Iranian Students are reportedly holding 3 Hebollah hostage demanding release of 80 students

Interview with Iranians in Tehran | 6.13.2003 | DoctorZin

[DoctorZIn]

I just heard from friends in Tehran.

They are telling me that the Students have taken three memebers of Hizbollah hostage. They are demanding the release of the eighty students that had been arrested by the regime four days ago.

They are very optimistic that things are going to change soon. They can hear the protests and see the courage of the people to stand against the regimes forces.

It was also reported that the students had taken over the televison station in the city of Shiraz.

Also of interest, most of them watch LA based Iranian TV for news. These are the same satilite stations that are struggling to stay on the air for lack of support among US business or government. It appears they are doing for Iran waht we can't even do for Iraq. In case you don't know this, the US still does not have broadcasts in Iraq, while the Iranians do.

Finally, the Tehranians were asking “why they haven’t heard from President Bush?.”

[MJY1288]

Keep us filled in Dr.Zin,

Prayers for the seekers of freedom in Iran are on the way.

[Skywalk]

Bush is too busy playing around with the Israeli-Arab conflict to give focus to one of the dominoes he helped topple in Iran.

HELLO, SPEAK UP! Don't worry about pissing off the govt of a country you called EVIL.

[ConservativeLawyer]

We may be witnessing the beginning of the end for another prong of the Axis of Evil.

Let Freedom Ring!

[Shermy]

“why they haven’t heard from President Bush?.”

Perhaps because he doesn't want to give validity to the Mullahs charge that Americans are running the show.

Anyway, I think it's interesting the protests started a month before their often pronounced date. Might have caught the Mullahs off-guard.

G'nite.

[BurbankKarl]

what are you talking about....we are beaming radio into Iran from Iraq

[jwh_Denver]

Finally, the Tehranians were asking “why they haven’t heard from President Bush?.”

The people who get the government they want do it themselves. Now they are victims because the US isn't doing something militarily about it now?

[DoctorZIn]

The US is not broadcasting TV in Iraq...
but the Iranians are.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Women of Iran - throw off your burqas!!!

Men of Iran - the time is now!!!

[EGPWS]

“why they haven’t heard from President Bush?.”

Jeesh!! What does it take a personal interview? Dubya' has toppled a reshime in Iraq, freed Afghanistan, and is in the process of helping to rid Israel of terrorists. :)

[DoctorZIn]

The Iranians want Bush's support because it increases the pressure on the regime. They know that the US is fighting Europe on this. They want our support til it crumbles the European support for the mullahs.

[risk]

America owes them our help. I have zero sympathy for the mullahs; their day has come and gone.

[DoctorZIn]

BTW, I just checked all the major Arab online sites.
Only one had a story of the protestsin Iran and it was buried deep in the site.
Big surprise.

[DB]

I haven't seen anything on US news sources about this.

[TomB]

Here is a blog that allegedly has translations of posts from students in Tehran. It has some interesting info. Maybe you can correlate some of this with what you are hearing.

[Thane_Banquo]

Just go ahead and kill 2 of the bastards. You only need one hostage.

[ewing]

If those students at Tieanmen Sqaure had taken some of Jiang family hostage, it might have worked out differently, bully for the Iranian students!

[yonif]

bump

[steveegg]

Just go ahead and kill 2 of the bastards. You only need one hostage.

If the mullahs don't know the third one's dead, you don't need any. <VBG>

[oceanview]

and I would also imagine the CIA is active there. a couple of well placed drone attacks might do wonders over there.

[dogbyte12]

The counter-revolution is a beautiful thing.

I grew up with several emigrees from Iran who fled when the Shah was toppled. Really hard working nice people. I am proud of the youth of Iran for trying to fix the mess the youth of Iran a generation ago helped create.

[jacquej]

I am ashamded to admit to ignorance of the entire situation in Iran. I have been focused on Iraq, Israel, and SARS.

