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2009 Iranian presidential election protests

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2009 Iranian election protests
Protests against the election results on the streets of Tehran
LocationIran
Tehran, Ahvaz, Arak, Bandar Abbas, Birjand, Isfahan, Karaj, Khoy, Mashhad, Qazvin, Rasht, Sari, Shiraz, Tabriz, Urmia, Zahedan, Iran

Template:Country data World
Sydney, Australia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Paris, France
Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Germany
The Hague, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Stockholm, Sweden
London, United Kingdom
Lisbon, Portugal
Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Canada
Washington D.C, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, United States
DateJune 13, 2009 – present
Deathsat least twenty

Following the 2009 Iranian presidential election, protests against alleged electoral fraud and in support of opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, are currently underway in Tehran and other major cities in Iran and around the world.[1] In response, thousands of people have rallied in Tehran to support the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[2] Analysts called the controversial election results the Coup [3] [4][5] (or "کودتای ۲۲ خرداد" in Persian[6]). The protests have been labeled the Facebook/Twitter Revolution[7][8], a reference to the prominence of social media in the protests. The protests have also been called the Green Revolution because of presidential candidate Mousavi's campaign color.

Mousavi has proclaimed that he "won't surrender to this manipulation" and lodged an official appeal against the result to the Guardian Council on 14 June.[2] Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared the victory as a "divine assessment", and urged the nation to unite behind Ahmadinejad,[9] though later ordered an investigation into the claims of vote fraud.[10] Referring to Mousavi's appeal letter about the irregularities, Khamenei said that "the Guardian Council has been emphasized to carry out investigation into this letter carefully," and probe allegations of Ahmadinejad cheating.[11] Mousavi is not optimistic about his appeal, saying that many of the group's members "during the election were not impartial".[12] Ahmadinejad called the election "completely free" and the outcome "a great victory" for Iran, dismissing the protests as little more than "passions after a soccer match".[13] There have been twenty confirmed deaths during the protests.[14]

Overview

June 13–14

Clashes broke out between police and groups protesting the election results from early morning on Saturday onward. The protests were initially mostly peaceful but became increasingly violent. Angry crowds in Tehran broke into shops, tore down signs and smashed windows.[1] The worst civil unrest in Iran for over a decade took place as protesters set fire to tires outside the Interior Ministry building and others formed a human chain of around 300 people to close off a major Tehran street.

Anonymous sources said that the police stormed the headquarters of the Islamic Iran Participation Front and arrested a number of people.[9][15]

File:Iranian presidential election, 2009, protests (1).jpg
Protesters in Tehran, June 13, 2009

By June 14 the protests had grown considerably and had become more violent. Burning buses and trash cans and parked cars blocked streets and highways in Tehran and routes leading into the city. Protesters attacked shops, government offices, police stations, police vehicles, gas stations and banks.[16] Large protests, which escalated into riots, had also broken out at Tehran University, Amirkabir University, and Shahid Beheshti University, where students started burning and destroying various buildings and items around the campuses. Valiasr Street was packed with protesters and young students attacking policemen and IRGC officials. The police had installed a barricade around Mehrabad Airport and Imam Khomeini International Airport fearing that the protesters were planning to attack them and had also blocked all streets leading to the Interior Ministry, where protesters were burning tires outside of the building and throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails.[1]

In an attempt to quell the protests, many internet sites have been blocked, especially social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, foreign broadcasting websites, and reformist websites as well. Text and SMS, and international calls from Tehran were blocked, and by late Sunday, the cell phone services had been shut down.

Reporters from the Italian public television broadcaster RAI stated that one of its interpreters was beaten with clubs by riot police and the officers then confiscated the cameraman's tapes.[9] Also several BBC cameramen were beaten and arrested by IRGC officials and had their tapes confiscated.[17][16]

By the middle of the day, the protests had spread to Ahwaz, Shiraz, Gorgan, Tabriz, Rasht, Babol, and Mashhad where they have been increasing in size. On June 14, large scale protests had broken out in Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan. Protests are reported in Zahedan, Qazvin, Sari, Karaj, Tabriz, Shahsavar, Orumieh, Bandar Abbas, Arak, Birjend.[18] Since riot police are largely limited to Tehran, the IRGC and the Basij have been dispatched to quell protests in other cities.

