Free Republic

Secularism According to the Chambers dictionary secularism is defined as; the belief that the state, morals, education, etc. should be independent of religion; G J Holyoak’s (1817-1907) system of social ethics. Have those of us who have defended democracy for a long time but been more vocal about secularism in recent years asked ourselves how secular are we prepared to be in a future democratic Iran? Majority of the democratic governments are secular in one shape or another. From the French and the Turkish forms of republics where principles of secularism is strictly observed and defended, to those European monarchies...

LONDON - Late last night, Behrouz Javid Tehrani, an Iranian democratic activist who was tortured and jailed by Iran's religious dictatorship for four years prior to his release last year, was tipped off that the secret police were coming for him again. He slipped out of his house and tried to disappear in the streets of Tehran. He found an open Internet cafe, or perhaps a friend with network access, and composed an e-mail message that reached me through an intermediary. "I'm fine for now, but they have arrested some of our friends and the homes of our colleagues are...

I don't compare myself with ten years ago. I compare myself to what I could have and don't". So spoke Tannaz, a 20-year-old university student to a New York Times reporter touring Iran. "There's no joy here," she said, summarizing the feeling of the first generation of Iranians to grow up exclusively in the Islamic Republic. Iranians of Tannaz's generation and mine speak of their hopes "melting" as Iran's leaders replaced reform with a renewed revolutionary trance. Iran's youth represent 70 percent of Iran's population of 70 million. It is the only pro-American generation in the Middle East. And, it...

Kerry's main Iranian fund raiser sues the Movement " To sin by silence, when we should protest, makes cowards out of men. The human race has climbed on protest. Had no voice been raised against injustice, ignorance and lust, the inquisition yet would serve the law, and guillotines decide our least disputes. The few who dare, must speak and speak again, to right the wrongs of many..." - ( Ella Wheeler Wilcox ) The primary Iranian supporter of Senator John Kerry and a subject of many controversies, Hassan Nemazee, has sued the "Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran...

TEHRAN, Iran -- A university professor has decided not to appeal a reinstated death sentence, effectively challenging Iran's hard-line judges to execute him for criticizing clerical rule, his lawyer said Tuesday. The original sentence handed down to Hashem Aghajari in 2002 provoked massive student demonstrations and street battles with hard-line vigilantes. The uproar highlighted the power struggle between reformists and conservatives in Iran. The Supreme Court overturned the death penalty last year. But the original court in the western province of Hamedan province has reinstated it, a provincial judicial official disclosed Monday. "Professor Aghajari told me Monday evening that his...

Iranian Judiciary Allows Seven Jailed Dissidents to go on Leave May 02, 2004 Agence France Presse afp.com TEHRAN -- Iranian hardline judiciary authorities in a rare move have allowed seven prominent dissidents jailed for speaking out against the regime and students jailed during unrest in 1999 to go on leave, the Iranian daily Shargh reported on Sunday. According to the paper, Akbar Ganji, who was jailed in 2000 after he alleged top regime officials were behind a spate of grisly serial murders of dissidents, was given seven days of leave starting Saturday. Ahmad Batebi, Nasser Zarafshan and Akbar Mohammadi were...

Summary of Iran Stories in Today's Broadcasts Judiciary Arrests Students and Political Activists •After the New Year holidays, the wave of summons, arrests and convictions of student and political activists continued. The Hamedan Islamic revolutionary court sentenced Hamedan University's physics student Mohammad Majdzadeh-Qaemi to three years in jail for his role in last June's pro-democracy demonstrations. The Urumieh revolutionary court summoned Hadi Soudbar, member of the central council of Urumieh university's Islamic student council. Next week, the Tabriz Islamic revolutionary court will try independent journalist Ensafali Hedayat, who was arrested three months ago, a day after he returned from Berlin...

Kidnapped, jailed, beaten ... over a bloodied T-shirt Sunday April 4, 2004 The Observer Repression goes on while Iran seeks friendship with the West. Dan De Luce reports from Tehran His handsome face was seen around the world. The photograph, used on the front of the Economist magazine, showed Ahmad Batebi, his hands holding the bloodstained T-shirt of a fellow student beaten by paramilitaries. His look of indignation captured the mood of young Iranians demonstrating for democracy in the summer of 1999. Just holding that shirt earned Batebi a 15-year prison sentence for endangering national security, served in the notorious...