Could some kind soul please fill me in on the details of this situation, why it is so important, etc? I know that is probably too much to ask, so perhaps you can send me to links that give me the info I need to get up to speed.

There isn't much on cable news except a scrawl or two, a brief mention in passing. No background info, no explanation of the politics, etc..

It looks like it is going to be a long hot summer. I worry about the strain on Geo. W.

[abner]

Iran- powderkeg of Democracy that will soon go off. It has been ignited by the young people that have had enough of the Islamonazi government.

About a year ago, someone signed my email address up for updates on the students fight to free their oppressed. Normally people sign me up for unsavory things but this seemed to be people that really appreciate freedom.

[bert]

....HELLO, SPEAK UP.....

The man can accomplish more without speaking than most world leaders can by blathering boasts they can't accomplish.

The prisioners are the result of our efforts..... believe it.

[M Kehoe]

How do you spell 'freedom' in Farsi? Abeerzan?

5.56mm

[jacquej]

Thanks, Abner. I am going back through the threads here to try to get myself oriented to the issues there, using Iran as a keyword.. It is helping me, and your info also has helped...

How come such sparse info from cable news? Seems like a pretty important story to me, but probably the mess in Israel is dominating.

[Eala]

Invitation for a National Gathering Commemorating July 9th [LA & DC rallies for Iranian freedom 7/05]

[Freebird Forever]

This was posted on another Iran thread last night.

Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran website

[abner]

Actually, I think the less coverage there is, the more the students will accomplish. Keep it below the radar, and just maybe the 'International Community' will keep their noses out of it. It is a very important story though, and I think a part of Bush's overall plan on the war on terror.

[jacquej]

That is an interesting take on it, and one that wouldn't have occurred to me. Thanks for the insight!

I will watch the situation much more closely here on FR, and not get my panties in a twist that it isn't on Fox! (lol)

[timberlandko]

The student unrest in Iran has been going on quite some time now. There have been news articles over the past couple years referencing the issue. The latest round began late last year, more or less coming to the current head over the past week or so. Significant and escalating challenge to The Mullah's authority is now centered in youth and in the academic community, the same quarters which in the late 'Seventies gave rise to the toppling of The Shah. The implications should not be dismissed.

[don-o]

Only one had a story of the protestsin Iran and it was buried deep in the site. Big surprise.

If you are relating first hand knowledge from Iran, this may become a thread like the shuttle crash, when Freepers were ahead of all the media.

Please post all you hear.

Unfortunately, I cannot stay. Family reunion to attend.

[don-o]

I will watch the situation much more closely here on FR, and not get my panties in a twist that it isn't on Fox! (lol)

Exactly. See my #33

[Constantine XIII]

Women of Iran - throw off your burqas!!! Men of Iran - Woo hoo!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Here is an interesting link on Bush strategy in the whole of the Middle East :

Sun Tzu visits the Middle East

[stlnative]

Pro-Clergy Militants Arrested in Iran
9 minutes ago


TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's hard-line judiciary arrested "scores" of pro-clergy militants Saturday, including a vigilante leader, over attacks on a Tehran student dormitory sparked by attacks on pro-reform supporters, state-run radio reported.


"Scores of people who suspiciously attacked a dormitory and inflicted damages have been identified and arrested," Tehran Radio quoted a judiciary statement as saying Saturday.


Students said dozens of armed vigilantes — who pledge allegiance to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — attacked students sleeping in their rooms in the Hemmat dormitory of Allameh Tabatabai University and Tehran University's Chamran dormitory before dawn Saturday. More than 50 students were reportedly injured.


Tehran Radio said among those arrested was Saeed Asghar, a vigilante leader who two years ago shot and seriously wounded a top adviser to reformist President Mohammad Khatami (news - web sites).


The arrests came after police authorities, under pressure from reformers, demanded legal action against vigilantes who have taken the law into their hands to punish demonstrators and onlookers in the capital since protests broke on Tuesday.