Protesters in Tehran, June 13, 2009

Al Jazeera English has described the situation as the "biggest unrest since the 1979 revolution." It also reported that protests seemed spontaneous without any formal organization.[19]

On June 13, modern Middle Eastern and South Asian historian Juan Cole commented that "public demonstrations against the result don't appear to be that big... reformers have always backed down in Iran when challenged by hardliners, in part because no one wants to relive the horrible Great Terror of the 1980s after the revolution, when faction-fighting produced blood in the streets."[20] Independent journalist Michael Totten stated that day that "Tehran almost looks like a war zone already", and he compared Ahmadinejad to Baghdad Bob.[21]

According to Ynetnews, as of June 14, two people had died in the rioting.[22]

Burning bus during the election protests in Tehran, June 13.

On the night between the June 14 and 15, 15 students were severely injured by beating when police attacked Tehran University dormitory, where students were gathering.[23] On June 14, 120 faculty members of Sharif University of Technology resigned in protest of the alleged electoral fraud and began a protest against Ahmadinejad's reelection as President. [24]

Arrests

See also: Iranian presidential election, 2009 (Arrests)

Iranian authorities arrested more than 100 prominent anti-government figures during the unrest,[25] including Abdolfattah Soltani, Abdolreza Tajik, Saeed Hajjarian, and former Vice President of Iran Mohammad Ali Abtahi.[26] On Sunday night thousands of people in Tehran chanted "God is Great" on rooftops to show their support for Mousavi.[27]

Rally in support of Ahmadinejad

On June 14, tens of thousands of people rallied in central Tehran to celebrate the re-election of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[28]

June 15

File:Tirbaran.png

On June 15, Mousavi made his first post-election appearance with hundreds of thousands of his supporters in a rally in Tehran, despite being warned by state officials that any such rally would be illegal.[29][30] This formed a five mile (9km) long crowd.[31] Shots were fired from a compound used by pro-government militia, allegedly killing seven demonstrators. The shots were fired after the crowd allegedly attacked the militia's compound. Iranian authorities have arrested one man over the shooting.[14][32] Besides this incident, the protest appeared peaceful. The pro-government Basij militiamen largely stayed on the sidelines after having been stunned by the magnitude of the protesting crowd.[33]

Several rallies of smaller scale took place in other Iranian cities.[34]

The protesters gathered at Freedom Square in Tehran, chanted "Death to the dictator", in a strong rebuke against the election outcome, while also chanting "Mousavi! Mousavi!" in support of the former prime minister and using slogans dating to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. People have chanted "God is Great" ("Allahu Akbar") from their rooftops, and youths have driven around the city with green ribbons in support of Mousavi. A protest was planned for June 16.[33]

June 16

Thousands of people began massing the streets of Tehran again, in what is believed to be a protest "even bigger" than Monday's.[35][36] The Guardian Council said Tuesday it was prepared to order only a partial recount, and it ruled out an annulment of the vote.[36] The concession was rejected by the main opposition candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, demanding that a new election be held.[36]

Due to the difficulties faced by foreign reporters, no international old media centers have yet declared a sophisticated report on the rallies. However, footage showing violence amongst the crowds appeared on various Internet networks almost immediately after it took place.

Over 120 university professors resigned and joined the protests after security forces had violently raided university dormitories.[37]

During the night, Basijs marched the streets, dressed in green T-shirts, vandalizing the streets and destroying windows and cars. State TV reported "Mousavi Supporters" as destroying property.[38]

International protests

Two hundred people protested outside Iran's embassy in London on June 13.[39] Ynet has stated that "tens of thousands" protested on June 13.[22] Demonstrators chanted phrases such as "Down with the dictator", "Death to the dictator", and "Give us our votes back".[40][22] Mousavi has urged for calm and asked that his supporters refrain from acts of violence.[40] Protests led by Iranian-Americans were also held outside the Iranian consulate in New York City.[41]

On June 14, protests were organized outside the United Nations in New York City;[42] in front of the Iranian embassies in Paris,[43] Berlin,[44] London, and Sydney;[45] and in a public square in Toronto.[46] Protests also occured in Kuala Lumpur,[47] Los Angeles[48], San Francisco,[49] and Dubai.[50]

Protests across the world continued on June 15 in Montreal at Place des Art.[51] In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia police fired tear gas to break up a protest at the city's United Nations building.[52] A couple hundred Chicago Iranian-Americans protested on June 16th to support for the Iranians living in Iran. Hundreds of Iranian expatriates were joined by Danes in a demonstration supporting Mousavi's backers in Copenhagen.[53]

Effect on media in Iran

Al Jazeera English has leveled allegations of direct media censorship by the Iranian government, stating that "some of the newspapers have been given notices to change their editorials or their main headlines."[54]

Al Arabiya's offices in Tehran were closed on June 14 for a week by Iranian authorities, with no explanation for this decision.[55]

