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Ahmadinejad: Vote
confirms faith in govt
TEHERAN: Iranian President Mah-
moud Ahmadinejad said yesterday
that his re-election was proof of the
people’s faith in his previous four-
year government.
“The election result confirmed
the work of the ninth government
which was based on honesty and
service to the people,” the hardline
president said in a statement car-
ried on the Isna news agency the
day after his return from Russia.
“Twenty-five million people con-
firmed this kind of management of
the country and it is now engraved
in the revolution,” said Ahmadinejad,
referring to the number of votes he
won in Friday’s election according
to official results.
Ahmadinejad’s re-election has
been disputed by all his three
rivals, mainly ex-premier Mir Hos-
sein Mousavi who has charged that
Friday’s vote was marred by blatant
irregularities. – AFP
US asks Twitter
to stay online
NEW YORK: The US government
took the unusual step of asking
Twitter to delay a planned mainte-
nance outage because of its use as
a communications tool by Iranians
following their disputed election, a
senior official said on Tuesday.
The request highlighted the
Obama administration’s web-savvy
approach and the power of social
networks such as Twitter and Fa-
cebook in organising protests over
the election results in the face of a
ban by Iranian authorities on other
media.
But it also seemed to run counter
to President Barack Obama’s public
efforts not to appear to be meddling
in Iran’s internal affairs.
Twitter delayed Monday’s
scheduled tuneup, which would
have taken place during daylight
hours in Iran, and rescheduled it for
Tuesday but said the decision was
made with its network provider, not
the State Department.
The micro-blogging site went
down around 5pm (5am in Ma-
laysia) on Tuesday and was back
online about an hour later. A State
Department official in Washington
said Twitter had been asked to
delay Monday’s shutdown because
it was being used as “an important
means of communications” in Iran.
– AFP
YouTube an online
stage for protest
videos
SAN FRANCISCO: YouTube on
Tuesday remained an online
stage for videos of Iranian pro-
tests despite being blocked in
that country in the wake of the
disputed election in which Presi-
dent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
claimed victory.
Jumpy video snippets evi-
dently taken hurriedly by people
on the move continued to be
uploaded to YouTube through
the day.
Some videos showed people
being beaten by riot police, and
other clips claimed to document
the wreckage left behind after a
military raid on a dorm at the
University of Teheran.
There were several videos
purportedly showing a protester
shot dead during massive street
protests in Teheran on Monday.
Clips of news coverage of Ira-
nian protests were mixed with
homemade commentaries and
video of solidarity demonstra-
tions in Paris and other cities
around the world. – AFP
theSun | THURSDAY JUNE 18 2009
and members of Iran’s volunteer
Opposition holds rally as Iran Basij militia.
Ahmadinejad remained defi-
ant, saying his landslide victory
in Friday’s vote showed faith in
his government of “honesty and
service to the people”.
steps up crackdown
Khamenei, who has the final
say on all matters of state, said
he was asking the Guardians
Council, a 12-member body
made up of jurists and clerics,
to examine the allegations over
TEHERAN: Iran’s opposition enemy “plots”, hauling in foreign opposition held mass protests the vote.
held another rally and stepped ambassadors and rounding up over what it charges was blatant “If the examination of the
up its challenge to the govern- scores of reformists. rigging of the election that gave problems require recounting of
ment yesterday as the authorities In the latest moves, the au- Ahmadinejad another four-year some ballot boxes, it should be
intensified a crackdown on the thorities threatened legal action term. definitely done in the presence of
media to try to contain the biggest against websites which publish In defiance of an official the representatives of candidates
crisis since the 1979 revolution. material that “creates tensions” ban, Mousavi himself called for so that everybody is assured.”