Regime deploys thousands of forces in the streets SMCCDI (information Service) Mar 16, 2004 The Islamic regime has deployed, at this time 18:00 Local time, thousands of its forces in the streets and avenues of main Iranian cities in order to avoid any popular riot from taking place at the occasion of the banned "Tchahr Shanbe Soori" (Fire Fiest). Special forces of the Pasdaran brigades, Bassij force, Law Enforcement Forces, Anti-Riot units and even Islamic brigades are in a wait mode watching, for right now, the crowd which is becoming bigger and bigger. Traffic jams in main cities, such as,...

The Last Public Call to European Union's leaders SMCCDI (Public Statement) Mar 8, 2004 Mr. Blair, Mr. Chirac, Mr. Schroeder, Mr. Berlusconi and Mr.Klestil, Twenty-Five years of oppression, mass killing, barbarism, and mismanagement of our country by the Islamic republic and its indoctrinated technocrats have now brought Iran to the edge of collapse and civil war. As an increasing number of young Iranians are starting to shift towards armed struggle, the masses tired of 7 years of empty promises of reforms from within the theocratic system boycotted the sham elections of Feb. 20th in the greatest yet act of Civil...

Protest Wave Rocks More Provincial Cities SMCCDI (Information Service) Feb 25, 2004 The increasing wave of protest rocked more of Iran's provincial cities, such as Ardel, Kiar and Farsan, where hundreds of demonstrators were came attacked by the Islamic regime forces after they came in the streets. Plastic bullets, Tear Gas and clubs were used against peaceful demonstrators who were shouted slogans against the regime and its leaders and have resulted in tens of injured and arrested among the demonstrators. The brutal attacks resulted also in the popular anger and the protesting crowd took against several public buildings and security...

Protest Actions Spread to Several Cities SMCCDI (Information Service) Feb 21, 2004 Protest demonstrations spread to several Iranian cities and erupted in various parts of Tehran today. Sporadic demonstrations reportedly rocked Abadan, Marivan, Arak, Eshfahan, Malekan and Hamadan. Anti-regime demonstrations in Izeh turned deadly with, apparently, loss of life. The regime's reaction to the demonstrators expressing their legal right to protest yesterday's sham election has been predictably brutal. In every instance, the regime's security forces have conducted themselves as though they are foreign oppressors intent upon occupying Iran. Tehran has been placed under strict martial law with regime security forces...

Deadly Clashes Rock Southern Iran SMCCDI (Information Service) Feb 21, 2004 Deadly clashes rocked, today, Izeh located in southern Iran, as the regime's security forces entered in action in order to smash the local popular rally against the evident fraud in the sham elections. Special heliported troops were sent from Ahwaz to back the local Bassij force which was unable to block the protesters from occupying several official buildings. Noise of heavy shoutings were heard in several areas as especially fire was open from sky against the demonstrators. Several demonstrators, including Abbas Moossavi a local banned candidate who had contested...

Angry Militiamen Take on Drivers SMCCDI (Information Service) Feb 20, 2004 Angry militiamen have been reported as taking on drivers who are passing in the streets of the Iranian capital and are showing signs of joy following the massive boycott of the sham elections. Windshields of several cars have been broken in the Madar (former Mohseni) and in Shahrak Gharb as the drivers were using their horn and their Windshield whippers covered with gloves to express their hapiness and to say "goodbye" to the Islamic regime. Several drivers were thrown out of their cars and beaten up in the early...

The Student Uprising - The clerics crack down and student protest explodes A student protestor on the streets of Tehran in July 1999, following a police attack against university students. Student demonstrations against the clerical regime laid the groundwork for the popular opposition movement. July 9, 1999, marked a turning point in the evolution of Iran's opposition movement. That evening the clerical regime dispatched its police forces to attack the dormitories of Tehran University, which was becoming the center of agitation for reform. By morning three students were dead, and many more had been beaten and arrested. The regime's attack,...

INTERVIEW WITH THE REPORTER: (Forbidden Iran) FRONTLINE/World reporter Jane Kokan enters Iran on a group bus tour. Reporter Jane Kokan, a Canadian journalist based in England, is an independent news and documentary director, producer, reporter and cameraperson. She works in the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, Afghanistan and Africa for a variety of international broadcasters. She spoke by telephone with FRONTLINE/World editor Sara Miles about working undercover in Iran. You have a background in international news, but you were in northern England working on an observational police series for BBC One right before you went to Iran. What drew you...