Since June 12 and in particular on June 14, BBC radio and television channels have suffered some disruption of their signals, in particular BBC Persian Television, in Iran, the Middle East and Europe, because of electronic jamming from Iran on satellite feed in the Middle East.[17]

Many anti-Ahmedinejad activists have attacked the websites of Ahmedinejad and the government, rendering them inaccessible. The government's official website (ahmedinejad.ir) has currently been rendered inaccessible.[56]

On June 16, the Culture Ministry issued a directive banning all foreign media from leaving their offices and reporting on the protests.[57]

Iranian reactions to the election results

Mousavi issued a statement saying, "I'm warning you that I won't surrender to this manipulation." Protests in favor of Mousavi against the alleged fraud broke out in Tehran. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has urged the nation to unite behind Ahmadinejad, labeling a victory by Ahmadinejad as a "divine assessment."[9] Iranian Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli has said that he has not received any "written complaint" about election fraud or irregularities. He has also remarked that the vote proceeded in a way that "ruled out the possibility of cheating."[58] However, the Speaker of parliament Ali Larijani condemned the attack by police and militia at Tehran University, saying that the "interior minister is responsible in this regard."[59] A senior cleric, Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri issued a letter saying "no one in their right mind" can believe the election results and denounced the use of violence against the protesters.[60] He also urged people to pursue peaceful demonstrations.[61]

On June 13, President Ahmadinejad in a live address on state-run television, called the election "completely free" and the outcome "a great victory" for Iran. He also said, "[t]oday, the people of Iran have inspired other nations and disappointed their ill-wishers... propaganda facilities outside Iran and sometimes inside Iran were totally mobilized against our people." Ahmadinejad praised the country’s youth as well, but made no direct mention of the protests.[19]

Hadi Ghaemi, spokesman for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, denounced the outcome. He also compared the government's post-election activities to those of the Chinese government during the Tiananmen Square protests.

Use of social networking

The Internet and, specifically, social networking has been instrumental to organizing many of the protests in Iran.[62] Online sites have been uploading amateur pictures and video, and Twitter, Facebook, and blogs have been places for protesters to gather and exchange information.[62] Twitter has also been used to organize DDOS attacks against pro-Ahmadinejad websites.[63][64]

Twitter in particular has been a key central gathering site during the protests.[65] It is so vital that the U.S. State Department allegedly urged the company to postpone a scheduled network upgrade that would have briefly put the service offline. [66][67] Twitter delayed the network upgrade from midnight American time/morning Iran time to afternoon American time/midnight Iran time "because events in Iran were tied directly to the growing significance of Twitter as an important communication and information network".[68][69]

