On the Web: ‘Something must be done’

June 16 reports: Stickers on mouths
Michael J. Totten, a foreign journalist writing for Commentary magazine, reports June 16 that an Iranian, who goes by “Censored Name,” posted this on Facebook:

"What I saw today was the most elegant scene I had ever witnessed in my life. The huge number of people were marching hand in hand in full peace. Silence. Silence was everywhere. There was no slogan. No violence ... People carried placards which read: Silence. Old and young, man and woman of all social groups were marching cheerfully. This was a magnificent show of solidarity.

"Enghelab Street which is the widest avenue in Tehran was full of people. I was told that the march has begun in Ferdowsi Sq. and the end of the march was now in Imam Hossein Sq. to the further east of Tehran while on the other end people had already gathered in Azadi Sq. The length of this street is about 6 kilometers. The estimate is about 2 million people.

"On the way, we passed a police department and a militia (Baseej) base. In both places, the doors were closed and we could see fully-armed riot police and militia watching the people from behind the fences.

"Near Sharif University of Technology where the students had chased away Ahmadinejad a few days ago, Mirhossein Mousavi (the reformist elect president) and Karrubi (the other reformist candidate) spoke to people for a few minutes which was received by cries of praise and applause.

"I felt proud to find myself among such a huge number of passionate people who were showing the most reasonable act of protest. Frankly, I didn’t expect such a political maturity from emotional Iranians who easily get excited. My family and I had put stickers on our mouths to represent the suppression...

"Democracy is a long way ahead. I may not be alive to see that day. With eyes full of tear in these early hours of Tuesday 16th June 2009, I glorify the courage and bravery of those martyrs and I hope that their blood will make every one of us more committed to freedom, to democracy and to human rights. Viva Freedom, Viva Democracy, Viva Iran. "

'Mockery' of government attempts to silence
"Turmoil follows silent protest," was posted June 16 from TehranBureau.com and describes the tension in Tehran:

"Dusk on Monday witnessed the most shocking scenes so far from the aftermath to Iran’s disputed election. Events have have now escalated to a level of intensity unprecedented since the Iranian revolution of 1979.

"State media today reported 7 killed in what they described 'an attack on a military post.' The reality was far less clear cut, as suggested on Iran’s own English language news Web site PressTV.com, which reported that an 'unidentified gunmen' had fired shots into the crowd after a 'peaceful rally.'

"That 'peaceful rally' ended in gunfire, explosions and the ominous sight of flaming Molotov cocktails spinning through the air...

" 'University Alley, University Alley, murder scene, murder scene' was the written message held aloft on a makeshift paper banner. Rather than ring out in the air, the rhythmic message reverberated inside the minds of all who read it.

"Students who witnessed the previous night’s attack had described 'pressure groups' — a euphemism for Iran’s unofficial paramilitary police, the Basij — entering both the male and female dormitories of the university in full force, with tear gas canisters, batons and motorcycles.

"A defiant silence was perhaps the only adequate response to an attack of such brutality. Hundreds of thousands of people convened on Tehran’s symbolic central artery, Islamic Revolution Street, for a peaceful march to Freedom Square...

"A decree from the authorities earlier in the day had denied permission for the march to take place but the sheer weight of numbers made any crackdown impossible. Mothers with children and men and women of all ages mixed with students and young people.

"That word had spread to so many in such a short period of time made a mockery of government attempts to restrict communications. Iran’s mobile phone text message system has been disabled nationwide since polling day on Friday and Internet services such as Facebook and Twitter have been blocked.

"Despite that, the crowd today was easily comparable to the marches held every year on the 11 February to mark the anniversary of the return of Ayatollah Khomeini to Iran in 1979, which signaled the end of the Shah’s monarchy. The difference was that at pro-government rallies, the attendance of schoolteachers, students, government workers and Basij paramilitaries is compulsory.

"The handful of police which were visible on the route stood in groups of three or four taking in the spectacle. The motorcycle-riding riot police which had charged full-throttle into Saturday’s protests were nowhere to be seen. When the procession passed a Basij base, there was a call to be especially slow, quiet and to hold up the two-fingered victory salute.

"However, the fear expressed by numerous marchers on the way was that security forces would crack down after dark once protesters had begun to disperse. In the end, it began with several large fires visible on the northern edge of the square while tens of thousands of people were only beginning to head home.

"The sound of pistol shots was followed immediately by a human wave descending on a point in the crowd where, witnesses reported, a group of unidentified plain-clothed attackers had opened fire and killed one man. The flames rose higher, the sound of automatic gunfire rang across the square and the spinning flame of a Molotov cocktail hurtled toward the wall.

"After a day of silent protest, another night of turmoil in Tehran had begun."

Also on TehranBureau.com, this posting from a few days ago: "Telephone report from my wife — They are open firing on the crowd. The police are refusing entry into the hospitals unless it is the basij. refusing wounded protesters saying; 'You Deserve To Die.' "

Shop shutters: Open halfway
Britain's TimesOnline reported June 16 that "as protesters marched through the thoroughfares of Tehran, much of the city went on an unofficial strike today. Shops opened their shutters only halfway, in defiance of the vote.

"Four days after Mr. Ahmadinejad claimed re-election, the powerful Guardian Council offered a partial recount of disputed ballot boxes in response to complaints of massive electoral fraud.

"The move by the clerics on the country's highest legislative body appeared to be the first concession to the opposition after hundreds of thousands joined anti-government protests in recent days.

"But many saw it as a ploy by the mullahs to buy time before their formal endorsement of Mr. Ahmadinejad's victory. Mr. Mousavi had asked the council of clerics to annul the election and re-run it, but they rejected that demand as impossible.

"At least seven civilians were killed when members of the Basiji militia, a force of young Islamic hardliners, started shooting when their post came under attack during yesterday's mass rally.

"State radio said that the building came under attack at the end of what it called an "illegal" demonstration.

"'Some thugs in an organised and coordinated action attacked and vandalised a number of public and government buildings,' it reported. 'A military post was attacked with the intention of looting its weapons. Unfortunately, seven of our citizens were killed and a number of them injured.'

"The death toll may actually have been higher. A nurse at western Tehran’s Rasoul Akram hospital said that 28 people with 'bullet wounds' had been brought in last night, of whom eight had died.

"Mr. Ahmadinejad showed his contempt for the protests by visiting the Russian city of Yekaterinburg for a regional summit, where his re-election was effectively endorsed not just by his hosts but other nations attending, including China, India and Pakistan."

Closing the door to reporting
The world press has had increasing difficulty reporting this story. Al Arabiya, an Arab news channel, said since the "contested" election results were announced Saturday, "Iran has jammed satellite signals and the Internet, shut down Al Arabiya’s Tehran bureau and arrested several journalists.

"Australian, Belgian, Canadian, French and Italian journalists have been detained or beaten and some of their equipment confiscated, Reza Moini, Reporters Without Borders Iran researcher, told Al Arabiya.

"He said the crackdown on foreign journalists is 'because they publish truthful information about what happened and the official media do not do so.'

"Al Arabiya is worried about being banned from the chance to cover an important country like Iran during an important event like the elections and afterwards without explaining the reason behind that decision "

"Nabil Khatib, Al ArabiyaArab satellite station Al Arabiya was informed by officials Sunday that its Tehran bureau would be closed for a week and it would be prevented from broadcasting."

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