The regime's plainclothes men and security agents have arrested in several cities, such as in Tehran and Esfahan, Iranians who angered by the situation had shouted publicly unprecedented slogans considered almost as a blasphemy by the ruling theocracy. These unprecedented slogans were nothing else than "Long Live Israel!" and "Long Live America!" shouted during tens of popular Blood collect gatherings by Iranians welcoming the Israeli and American support of the quake's victims. The popular anger has been boosted as the Islamic regime has banned any Israeli support of the quake's victims by rejecting this country's offer of aid. Many Iranians...

Ahmad Batebi, a student activist, ran so afoul of the government that he received a death sentence in 1997. It was never carried out, but he languished in jail until on one recent day he was given the luxury of a 20-day leave. Things went well until, two days before he was to return to the Evin Prison to serve out his 15-year sentence, he was rearrested in November. He had met that day with the United Nations human rights envoy, Ambeyi Ligabo. Advertisement A few days later, Mr. Batebi "had a weak voice and said that he could not...

As the seventh legislative elections of the Islamic Republic approach, it appears that the leaders of the reformist bloc express certainty that the conservative-controlled monitoring mechanisms would reject most of the reformist candidates and this despite the majority of the reformist bloc shows more interest in taking an active part in the elections, scheduled for next February. The announcement by the Office for the Consolidation of Unity (OCU), Iranian students largest organisation calling for changes in the present system that it would not support the reformists and has withdrawn from the front that backs the lamed President Mohammad Khatami in...

Hundreds of Iranian students celebrated the national Student Day on Sunday, calling for freedom of speech and the release of political prisoners. Because the authorities had refused authorisation to organise demonstrations outside the universities and even in the open campuses, the students held their meetings inside auditoriums, preventing basiji students, the islamist vigilante who are on the payroll of the ruling conservatives from disturbing them, as they had done previously with Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel Peace laureate for 2003. The annual Student Day marks the death of three students during a protest at Tehran University against former U.S. President...

About 1,500 Iranian students gathered at Tehran University on Sunday, shouting slogans against the Islamic regime and its clerical leadership, and demanding the freeing of political prisoners, an AFP journalist at the scene said. The students were massing to mark national students day, commemorating the 1953 shooting by police of three students who were protesting against the then regime of the Shah. "Death to the dictator", "We don't want an repressive regime or its police", "Free students" and "Free political prisoners" were among the slogans heard inside the campus where the group was confined by security forces. Slogans were directed...

After 25 years of living under an ochlocracy, we, the Iranian people, have quite well learned the nature and the ways usual to the mullahs. Nowadays almost everybody in Iran believes that the ruling clerics are terribly busy doing something evil and nasty in the neighboring Iraq. In fact the mullahs have clearly perceived that, with a free and prosperous Iraq, they would not have any chances of prolonging their corrupted reign of terror and tyranny in Iran. Although the two countries of Iran and Iraq were engaged in an eight-year war against one another, which left hundreds of thousands...

A panel composed by selected Iranian activists. from inside and outside Iran, reached, this morning, tens of American think tanks during an unprecedented meeting held at the famous "American Enterprise Institute" (AEI). The panel was composed by Mandana Zand-Karimi; Ramin Parham; Roozbeeh Farahanipoor and Aryo Pirouznia, of SMCCDI, and was broadcasted live worldwide by the famous Los Angeles based KRSI which had placed Saeed Ghaem Maghami, its famous anchor, as the moderator and special reporter. Several female and male activists were joined in duplex from Iran and exposed as well their views and aspirations for an audiance shocked about the...

"Our government is not worthy. Why would I suggest it to Iraq?" asked Hassan Dahmardeh, 30, a car dealer watching the river from concrete steps a few yards downstream from Mardanian. He gestured toward the evening strollers. "Most of the people you see here are unemployed. How could I suggest a system that can't provide jobs to the people?" "You can see that we have failed," said Nozanin, 22, a student of industrial management who offered only her first name. "It's better if Iraqis think of a new constitution for themselves." In two dozen interviews on the streets of Isfahan...

TEHRAN, IRAN — Most Westerners know very little, if anything, about the true psyche of the Iranian masses. Allow me to enlighten: For centuries, it has been dominated by fruitless anticipation and superstition. The people of my nation have been told to await a messiah who will finally deliver them; they faithfully cling to the idea that one great leader will relieve their suffering. Twenty-five years ago, the enemies of my nation took advantage of this embarrassing fantasy, setting the stage for the Islamic revolution. Since then, Iran has languished for more than two decades, and was doomed to fall...

