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http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150101030116597 The Call to Rally / Latest Updates: Guard Chief Reported Unsure of Troops by MUHAMMAD SAHIMI in Los Angeles 13 Feb 2011 22:35110 Comments<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/02/wave-of-support-for-demonstrations-on-february-14.html#disqus_thread>[image: 25BahmanBoxChecks.jpg]*As of midnight Iran Standard Time (20:30 GMT, 3:30 p.m. EST), Tehran Bureau is providing updates on events in Iran via a 25 Bahman live blog<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/02/iran-live-blog-25-bahman-14-february.html> .* *Updates -- Sunday, 24 Bahman/February 13* A group of university students and young people from Khoramshahr and Abadan, in the southwest province of Khuzestan, invited people to take part in the Monday marches "to give the world their message about their anger about the present state of affairs." A group of university activists in Mazandaran province issued a statement supporting the 25 Bahman rally. Emruz News, the website close to the reformist Organization of Islamic Revolution Mojahedin, quoting Al-Arabiyah, reported that credible sources in Tehran have said that security forces have been ordered not to confront the marches if they are sizable, but simply try to control them. Emruz News also reported that in the meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/01/a-hardliners-hardliner.html>, the Revolutionary Guard commander, has expressed concern that the Guard's rank and file may disobey the orders of their superiors, if directed to employ violence against marchers. Given that the Egyptian army did not open fire on the demonstrators in Cairo, a violent crackdown on Monday's marches may completely destroy the credibility of the force with the people. Thus, he proposed that the police be made responsible fro imposing order Monday marches, instead of Basij and Guard forces. Isa Saharkhiz<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2009/11/courageous-principled-journalists-eisa-saharkhiz-and-ahmad-zeidabadi.html>, the distinguished journalist who has been jailed since summer 2009, has sent a statement from jail, supporting the call to march on Monday. Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said that the recent wave of arrests has been for security reasons and due to the actions of the "sedition's leaders." Hossein Saffar Harandi, chief adviser to General Jafari and former minister of culture and Islamic guidance, likened marches on Monday to "injecting painkiller to the trapped United States" and said that "whoever wants to create another day [of marches] instead of 22 Bahman [February 11, anniversary of the Revolution] is a counterrevolutionary." The Organization of University Graduates of Islamic Iran, known as Advaar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat, issued a statement about the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, and expressed hope that the government will create peaceful conditions for Monday's demonstrations. The statement declared, "We announce our support for the praiseworthy call of leaders of the Green Movement for people's marches against dictatorship." Several leaders of the organization, including Dr. Ahmad Zeidabadai, Abdollah Momeni, and Hassan Asadi Zeidabadi, are currently imprisoned. Iran Live Blog: 25 Bahman / 14 February by MUHAMMAD SAHIMI, JOSH SHAHRYAR, TEHRAN BUREAU STAFF, and CORRESPONDENTS 14 Feb 2011 23:5910 Comments<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/02/iran-live-blog-25-bahman-14-february.html#disqus_thread> [image: 25BahmanPeaceful.jpg][image: 25BahmanGandhiGreened.jpg][image: 25BahmanGreenLight.jpg] *Iran Standard Time (IRST), GMT+3:30* *2:30 a.m.* Female political prisoners in Evin Prison and Rejaee Shahr Prison released a statement <http://www.kaleme.com/1389/11/24/klm-47542/> in support of the planned protests. The statement reiterates their commitment to the Green Movement's pursuit of political reform. It adds, "The Green Movement that has continued to persevere in the past 20 months in the face of brutal suppression by the regime will continue to demand the people's rightful goals." *2:20 a.m.