backed dictatorship. But it really only replaced one tyrant with another."
Financial markets
The violence from the street protests caused fear in the global stock market that oil supplies would be interrupted from Iran, which is one of the world's leading exporters of oil. These fears caused the price of WTI
West Texas Intermediate
West Texas Intermediate , also known as Texas light sweet, is a grade of crude oil used as a benchmark in oil pricing. It is a light and sweet crude oil...
crude oil to rise above $85 a barrel and brent crude
Brent Crude
Brent Crude is the biggest of the many major classifications of crude oil consisting of Brent Crude, Brent Sweet Light Crude, Oseberg, Ekofisk, and Forties . Brent Crude is sourced from the North Sea. The Brent Crude oil marker is also known as Brent Blend, London Brent and Brent petroleum...
to exceed $103 per barrel.
See also
- Iranian reform movement
- Iranian revolutionIranian RevolutionThe Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
- Iran student protests, July 1999
- 2009 Iranian election protests
- 2009 Iran poll protests trial2009 Iran poll protests trial2009 Iran poll protests trial refers to a series of trials conducted after 2009 Iranian presidential election. Over 140 defendants, including prominent politicians, academics and writers, were put on trial for participating in the 2009 Iranian election protests...
- Where is my vote?
- Kahrizak detention centerKahrizak detention centerKahrizak detention center is a detainment facility operated by the Judicial system of Iran in southern Tehran.-Before 2009 election protests:...
- The Green Scroll CampaignThe Green Scroll Campaignthumb|right|Poster for The Green Scroll Campaign in [[Los Angeles]]The Green Scroll of Freedom is the world's longest petition scroll, measuring over 2,000 meters in length...
- The Green Path of HopeThe Green Path of HopeThe Green Path of Hope is an Iranian association established by Iranian presidential campaign candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, on August 15, 2009, as the organizational body of Green Movement....
- List of modern conflicts in the Middle East
- Freedom in the World
- List of freedom indices
External links
- Iran Live Blog from Tehran BureauTehran BureauTehran Bureau is an online news magazine covering politics, foreign affairs, culture and society in Iran and the Iranian Diaspora. It was founded by Iranian-born journalist Kelly Golnoush Niknejad in February 2008, initially as a blog...
on PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
Frontline - Iran Live Blog from Iran News Now