AHMAD BATEBI SURFACED IN EVIN PRISON PARIS 27 Nov. (IPS) Ahmad Batebi, a young Iranian students who was abducted earlier this month after meeting Ambeyi Ligabo, the United Nations’s Special Rapporteur, has been transferred to Evin prison and held in a special cell controlled by the Revolutionary Guards, student’s sources reported Thursday. Mr. Batebi was jailed four years ago for displaying the bloody shirt of a friend wounded in clashes with the regime’s security forces. He was arrested after a picture of him holding the bloodstained T-shirt was displayed in several western publication, including the British influential weekly The Economist...

IRANIANS AWARDED THE JAN KARSKI MORAL COURAGE PRIZE WASAW 24 Nov. (IPS) Hashem Aqajari and Abbas Amir Entezam, two leading Iranian dissidents won the Jan Karski Award for Moral Courage, the Polish Institute announced on Monday. Each year, the Foundation honours an individual who has exhibited moral courage through their actions on behalf of others with the Jan Karski Award for Moral Courage. This award is named in honour of the late Jan Karski, a Polish diplomat during World War II, who risked his life to expose the tragic early years of the Holocaust and met personally with Roosevelt and...

"Disappearance" of Ahmad Batebi AI /November 14, 2003/ Amnesty International Student activist Ahmad Batebi has reportedly "disappeared" while on leave from prison, following a meeting with a United Nations (UN) official on 8 November. Amnesty International is gravely concerned for his safety. Ahmad Batebi is serving a ten-year prison sentence in connection with his participation in student-led demonstrations in the capital Tehran in 1999. On 20 October 2003 he began a twenty-day period of leave (morakhasi) from Tehran's Evin Prison, reportedly for medical reasons, though no further information is known about his health. He was scheduled to return to prison...

Iran Student Activist Missing 11/11/2003 21:18 - (SA) Tehran - A prominent Iranian student activist who met with a visiting United Nations rights envoy over the weekend has gone missing, the student news agency ISNA reported on Tuesday. The agency also quoted Iran's prosecutor general, Abdolnabi Namazi, as dismissing the integrity of the UN's Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Ambeyi Ligabo, who spent a week here on a key fact-finding mission. ISNA said the student activist, Ahmad Batebi, was reported by his father to have gone missing on Saturday after meeting with Ligabo. The student was one...

More Teachers Arrested in Iranian Cities SMCCDI (Information Service) Oct 6, 2003 More teachers have been arrested following their strikes and protest gatherings of yesterday. Several of the arrests have occured yesterday evening and in the early hours of today, following the protest gatherings in front of the offices of the Ministry of Education. The new arrests have occured in the cities of Abadan, Shiraz, Mashad, Ardabil and Oroomiah (former Rezai-e) as they were shouting slogans against the regime and its leaders. Many others were arrested, yesterday, in the cities of Tehran, Esfahan, Hamadan and Kermanshah during the attacks of...

Movement and its members pay tribute to 9/11 victims and to the People of America SMCCDI (Information Service) Sep 11, 2003 The Movement and its members payed tribute, today, to the victims of the Tagedy of September 11th, their families and to the Noble American Nation. A statement issued by SMCCDI at the occasion of the 2nd anniversary of this infamous terrorist act, which shaped the face of the World, reminded again of the dangers of the Islamist Fanatism. The Movement while expressing again its deepest sorrow, reminded to the wounded People of America that Iranians are their natural allies...

Let's Not Forget About Iran's Students Digital Freedom Network - by Luke Thomas Sep 10, 2003 Iran's university students are in the midst of a rebellion. Although they and their cause are generally unknown, Iran's student population has been engaged in a slow, but steady repudiation of Iran's current hard-line Shiite government. Thirsting for tastes of sovereignty and personal choice, the student protestors have immersed themselves in an uphill battle to have basic rights and freedoms acknowledged by their government. Student reformers acknowledge the process has been fraught with setbacks and failures, but have made notable strides worthy of international...

How's This for an Answer? WSJ, 9.10.2003 Blogress Karol Sheinin reports that an Iranian democracy activist named Banafsheh contacted the most prominent "antiwar" group asking them to take a stand against Tehran's thuggish theocracy. In an e-mail (quoted verbatim), Banafsheh describes the answer she got: Recently I contacted a group called A.N.S.W.E.R. COALITION which organizes marches. After having introduced myself and explained to them the situation in Iran (after 4 phone calls and messages) I was told that they won't help the Iranian activists and their friends in organizing marches against the Islamic Republic as they're afraid the Iranian student...

