Scenes of brutality and bravery in Iran:
From the twitter feed:
shadien Shadi NOW FROM HONAR UNIVERSITY TEHRAN: "WE ARE TRAPPED IN KARBORDI HALL, BASIJIS ARE BEATING US, THEY ARE ARMED, HELP US #iranelection #25Bahman
tinybird2001 Reports from witnesses:Students trapped with tear gas at Art University of #TEHRAN #25bahman #iran
iran09 #Tehran: All roads to Vali-Asr/Enqelab crossing are blocked. Basijis are taking over Arts uni. #Iran #25bahman
rtfromirani Students at TEHRAN ART uni:: TRAPPED IN KARBORDI HALL, BASIJIS ARE BEATING US, THEY ARE ARMED, HELP US #iran#25bahman
persianbanoo Documentary film Maker Mehdi Sharifian was arrested during#25Bahman protest. Status & whereabuts unknown #Iranelection
The Basijis are also making their presence known at the funeral of a slain protester:
debmorello RT @thelede Thousands attend funeral of man killed in Iranian protests http://bit.ly/fLlzdo #cnn #25bahman #iran
mardomak Iran - today, "more than 500 buses" brought bassijs at funeral of slain student Jaleh http://is.gd/qsIcda #25Bahman
The Iranian regime will stop at nothing to quell these protests. The WSJ has a great editorial today explaining this very point. It will be far more difficult to depose the Iranian regime than it was to overthrow the Egyptian one.
Iran's Green movement, the squelched democratic hope of 2009, isn't dead after all. Wearing green scarves and chanting "Death to the dictator!", tens of thousands turned out in Tehran, Shiraz and other Iranian cities Monday to demand political change. The size of the protests surprised and embarrassed the regime, but it's important to understand why revolution will be harder than in Egypt and Tunisia.
Iran has many of the revolutionary ingredients found in those countries: a technologically savvy and frustrated young population, a stultifying society, stagnant economy and a corrupt military-run regime. Its middle classes are, if anything, better educated and more politically conscious than in the Arab world.
But Iran's leaders are also more ruthless.
The news coming in from twitter says that some 30 activists who were arrested at Monday's protests were just released. Meanwhile, others are being arrested:
kiraber RT @Bsalamati: Some 30 #25Bahman detainees freed last night
nnfinster Shotgun? “@lissnup: News emerging of 8 shooting casualties in#Iran from #25Bahman 7 taken to Sinai hospital, (cont)http://tl.gd/8sbfk5
kiraber RT @Bsalamati: At least 16 Sharif uni students have been arrested since #25Bahman protests #Iranelection
And here's a plea: "rtfromirani Iran needs you all more than ever, we are stepping into a dark time: Stand by us."
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Comments :
Dec '10
Re: Iranian Students: "We Are Trapped...Basijis Are Beating Us. They Are Armed. Help Us."
I wonder if they have reached the point yet where they would accept aid -- weapons, ammo, explosives -- from outside sources.
They're going to need them. A change of regime in Iran will not be peaceful. It will be bloody.
Sep '10
Re: Iranian Students: "We Are Trapped...Basijis Are Beating Us. They Are Armed. Help Us."
Looks like the Egyptian thugs beat some sense into Anderson, but he still misses the point.
It's all about hypocrisy to these people. That's what really gets them. The only way they will ever judge people is against their own words, that's when they feel justified to speak out.
Iran said nothing about "freedom" in 2009 - no story from CNN, no statement from the Obama administration. These people are wretched.I have to think they only see this as a way to distract the American people and to boost Obama's polls here because they have shown no efforts in this direction before. Talk about hypocrisy! Sheesh!
Re: Iranian Students: "We Are Trapped...Basijis Are Beating Us. They Are Armed. Help Us."
While I'm generally not a fan of Anderson Cooper (or nearly anyone at CNN, for that matter), it was genuinely refreshing to hear a major figure in the American media unapologetically discuss the Iranian regime as the global pariah that it deserves to be. Here's to hoping that after the irrational exuberance of the MSM's Egypt coverage, they've finally found the right tone for the right story.