Tens of thousands of sup- and issued a new warning to the marches and a day of mourning Supporters of Ahmadinejad
porters of defeated Iranian foreign media, already facing today for protesters slain in the and Mousavi had staged rival
eXtra: presidential candidate Mirhos- tight restrictions on their work. post-election clashes. rallies on Tuesday, each call-
Exploit- sein Mousavi took part in what The media watchdog Re- And he repeated his demand ing out hundreds of thousands
was billed as a “silent” protest porters Without Borders (RSF), for the results of what he branded of people on to the streets of
ing our rally, marching through central meanwhile, said a dozen Iranian a “shameful fraud” to be an- Tehran, state media said.
mineral Teheran, witnesses said. journalists and bloggers have nulled and a new vote called, in The foreign media were
wealth Wearing green wrist- and been arrested and many others a statement on his movement’s banned from covering the dem-
head-bands in the colour have gone into hiding. website. onstrations under the tough new
pg 14 of Mousavi’s campaign, the World governments voiced At least seven people have restrictions which effectively aim
demonstrators carried placards increasing alarm about the situ- been killed and many more at keeping them off the streets,
accusing re-elected President ation in Iran, but US President wounded in clashes, with but Iranian newspapers pub-
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Barack Obama, while raising protests reported not only in lished pictures of the events.
having “stolen” their votes in “deep concerns” over the elec- Teheran but also other major Footage broadcast on the
Friday’s poll. tion, said Washington would cities after an election that has Internet has shown dramatic
Iranian state television broad- not meddle in the affairs of its exposed deep divisions in the and chaotic scenes of violence,
cast footage of the rally. archfoe. oil-rich nation. including one purportedly
Grappling with the biggest Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Witnesses said some clashes showing a protester shot dead
wave of public anger in three Khameini said he would con- also erupted late Tuesday and others of riot police beating
decades, Iran has lashed out at sider a partial recount after the between groups of young men protesters. – AFP
Fear in a country that has tasted freedom
by Robert Fisk Mousavi men and women on the other der, their linked arms holding both campus on Sunday night, when the
side of the police line. “We must defend mobs back, as they stared at their own security forces killed seven young men,
TEHERAN: The fate of Iran rested on our country now, just as we did in the comrades opposite with ever increas- wounded several others and smashed
Tuesday night in a grubby north Tehe- Iran-Iraq war,” he shouted above the ing concern. An American-Iranian a few and looted the university dormitories.
ran highway interchange called Vanak uproar. But the Ahmadinejad man trying metres away, shouted at me in English Farhad Rabar said he would pursue
Square, where after days of violence, to calm him down, shouted back: “We that “we’ve got to prove they can’t do the killers through the courts, adding
supporters of the official President Mah- are all fellow citizens! Let’s not have a this anymore. They can’t rule us. We that “the invasion of the University of
moud Ahmadinejad at last confronted tragedy. We must have unity.” need a new president. Either they get Teheran, which is the symbol of higher
the screaming, angry Iranians who Clearly the decision of Supreme their way or we get ours”. education ... has caused a wave of sor-
have decided that Mirhossein Mousavi Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to instruct It was frightening, the absolute con- row and anger in me”.
should be the president of their coun- the Council of Guardians to recount viction of these men, the total refusal Is it too late to end this fratricidal vio-
try. Unbelievably – and I am a witness Friday’s election vote had done nothing to accept any compromise, one side lence now? For each side, the integrity
because I stood beside them – just 400 to dispel the suspicion and anger of the demanding obedience to the words of of their cause is fast becoming more
Iranian special forces police were keep- reformist opposition in Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini and loyalty to the powerful than rational dialogue. The
ing these two armies apart. There were First it appeared that the council ghosts of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, the freedom which Mousavi’s supporters
stones and tear gas but for the first time would examine every election result. other – emboldened by their million- have tasted – to ignore and disregard
in this epic crisis the cops promised to Then only a few. Then Iranians were strong march on Monday – demanding and despise the clerical autocracy
protect both sides. told that it might take 10 days to learn freedoms, albeit within an Islamic which has so humiliated them – is now
“Please, please, keep the Basiji from their decision. It was as well, perhaps, Republic, which they had never had so intoxicating that they are confront-
us,” one middle-aged lady pleaded with that Ahmadinejad had flown to Yeka- before. Maybe they now have the police ing their political enemies in the street
a special forces officer in flak jacket and terinburg for the Shanghai summit to on their side; if last night’s example was with a strange, unnerving, but genuine
helmet as the Islamic Republic’s thug- bore conference delegates with his anything to go by, either some senior of- humour.