30 Arrests in Sardasht Riots September 10, 2003 Iran va Jahan Iran va Jahan Network Tehran -- Around 30 youth are reported to have been arrested in the riots that took place in Sardasht, in Iranian Kurdistan, on Monday and Tuesday. A group of youth attacked a building which belongs to the Centre of Islamic Propaganda and broke the windows. Islamic regime's anti-riot troops intervened and managed to disperse the youth. However the city's youth re-grouped again and this time attacked the Baseej bank.

Fresh deadly clashes rock Esfahan province again SMCCDI (Information Service) Aug 17, 2003 Fresh clashes rocked, for the 4th consecutive day and despite heavy military presence, the City of Semiram located in Esfahan province resulting in new deaths and injured among the residents and the Islamic regime's forces. Additional units of heliported special units were not able to extingush the unrest which seemed to be controled on Friday evening and crowd came into the streets shouting slogans against the regime and its leaders. Tires were set on fire and barricades created in several areas in order to slow the chase...

Forced calm established in Mashad province SMCCDI (Information Service) Aug 17, 2003 The forced calm was re-established in the City of Gha-en located in the Mashad province. Special units of the Islamic republic regime which are massively deployed in the Khorassan province intervened, yesterday, in order to smash the peaceful protest gathering of the residents protesting against an administrative decision in spliting the province. Plastic bullets, Clubs, Chains and Tear gas were used against hundreds of residents who shouted slogans against the Islamic republic regime and its leaders. Tens of them, especially young or female demonstrators, have been injured or...

Islamic regime shuts down official student body's website following publication of report on death of Canadian journalist SMCCDI (Information Service) Aug 15, 2003 The Islamic republic regime has closed down the website located at www.akunews.org. This website, in Persian, belongs to the official student body named "Amir Kabir Islamic Association of Students" (AKIAS). This repressive move has happened since the begining of yesterday afternoon and has persisted till now (18:30 THR local time). It follows the publication, by this site, of a detailled report on the regime's Judiciary force's statement in reference to the death of the Candian-Iranian journalist killed...

Nine Iran Students Released After Khamenei's Order Wed August 6, 2003 09:07 PM ET TEHRAN (Reuters) - Tehran's public prosecutor on Wednesday ordered the immediate release of nine students jailed during pro-democracy protests in June and July, the official IRNA news agency said. The students, thought to be among several dozen arrested during the street protests, were to be freed in accordance with an order Tuesday by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the judiciary to show leniency to jailed students, IRNA said. Judiciary officials have said that 4,000 people were arrested in the demonstrations in which hundreds of people...

IRANIAN STUDENTS SENTENCED TO JAIL. Nine students from Ilam University have received jail sentences after a closed-door trial, ILNA reported on 30 July. Six of the students received three-year sentences for insulting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, two received one-year sentences for unspecified reasons, and a third student received an 18-month sentence for acting against national security. BS

In a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, Middle East Studies Association of North America condemns attacks on university students in Iran 25 July 2003 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran c/o H.E.Javad Zarif Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Your Excellency: We are contacting you to express our great concern about and strong condemnation of the violent attacks on university students, and the wide scale arrest, imprisonment, intimidation, and maltreatment of hundreds of students throughout Iran in recent weeks. The Middle East Studies Association of North...

Conservatives in Iran Looking to Deliver "Knock-Out Blow" Against Reformists July 22, 2003 Eurasianet Afshin Molavi Iran’s leading pro-democracy student group held a press conference July 9 to announce the cancellation of plannedprotests to mark the fourth anniversary of a student uprising. Leaders of the group, known as Daftar-e-Tahkim-e-Vahdat (The Office to Foster Unity), expressed concern that in Iran’s "hostile environment," organizers could not guarantee the protesters’ safety. They also predicted a stepped-up campaign by Iran’s conservative camp to quash pro-democracy forces. They had no idea their prediction would come true so soon. Shortly after the news conference, armed plainclothes...

Ignoring Iran's Abuses July 21, 2003 The Washington Times Editorial/Op-Ed While American news outlets fixate on the 16 words spoken by President Bush about Iraqi efforts to acquire uranium during the State of the Union address (three months after Congress voted to authorize the use of force), they have largely ignored a far more important story from that region of the world: the efforts of the people of Iran to overthrow an oppressive dictatorship, and the regime's brutal efforts to hang on to power, which now may include the murder of a Canadian journalist by Iranian security forces. The situation...

