Persecution of Doctor Who Treated Neda Soltan
TIMES ONLINE: As Arash Hejazi sat in an Oxford coffee bar, members of Iran’s Basij militia in Tehran were demanding his extradition outside the British Embassy.

The previous day the Iranian regime had sent an Oxford college a letter of protest over a scholarship given to honour Neda Soltan, the student killed during a huge demonstration against electoral fraud in Tehran in June. The letter also suggested that Dr Hejazi was responsible for her murder.

For Dr Hejazi, who had tried to save Ms Soltan’s life, that was the final straw. He decided that it was time to speak out. It was time to reveal how the regime has sought to vilify, punish and silence him ever since he told the world, immediately after Ms Soltan’s death, how she had been shot by a government henchman for peacefully protesting against President Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election.

Dr Hejazi is now living in exile in Britain, jobless and fearful, while back in Tehran the regime blackens his name and hounds his friends, family and colleagues. “I told the truth. I just did what I had to do, but there were dire consequences,” he told The Times. In short, a quirk of fate — that he happened to be standing near Ms Soltan the moment that she was shot — has turned his entire life upside down and made him “another victim of tyranny”. Iranian doctor Arash Hejazi who tried to rescue Neda Soltan tells of wounds that never heal >>> Martin Fletcher | Friday, November 13, 2009

People & Power - Iran: Inside the Protests – July 10, 2009

Twitter Revolution – Iran
Watch Journeyman Pictures video here >>>

Tehran: Army of Police and Militiamen Attack Unarmed Protesters
TIMES ONLINE: The Iranian regime warned that any demonstrations would be mercilessly crushed, and meant it. As darkness fell on baking, dust-shrouded Tehran last night an army of riot police and hardline basiji militiamen used batons, gun butts and tear gas to beat back thousands of Iranians converging on the city centre.

"The security presence was massive. It was like a military occupation," one witness told The Times. "They were clubbing the hell out of people."

The greater victory belonged to the demonstrators, however. Male and female, some quite old, they came armed with nothing more than a burning sense of injustice. They defied the risk of serious physical injury, and the very real possibility of arrest, incarceration and torture. They did this to show the world that their resistance to Iran's brutal and illegitimate government has not been extinguished.

"We went today to show them that we are still here and are not going away and they can’t talk or scare us away. And we'll be back every time there is an occasion to commemorate or when we're asked to," said Maryam, a young female office worker nursing an arm injured by a baton blow. “We want to be heard. We are not going to let the regime ignore us,” said Ahmad, a young man in his twenties. >>> Martin Fletcher | Friday, July 10, 2009

In Iran Today No One Is Safe
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: Iran has shown that a regime that is not afraid to use violence against its own citizens can crush a protest even when it has broad popular support.

Iran's supreme leader, ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was categorical: the protests against the controversial outcome of the presidential election had to stop, he said in a speech after last Friday's prayer.

That was all the Revolutionary Guard and the Baseej street fighters needed. When supporters of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi took to the streets again on Saturday, they were mercilessly bludgeoned into submission or even shot dead.

The Iranian authorities have acknowledged that at least ten people - "terrorists" they called them - were killed on Saturday. Unconfirmed reports suggest the real death toll may be higher.

For the powers that be in Iran, namely ayatollah Khamenei, who has the last word in the Islamic republic, and his protege Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the situation is crystal clear. The people have spoken - even if they disagree about what they said - and they have chosen Ahmadinejad over Mousavi with 63 to 34 percent. This result, Khamenei said in his speech, cannot be questioned.

And so anyone who disobeys the order of the supreme leader, can now be beaten off the street or arrested. The events of the past weekend show that a regime that is not afraid to use violence against its own citizens can indeed crush a protest - even when it has broad popular support. There are historic precedents in the region: in Syria in 1981, president Hafez al-Assad ordered the town of Hama bombed to quell a revolt by Islamic fundamentalists there. Thousands of people were killed, but the rebellion was crushed. >>> Carolien Roelants | Monday, June 22, 2009

Iranian Forces Ready to Clear Country of 'Hooligans'
CNN: TEHRAN, Iran -- Iranian protesters who "disturb the peace and stand up to security forces" will be considered a threat to the regime and will be met with a strong response, the country's Revolutionary Guard warned Monday.