like militia appeared in their camouflage speeches instead of the Iranian people ficer – or perhaps the cops themselves, At one point last night, men and
trousers and purity-white shirts only a whom he believes he represents. But on appalled at their behaviour over the past women wearing the green ribbons
few metres away. The cop smiled at her. Vanak Square last night, all this meant four days – decided that the special of Mousavi’s election stood on the
“With God’s help,” he said. Two other nothing. forces would no longer be patsies to pavement beside that chilling 100m of
policemen were lifted shoulder-high. Plain-clothes cops – perhaps at last the frightening power of Ahmadinejad’s no-man’s-land next to chadored ladies
Tashakor, tashakor, - “thank you, thank realising the gravity of a situation which ever-loyal bullies. clutching the Iranian flag – Ahmadine-
you” – the crowd roared at them. their own obedience to Ahmadinejad’s Only hours earlier, seven men killed jad’s patriotic symbol. They even chat-
This was phenomenal. The armed men had brought about – persuaded by the Basiji at the end of Monday’s ted about the outcome of this fearful
special forces of the Islamic Republic, middle-aged men from both sides march, were secretly buried by police confrontation between their two sides.
hitherto always allies of the Basiji, to meet in the centre of the road in in Cemetery 257, a large graveyard It was a different narrative three
were prepared for once, it seemed, to the middle of Vanak Square’s narrow close to the Khomeini shrine, where the hours earlier when Ahmadinejad’s men
protect all Iranians, not just Ahmadine- no-man’s-land. The Mousavi man, in a founder of the Islamic Revolution lies and women held their own demonstra-
jad’s henchmen. The precedent for this brown shirt, placed his hands around beneath a mosque of golden cupolas tion in Val-y-Asr Square. No word was
sudden neutrality is known to everyone the arms of the bearded Iranian official and blue-tiled walls. No such honours said of Monday’s opposition mass
– it was when the Shah’s army refused from the Ahmadinejad side. “We cannot for the seven victims of the Basiji. They rally, nor of the street demonstrations
to fire on the millions of demonstrators allow this to happen,” he told him. And lay beneath a covering of earth, no in the cities of Shiraz, Mashad, Babol
demanding his overthrow in 1979. he tried, as any Muslim does when he markers on their graves, no word sent and Tabriz. Indeed, most Iranians have
Yet this is not a revolution to over- wants to show his desire for trust and to their families of their fate. no knowledge of these events; Ah-
throw the Islamic Republic. Both sets peace, to kiss the side of his opponent’s But the pro-government newspapers madinejad’s censors have seen to that.
of demonstrators were shouting Allahu face. The bearded man physically shook in Teheran did report their deaths and The banners were predictable. “Death
Akbar – “God is Great” – at Vanak Square him off, screaming abuse at him. one even gave its front page to the to the Traitor” – Mousavi, of course,
last night. But if the Iranian security forc- The two rows of police outraged condemnation of Teheran Uni- was the “betrayer” of the Republic.
es are now taking the middle ground, were now standing versity’s Chancellor at the Basiji “Death to anyone who is against the
then Ahmadinejad is truly in trouble. shoulder to intrusion onto the Supreme Leader” – which was a bit
As the fume-filled dusk fell over shoul- odd because neither Mousavi nor his
the north Teheran streets, the crowds millions of supporters are
grew wilder. I listened to a heavily against Ayatollah
bearded Basiji officer extort- Khamenei (albeit
ing his men to assault the two men dis-
the 10,000 like each other); it
is Ahmadinejad
for whom
they have a
hatred and
whom they
are trying to
depose. – The
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Independent