More death sentences carried in Iran SMCCDI (Information Service) Jul 21, 2003 Several more death sentences were carried in Iran, on Saturday and on Sunday, against freedom lovers and opponents to the regime arrested following the bloody crackdown on last June's protests. 3 of the executions were carried in the central prison of Esfahan and the 3 others in the Capital. All arrested were young Iranians who preferred to stand against the ruling theocracy rather than living on knees.

US Senator, John Cornyn, affirms US support of Iranian Freedom Movement SMCCDI (Information Service) Jul 13, 2003 The famous and influent Senator "John Cornyn" (R-Texas) appreard, this evening, in a SMCCDI's event organized for the commemoration of the 4th anniversary of the 1999 Student Uprising in Iran. The meeting took place in the Texan city of Dallas and the Senator's speech was broadcasted, as well and in live, for another gathering organized by the Mouvement in the City of Houston (Texsa/USA). In his speech, John Cornyn slammed the ruling Therocratic regime and affirmed the support of the Iranian secular forces...

Iran Revisited By Paul M. Weyrich Just four years ago, July 9th was the start of mass student protests in Iran to protest their repressive government. While the protests failed to usher in a new, more democratic government, many Iranians continue their fight to bring about a freer society. Unrest continues to dominate the citizens of this country, particularly among young Iranians, and while there were demonstrations earlier this summer, the government had taken steps to prevent open displays of unrest from marking the fourth anniversary. But that didn't stop Islamic vigilantes from seizing student leaders after a news conference...

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Public Statement AI Index: MDE 13/019/2003 (Public) News Service No: 166 9 July 2003 Iran: Student activists and demonstrators must be treated in accordance with international human rights standards Published Amnesty International is concerned at yesterday's arrest of student leaders Reza Ameri Nassab, Ali Moghtadari and Arash Hashemi who may have been targeted solely for the peaceful expression of their political views. All three were arrested after they took part in an open press conference held at the offices of Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat (Office for Strengthening Unity, or OCU) on the anniversary of the 18 Tir (9 July...

At least 5 killed, Tens wounded and Hundreds arrested in the new July 9th crackdown By SMCCDI (Information Service) Jul 10, 2003, 4:55pm At least 5 demonstrators were killed while tens of others were wounded and hundreds more arrested in the new July 9th's crackdown in Iran. Two of the deads were reported in the Capital City of Tehran, including an old lady, and one more in the central City of Esfahan. Tens of other were seriously wounded, including several in critical conditions while hundreds of other joined those arrested in last month's crackdown.

July 10, 2003, 9:00 a.m. July 9, 2003 Our struggle continues. Are you hearing us? By Koorosh Afshar TEHRAN, IRAN — July 9, 2003, proved to be another important date in the contemporary history of my nation. In Engelab Square in the heart of Tehran, right outside the University of Tehran, the Iranian people once again demonstrated their desire for freedom — and willingness to fight for it. I know, I was standing there. The scene of the battle was a familiar one. Unarmed citizens vs. the troops of oppression: heavily armed riot police, right-wing radical bloodthirsty thugs and vigilantes...

Vigilantes attack Iranian protestors By Robin Gedye, Foreign Affairs Writer (Filed: 10/07/2003) Hundreds of Iranian Islamic vigilantes, police and pro-democracy youths fought running battles near Teheran university last night on the anniversary of 1999 student unrest. Despite the risk of violence from the authorities and religious zealots, thousands of Iranian protesters took to the streets. Police were reported to have fired teargas and engaged in fist fights with plainclothes Islamic militiamen to prevent them from attacking the demonstrators in further running battles with the youths. Large numbers of protesters' vehicles were seen driving around Enghelab (Revolution) Square. Earlier in the...

We have been reporting the jamming of the uplink signals of the LA based Iranian broadcasters. Here is the first detailed story on it.... U.S. satellite feeds to Iran jammed May be linked to the anniversary of student uprisings By Robert Windrem NBC NEWS PRODUCER NEW YORK, July 9 — U.S. government officials as well as Iranian Americans and communications satellite operators confirm that all U.S.-based satellite broadcasts to Iran are being jammed by an unknown group or individual, possibly Iranian agents operating out of Latin America. OVER THE PAST several months, private Iranian-American groups have begun increasing their broadcasts...