"The guardians of the Islamic revolution and the courageous Basiji together with the security forces following the orders of the supreme leader and following him unquestioningly, are determined to act strongly to return peace and tranquility to society ... and to clean the country of these plotters and hooligans," the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement, according to Iran's state-run news agency, IRNA.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard is directly under the control of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and enforces the government's Islamic codes and morality. It was initially created to protect the leaders of the revolution, but over the years, it has broadened its scope. With more than 200,000 members, it is tasked with overseeing the country's crucial interests, including guarding its oil fields and missile arsenals.

The Basiji is a volunteer paramilitary force that takes orders from the Revolutionary Guard. It plays the role of de facto morality police and is often summoned to crack down on protests. It is unknown how large the force is, though estimates are in the millions.

At least 19 people were killed in clashes in Tehran on Saturday as Iranians took to the streets to protest the results of the June 12 presidential election, according to hospital sources.

Iranian-funded Press TV confirmed 13 fatalities, while unconfirmed reports put the number as high as 150. Tehran's prosecutor general's office said it has launched an investigation into the killings.

The station also said police arrested 457 people Saturday who vandalized property.

A statement purportedly from opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi on Sunday called on Iranians to "exercise self control" during protests in Tehran while still supporting their right to demonstrate against the government and the results of the election.

"The country belongs to you. The revolution and the system is your heritage," said the statement attributed to Moussavi posted on his Web site. "Protesting against lies and cheating is your right. Be hopeful about regaining your rights. Do not allow anyone who tries to make you lose hope and frighten you make you lose your temper." >>> | Monday, June 22, 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: Iran's Basij Force: The Shock Troops Terrorising Protesters

Protesters marching the streets of Tehran feared one thing more than any other: a sudden attack by the plain-clothed toughs of the Islamic Basij militia.

Armed with sticks, motorbike chains, knives and axes, the more extreme members have long been used as shock troops by the regime to cow demonstrators with brutal displays of violence.

Mounted on motorbikes, the militia's standard strategy is to charge the crowd, one man driving and another riding pillion using a truncheon to lash out at stragglers.

They have also been sent to raid university campuses, breaking bones and smashing up dormitories.

The movement - its name is Persian for "mobilisation" - began as a sort of volunteer Dad's Army, comprising old men and young boys fired with zeal during the Iran-Iraq war.

Under the command of the Revolutionary Guards, they would charge blindly across minefields with plastic keys, symbolising the martyr's entry to paradise, strung round their necks.

Officially, the Basij today number some five million: but only a fraction of its cadres are thought to be active.

Many joined simply for the benefits membership confers: an easier route to university or increased chances of promotion in government jobs.

In contrast, the armed men prowling the streets last week are a hard core, totally committed to the Supreme Leader and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. >>> By Angus McDowall | Sunday, June 21, 2009

BBC: Iran Guards Vow Protest Crackdown

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have threatened to crack down on any new street protests against the results of the country's presidential election.

In a statement, the guards vowed to react in a "revolutionary" way to suppress unauthorised demonstrations.

Reports are coming in that at least 1,000 demonstrators have gathered in a square in the centre of Tehran.

On Friday Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned protests, prompting street violence in which at least 10 people died.

The capital has seen rallies both against and in support of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

'Revolutionary confrontation'

The Revolutionary Guards, Iran's elite security force, have close ties to the country's supreme leader.

In a statement posted on their website, they said their troops would break up street protests and force protesters from the streets.

"Be prepared for a resolution and revolutionary confrontation with the Guards, Basij [pro-government militia] and other security forces and disciplinary forces," they said.

"The Guards will firmly confront in a revolutionary way rioters and those who violate the law," they added. >>> | Monday, June 22, 2009