* A resident of north Tehran writes: Tonight, for about 15 minutes, I could hear the cries of "Allah-o akbar" from the rooftops around my home. As I listened, I wondered how many people would show up tomorrow afternoon in the proposed 25th of Bahman March. I can not predict and do not know if in fact there is any life left in the so-called Greens to come out again en masse and suffer the way they did and have been suffering for the past year. The regime certainly is fearful enough not to give them an official permit and proclaims their leaders and the movement "same as dead." The media is clearly not able to provide any coverage, since these days they don't just shut down the media outlet -- be it daily newspaper, weekly, or Internet site -- they also jail, torture, and if threatened enough, kill the journalists who would dare to report such an event. I see the frustration over higher prices for fuel and basic food stuff and the jadedness of people toward the laws and regulations attacking their very foundation, and I see the strength of the moneyed -- the privileged importers *(ghachaghchis),* the big developers, the quasi-government businesses -- keeping their grip on the economy by enriching the ruthless to rule the innocent. The tragedy is beyond description. What to do? Not knowing, I sit here and think through the whole mess and try to figure out at least what the ending will look like. Figuring out is not predicting, mind you, it's just seeing a path and extending it forward -- not necessarily minding the bumps! Egypt and the rise of its people, and capitulation of a dictator in less than three weeks is clearly a danger signal and alarming to the regime here in Tehran. Funnily enough, it is the same to the West. The regime here clearly wanted Mubarak to go, but had hoped that he would kill a lot more and ignite the radicalization (Islamization!) of Egypt, which would thus find a real friend in the Islamic Republic! But he quit and with him went the hopes of the regime here. [Majles Speaker Ali] Larijani saw that and has been taking the public mantle away from Mr. Ahmadinejad by marching the parliament around and doing shokr prayers [prayers of thanks]! Our values are being given to us on a platter with a "don't ask" tag that is getting to look pretty disgusting. The regime here has the advantage of knowing how the religious dictators in the dark ages of Europe did it. They used caste systems (we call them Hezbollahi), they used torture chambers (we call them Evin, Kahrizak, and many other names of places with similar functions), they used economic deprivation (we call it "goal orientation of subsidies"), they used the fear of hell and reward of heaven (we do the same, while describing the range of heaven's benefits in a bit more detail for the edification of the masses), and most importantly they made sure the Pope was accepted as the ultimate vicar of Christ on earth to complete the dictatorship (we similarly call our chief vicar the *Vali-ye Faghih,* the Supreme Leader, and hail him as the ultimate voice and leader of Muslims around the world). So it is easy to see where the value systems of the Islamic Republic come from. In the West, it seems more and more the values are being established by the media, mostly via television. They are the ones who tell us what the Pentagon and the State Department, No. 10 Downing Street or the White House tell them -- they tell us what they are told to tell us. They are the ones who accept being "embedded" with the U.S. military on the battlefronts. They are the ones who bring politicians to roundtable sessions and then ask them preagreed-upon questions. They are the ones who don't show the real death numbers in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are also the ones who bombard us with the news of markets and oil prices moving up or down. They are the ones who lead us to believe that our interest lies in the rise of Wall Street as though we are all stockbrokers and major shareholders, and that higher oil prices cause massive problems for the economy as though we are all industrialists. The question of norms and values is not answered in my mind. So long as they do not clearly address the needs of humanity as enlightened human beings like Nelson Mandela or Dalai Lama have taught, we will be waving the flag of those who not only do not have our interests in mind but are set on getting their way at our cost. The cost that the youth in Iran, the bright in Iran, and the compassionate in Iran have paid is so very high that to wish them to continue paying is out of the question for me. I know this will not sit well with many, but the hope is that everyone will stop the rage-based activism long enough to figure out what needs to be done. Then and only then will the power of passive resistance cause the foundation of dictatorships to crack. Green sprouts will find those cracks sooner or later and dictators don't have enough legs to crush them in time. I wish them light! I pray for no blood and no death tomorrow. *1:45 a.m.* Kaleme, Mousavi's website, is reporting that nighttime chants of "Allah-o Akbar" were heard not only in Tehran, but also in Tabriz, Shiraz, Rasht, and Isfahan. *1:40 a.m.