"Most of detainees are ruffians with previous (police) records," the radio quoted the statement as saying.


The broadcast gave no further details.


"We were sleeping in our beds. Suddenly we heard windows being smashed. Fists and kicks by hard-line vigilantes woke up some of the students held up in their rooms," Allameh Tabatabai University student Mojtaba Najafi said.


The Tehran dorm attacks followed overnight clashes between hundreds of pro-cleric militants and security forces with Iranians throughout the capital.


Friday's standoffs were the most intense and widespread of four consecutive nights of protests in Tehran, which were sparked by university students and snowballed into broader displays of opposition to Iran's clerical establishment.

[eleni121]

2500 years ago a small Greek army defeated Persia's massive army (Marathon) and kept the West out of the clutches of despotic Asia.

Now is the time for Persians themselves to destroy the tyrants of Islam by doing it themselves finally democratizing the nation by using the example of the west (America)

[stlnative]

Link to my last post

[Semper Paratus]

Got to the newsgroup soc.culture.iranian to get a flavor of whats going on.

[stlnative]

Tehran calm after further protests - Saturday, June 14, 2003 Posted: 0703 GMT

[Those_Crazy_Liberals]

These students in Iran aren't much different than conservative students on a typical American university campus. Disagree with the establishment and they'll come attack you.

[Those_Crazy_Liberals]

"Finally, the Tehranians were asking “why they haven’t heard from President Bush?.”"

He's busy giving seniors their prescription drugs. Hang on and they'll get theirs.

[cake_crumb]

Finally, the Tehranians were asking “why they haven’t heard from President Bush?.”

The same President Bush who says he supports regime change in Iran? Do they think that's not enough, because if he toppled the government of Iraq, he should now send troops in to topple the government of Iran? Our military isn't even finished in IRAQ, yet!

The US is broadcasting in Iraq, on Iraqi TV stations. It's not enough I know, but it's a start. I'm not sure of the status of satellite antennas in Iraq right now...but considering Saddam's regulations and the looting, it's probably dismal. I'd like to see both an American news channel like Fox and an Arabic-speaking American news channel beamed into Iraq ASAP.

[DoctorZIn]

Dennis Prager, the national talk show host, had an interview with a reporter in Iraq this past week who claimed that the US is NOT broadcasting TV in Iraq and they were complaining that while we won the war we will lose in the end unless we challenge what the Iraqi's hear on Iranian TV broadcasts into Iraq.

[cake_crumb]

"The broadcast gave no further details."

Like what happened to the students who were made to disappear by those 'vigilantes'...who will probably be out on the streets tomorrow anyway. Interesting a guy who attempted an assassination against a government official in a country that has an Islamist regime was out on the street to victimize student demonstrators. You'd almost think that sort of thing is legal in Iran or something...as long as it happens to a member of Khatami's faction, that is.

[DoctorZIn]

The importance to the US in this matter is that Iran is the largest supporter of terrorism in the world. If the regime changes this will most likely stop.

If you want to read up on this you might read the articles of Michael Leeden, an expert on the matter. He writes for National Review Online.

Good Luck.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

The US is broadcasting in Iraq, on Iraqi TV stations

I don't know if that is true. I think that is another case of another enormous State Department beaurocratic muck up.

DoctorZIn, isn't it true that everyone in Iraq is watching Iranian state TV now?

[John_11_25]

As long as he does not leave it until the massacre all the students and their supporters. I see shadows of Iraq 1991 when the uprising started and the US decided it was not in their interest at that particular time, please god do not let that happen again. (Everyone know the US is helping, so whats the problem with coming right out and saying it.

Israel can wait another few weeks (It's more than capable of looking after the hardliners, if given a free hand). I am sure the entire population of Israel would approve of a new government in Iran.

[DoctorZIn]

DoctorZIn, isn't it true that everyone in Iraq is watching Iranian state TV now?

That is what I have been hearing in press reports and according to Dennis Prager without a US response.