Iran protesters ignore government warnings
Support for Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi remained strong Wednesday as the government stepped up efforts to thwart daily protests calling for a new presidential election.I mentioned these independent reports at cites like CNN and the BBC in an earlier post. They are a way of getting around the restrictions on the social network sites. CNN also has reports from these independent reporters outside of Tehran which suggest violence by the police against the protesters.Tens of thousands of Iranians gathered in Haft-e-Tir Square in central Tehran Wednesday evening, according to witnesses. The demonstrators are demanding that officials throw out the results of the balloting that kept hardline incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power.
The protests have claimed at least eight lives, according to Iran's government-funded Press TV. The eighth death was included in a report the Intelligence Ministry provided to parliament Wednesday, the network said.
The National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Majlis briefed lawmakers "about the current situation in the country," Press TV reported. No details of the report have been made public.
Iran also is investigating reports of violence at a Tehran University dormitory in the wake of rallies sparked by last week's disputed election.
Tehran University students told a CNN iReporter who is outside Iran that government forces staged a a massive crackdown early Monday at the university's dorm. Students jumped out of windows to escape the Iranian police forces who threw tear gas and beat students, according to the iReporter who did not want to be identified. Some students were detained in the raid.
For a second day Wednesday, pro-Moussavi marchers urged their peers to march silently -- perhaps as a way of keeping a low profile for riot police, witnesses told CNN. Some marchers placed tape over their mouths.
Protesters held placards and posters reading, "Where is my vote?" "Silence" and "Freedom," the witnesses said.
Several business owners reported that they closed up shop early so their employees could attend Wednesday's rally.
Meanwhile, the government banned international media from covering the protests. A CNN iReporter who is not being identified said the rally ended without incident.
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Authorities in Tehran transported dozens of protesters to jail Tuesday and blocked access to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The government said it could not guarantee the safety of international reporters, accusing them of being the "mouthpiece" of "hooligans" who have created unrest. (Full story)
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Citizens were barred from using typical means of getting Iran's stories to the outside world, but amateur videos and photos began appearing on sites such as YouTube or CNN's iReport. The content was impossible to verify in most cases, and much of it was posted anonymously or through third parties, some with little information. iReport.com: On the ground in Iran
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I think these protest have really outgrown Mir Hossein Moussavi. He has become a vessel for pent up frustrations of the Iranians against the religious bigot despots who rule Iran. In some ways his "defeat" by Ahmadinejad is better for those looking for a rallying point to take down this evil regime. That is why the US should be supporting the people and not looking for a deal with the government.
I have no idea why the Iranians are protesting this election, putting themselves in danger and disrupting their society. What, exactly, are they hoping to achieve? As long as Iran is an Islamic Republic it will never be a free country, whether Ahmadinejad or someone else is the president. The Ayatollahs are the true power in that country and they dictate how people will live and express their faith. They will also continue to use Israel and the United States as a distraction from their country's many internal problems, including a struggling economy and repression of any free thought. In the end, the more radical, conservative factions will put down the protesters because they are willing to commit any violent deed to support the government and preserve the stranglehold that religion has had on that country since 1979. Until Iran is a secular society, it will never be free. There is no place in the modern world for theocratic dictatorships, as the old clerics will continually feel threatened by the free thinking, pluralistic societies around them. This is all to evident in the attempts of the Iranian government to shut down all internet activity in that country.
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