* Ardeshir Amirarjmand, a senior adviser to Mir Hossein Mousavi, just told <http://www.mardomak.org/blog/post/60139> BBC Persian that any kind of communication with the Green Movement leader had become impossible and that Mousavi's phone line has been cut off, as Mehdi Karroubi's was a few days ago. *1:20 a.m.* According to a Tehran correspondent: As night falls over Tehran, many speculate about the events of tomorrow. There are inspection posts all around the city. The inspection posts on Seyyed Khandad and Haft Tir are manned by police officers and not by Basiji militia, according to eyewitness accounts. One source told this correspondent that he personally does not expect a huge turnout tomorrow. Many others are also doubtful if anyone will come to the streets. Some believe the event has a louder buzz in the online world than in the streets of Tehran. There are reports<http://irangreenvoice.com/article/2011/feb/13/10851>, published by the Green Movement websites, that the IRGC has requested the High Council of National Security to use only the police force tomorrow and not Revolutionary Guard members to control the streets. However, no independent source has confirmed this report. Despite the speculations, there are those who say that they will be attending. They believe tomorrow we will witness a silent demonstration. *1:05 a.m.* A source in Tehran tells us: The likelihood of violence in tomorrow's marches should be low, because Turkey's President Abdullah Gul will be visiting<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-13/turkish-president-visits-iran.html>. It is predicted that the number of people taking part will be larger than that of 22 Bahman of last year [the celebration of the 31st anniversary of the Revolution on February 11, 2010]. Since two days ago, 16,000 policemen have gone on high alert, and tomorrow the entire police force will be on alert. The police as well as the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] forces have also been using their cars that have private license numbers [in order to conceal their purpose], and will do so tomorrow as well. All the local Basij bases in different neighborhoods are on high alert tonight [Sunday night] and have begun creating barricades at different places for inspection of cars and other things. About 20 young people under 25 together with one or two older supervisors have created artificial ramps to lower cars' speed in order to search them. One can see the Kalashnikov rifles that they carry. Their equipment indicates that new clothes, batons, and other equipments for crowd control have been obtained]. I have also been informed that an order has been placed to Imam Hossein University for 5,000 that were designed there and have now reached mass production. *12:55 a.m.* Television viewers around the world following events in Cairo over the past few weeks have become familiar with the layout of Tahrir Square, epicenter of the Egyptian uprising. Here's a bird's-eye comparison with Azadi Square, the intended destination of the Monday march planned for Tehran. [image: AzadiTahrirSquares.jpg] *12:30 a.m.* Demonstration in the dark. Shouts of "Allah-o akbar" (God is great) ring out through the Tehran night in support of the call to rally. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On60ZaOtWq0&feature=player_embedded#at=34 *12:00 a.m.* We begin our 25 Bahman live blog with an unconfirmed list of demonstration sites and times in 24 cities. Given the nature of the demonstrations and their planning, it is impossible to verify much of this information in advance of actual events: * Tehran: 3 PM (From Imam Hossein to Azadi Square) * Babol: 4 PM (In front of Babol Technical University; Near Amir Kabir Square) * Shiraz: 3 PM (From Namazi Square to the Engineering Building #2; Mullah Sadra Avenue) * Isfahan: 3 PM (Enghelab Avenue) * Ahvaz: 6 PM (Naderi Avenue) * Mashhad: 5 PM (Rahnomayee Threeway) * Rasht: 3 PM (Motahhari Avenue) * Ardabil: 4 PM (From Sahriati Square to the Bazaar) * Bushahr: 5 PM (From Layan Avenue to 6th of Bahman Square) * Kerman 3 PM (Around Taryafard) * Orumieh: 4 PM (Atayee Avenue) * Tabriz: 5 PM (Saa'at Square) * Hamedan: 4 PM (Bo-Ali's Tomb) * Tonekabon: 5 PM (From Karimabad Square to Imam Square) * Kermanshah: 3 PM (From 22nd of Bahman Threeway / Nowbahar Avenue to Azadi Square) * Sanandaj: 5 PM (6th of Bahman Avenue) * Semnan: 5 PM (From Sa'adi Square to Kowsar Square) * Khurramabad: 5 PM (Khurramrud Avenue) * Shahre Kord: 5 PM (Enghelab Square) * Kashan: 5 PM (15 of Khordad Square) * Ghazvin: 5 PM (Khayyam Avenue / Adl Square) * Sari: 5 PM (Enghelab Avenue) * Gorgan: 5 PM (Palace Traffic Circle) * Arak: 5 PM (Valiasr Square) Copyright © 2011 Tehran Bureau [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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