  • The popular microblogging website Twitter delayed its scheduled maintenance due to it being a primary way for protesters to communicate with the international community.[70][71]
  • The file-sharing website The Pirate Bay renamed its homepage to "The Persian Bay" and changed to a green theme while providing a link to an anonymous forum dedicated to helping iranian communicate.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Iran election protests turn violent". CNN. June 13, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2009. Cite error: The named reference "cnn" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Crowds join Ahmadinejad victory rally". BBC News. June 14, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  3. ^ http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/15/iran-elections-khamenei-mousavi-ahmadinejad-opinions-contributors-milani.html Iran: A Coup In Three Steps
  4. ^ http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/6193 Ahmadinejad's Coup D'Etat
  5. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/14/AR2009061401758.html?hpid=topnews
  6. ^ http://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%A9%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%AA%D8%A7%DB%8C_%DB%B2%DB%B2_%D8%AE%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/16/irans-twitter-revolution/
  9. ^ a b c d "Election Battles Turn Into Street Fights in Iran". ABC News. 13 June 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009. Cite error: The named reference "abc" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  10. ^ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/15/content_11546228.htm
  11. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090615/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_election
  12. ^ "Mousavi says not optimistic on Iran election appeal". Ynet.
  13. ^ "Crowds join Ahmadinejad victory rally". China Post. June 15, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  14. ^ a b http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1093101.html. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ^ "Iran reformists held after street clashes". BBC News. 2009-06-14.
  16. ^ a b "Iran Election sparks clashes". BBC News. 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  17. ^ a b "Stop the blocking now". BBC News. 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  18. ^ "Popular uprising a stamp of rejection of sham election, display of Iranians' determination". NCR. 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  19. ^ a b "Poll results prompt Iran protests". Al Jazeera English. June 13, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
  20. ^ Cole, Juan (2009-06-13). "Stealing the Iranian Election". Informed Comment. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  21. ^ Michael Totten (June 13, 2009). "Iran on Fire (Continuously updated)". Retrieved June 13, 2009.
  22. ^ a b c Cohen, Dudi (June 14, 2009). "Tehran youth: I'll never vote in Iran again". Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  23. ^ Copyright: gooya.com 2009. "gooya news :: politics : کوی دانشگاه تهران به خاک و خون کشیده شد، بامدادخبر". News.gooya.com. Retrieved 2009-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ Mass resignations at Sharif University, June 14, 2009
  25. ^ Worth, Robert F. (June 14, 2009). "Opposition Members Detained in a Tense Iran". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/81203/-former-vice-president-arrested-in-iran-.html
  27. ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g8-DEMtAE9q4i4ySQ0eV_qZefmRQD98QOLTO2
  28. ^ "Middle East | Crowds join Ahmadinejad victory rally". BBC News. 2009-06-04. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  29. ^ CNNWire, "Defeated Iran candidate appears at rally"
  30. ^ Sky News "Mousavi Supporters Defy Protest Ban Over Ahmadinejad Victory"
  31. ^ "Seven killed during Iran protest (in Pictures)". BBC.
  32. ^ "Protester killed, others hurt at Tehran rally". MSNBC. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
  33. ^ a b "Ahmadinejad's reelection".
  34. ^ "Middle East ɴ Poll loser Mousavi at Iran rally". BBC News. 2009-06-15. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  35. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8103577.stm
  36. ^ a b c "Opposition in Iran Rejects Call for Partial Recount".
  37. ^ "Iran : 120 professors resign and join sit-in by students in Tehran University". National Council of Resistance of Iran. 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  38. ^ "Youtube - Hamleye Basijiha Be Mojtamae Sobhan". Youtube. 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  39. ^ "Manifestation devant l'ambassade d'Iran à Londres" (in French). Yahoo! France. June 13, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  40. ^ a b "Ahmadinejad defiant on 'free' Iran poll". BBC News. June 13, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
  41. ^ Milburn, Ty. "24 Hour Local News | Top Stories | Iranian New Yorkers Protest Ahmadinejad's Re-Election". NY1. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  42. ^ Mackey, Robert. "Landslide or Fraud? The Debate Online Over Iran's Election Results - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.com". Thelede.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  43. ^ "Paris Protests on Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  44. ^ "People protesting at the Iranian embassy in Berlin #iranelection". TweetPhoto. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  45. ^ "London Protests on Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  46. ^ "Thousands in Toronto protest Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election". TheStar.com. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  47. ^ Cops break up Iranian protest , New Straits Times, June 16, 2009
  48. ^ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/15/content_11545125.htm
  49. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/14/MNJG186UIM.DTL
  50. ^ Dubai Iranians protest Ahmadinejad's 'rigged' win, AFP, June 15, 2009
  51. ^ "Malaysia police fire tear gas on Iran election protest".
  52. ^ "Hundreds of Iranian-Canadians rally at Place des Arts".
  53. ^ "Håb for Irans unge".
  54. ^ "Ahmadinejad 'set for Iran victory'". Al Jazeera English. June 13, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2009. "Doctor Ahmadinejad, by getting a majority of the votes, has become the definite winner of the 10th presidential election," the news agency said.
  55. ^ "Iran closes Al Arabiya's offices in Tehran". Al Arabiya. 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  56. ^ Shachtman, Noah (2009-06-15). "Activists Launch Hack Attacks on Tehran Regime". Wired. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  57. ^ Iran cancels foreign media accreditation, Reuters, June 16, 2009
  58. ^ "Ahmadinejad Wins Landslide". Iran Daily. June 13, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2009. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  59. ^ 'Mass opposition rally' in Tehran, BBC News Online, June 16, 2009
  60. ^ Grand ayatollah voices dismay over election, police response, The Miami Herald, June 16, 2009
  61. ^ Top dissident cleric urges youth to protest, AFP at Maktoob Business, June 16, 2009
  62. ^ a b "Internet brings events in Iran to life". BBC. June 14, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  63. ^ Sullivan, Andrew. Twitter vs The Coup. The Atlantic. June 15, 2009.
  64. ^ "In focus: Iranian Opposition DDoS-es pro-Ahmadinejad Sites". 2009-06-16.
  65. ^ Stone, Brad (15 June 2009). "Social Networks Spread Defiance Online". NYT. Retrieved 15 June 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  66. ^ Reuters. U.S. State Department speaks to Twitter over Iran June 16, 2009
  67. ^ http://mashable.com/2009/06/16/twitter-iran/
  68. ^ Twitter Blog Up, Up, and Away June 16, 2009
  69. ^ http://mashable.com/2009/06/15/twitter-iran-election/
  70. ^ http://blog.twitter.com/2009/06/down-time-rescheduled.html
  71. ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSWBT01137420090616
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