“SOMETHING OF THE NIGHT “ABOUT HIM

“SOMETHING OF THE NIGHT “ABOUT HIM

In the seventh decade of his life, now Khamenei faces the biggest challenge since he took over the Supreme Leader’s office. After giving the notorious sermon on 19th of June, when he directly blamed the foreign powers for conspiring against the Islamic regime now he demonstrated a U-turn in his latest speech. He admitted that there is no proof that the opposition leaders blamed for the post-election unrest were agents of the foreign powers. While a number of senior opposition figures (including the employee of the British Embassy in Tehran) are currently on trial accused of conspiring with foreign powers, this speech not only contradicts his previous sermon but dismisses one of the most important charges against the defendants. His latest speech clearly is an intervention in an already tainted judicial process as well as an unsuccessful attempt to reduce the tension. The move was also seen as a partial retreat against wave of criticisms from the senior clerics in Iran. The speech was made the day after the forth session of the show trial which was planned to intimidate the opposition as well as stabilizing the post-election turmoil. However, neither the trial nor the speech is the solution to the Supreme Leader’s problem.

Since January 2007 when Khamenei had not been seen in public for some weeks, his health as well as his potential successor has been called into question. Khamenei has six children. His second son, Mojtaba Khamenei is reported to be his father’s choice to succeed him as the Supreme Leader. Mojtabe, however, lacks the religious and political stature to overcome the opposition from the senior clerics in the Assembly of Experts. Having said that, the ultra-conservative young Khamenei operates tucked behind an elaborate security structure. These brutal forces include Iran’s Revolutionary Guard corps, plain clothes security servicemen and Basiji militiamen. This combination gives Mojtaba an immense power to eradicate any form of opposition. In fact, Mojtaba played a leading role in orchestrating Ahmadinejad’s disputed election victory on 12th of June and also led the backlash against protesters by using his own secret army. The young reclusive cleric has by no means been far from the controversy. Mojtaba is widely believed to control huge financial assets inside and outside of Iran. On 18th of June (only six days after the election) the British government, in accordance with UN and EU sanctions, froze nearly £1bn in Iranian assets. Although Mojtaba’s name does not appear on the Treasury’s list of targets of those sanctions, but one British official said the Supreme Leader’s son may operate through state-run enterprises that are listed. “I would be amazed if some of the money was not his,” the official said.

Having won the presidential election, the axis of Khamenei, Ahmadinejad, Mojtaba are in a quandary how to stabilize the country. The followings are some of the reasons which may have forced the Supreme Leader to prepare the public opinion for another stratagem:


a) The Supreme Leader has lost his reputation as an impartial leader because of endorsing the disputed results of the election. Therefore he desperately needs to regain his unbiased position in order to be able to reduce the tension.

b) The crackdown on the protestors by Mojtaba and his security servicemen proved to be only partially successful. The situation has become even worse since the revelation about the torture, rape and killing of the young detainees inside the prison.

c) The tension between Ahmadinejad and the parliament is going to be heightened if cabinet nominees are given a vote of no confidence which in turn would compound the existing problems.

d) The show trial did neither prepare the ground to arrest the main leaders of the opposition nor intimidated the general public. Therefore, people are looking for an opportunity to demonstrate their anger against the regime. Any religious or national event is a potential threat to galvanize the demonstrators to take to the streets.

Giving the content of Khamenei’s latest speech it seems that the Supreme Leader and his prince of darkness may have reached this conclusion that now it is the time to have a strategic retreat.

For while the tale of how we suffer and what we would have to sacrifice and how we may triumph, is the only tale which must be heard. There is not any other story to tell. When the powers of darkness are aligned against us, it is our light, not their darkness which is more frightening.


Shahin M

THAT NIGHT, A GREEN FOREST GREW

THAT NIGHT, A GREEN FOREST GREW

Everything started on that particular summer night, the 12th of June, when the Iranian regime decided to betray the vast majority of its own people. On that night something remarkable was about to happen. Those who were heavily involved in their vicious plot were unable to see the grave consequence of their actions. They thought, they have envisaged all the possibilities and they were prepared to sacrifice everything in order to fulfill their dream. However, there were green shoots of a future forest growing in front of their very eyes and they could neither see nor wanted to believe in what was happening. The germinating seeds of this forest were planted a long time ago, when the regime had lost touch with people at the grass-roots level. It happened when the regime had decided to ignore the basic of human rights and the dignity of human being. The forest was growing fast and it was too late to stop it. Therefore, the regime made another mistake, the most belligerent axe men were sent to grind the whole forest down. What a monumental and impossible task!

The unprecedented civil right movement of the Iranian people has been criticized because of lack of leadership; a leadership with clear ideas, techniques and goals to serve as a guide to the nation. However, contrary to how it appears, the campaign against the disputed election has a unique characteristic which distinguishes it from all other similar movements. In this uphill struggle, every single person has a unique opportunity to organize, command and lead at the same time. By using modern ways of communication the rules of engagement are discussed, criticized and then finalized and are ready to be implemented. It is unbelievable how well orchestrated some of these demonstrations have been during the last couple of months by using this technique. Unlike the velvet revolutions in the former Republic of Soviet Union, this campaign is totally home grown and independent from foreign powers. History will hail this campaign as an exceptional one with unprecedented success.

Having said all that, this campaign is a tenacious movement and it is crucial that it remains so. The indestructible spirit of this campaign has so far been the key to success, therefore it is imperative to keep this spirit alive and create a united front against the regime. This is absolutely essential to overcome this bitter sense of disappointment by believing in what we can achieve with the sentiments of unity. We should all remember that the tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk and then a chopped off timber by the axe man. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky.

Shahin M

TALK ABOVE A WHISPER

TALIK ABOVE A WHISPER

According to the Articles 5 and 111 of the Iranian Constitution being just and pious are the most important qualities of the Supreme Leader. Should he becomes incapable of meeting his constitutional characteristics, he will be dismissed. These Articles among a few others are the foundation of an anonymous letter written by a group of Iranian clerics demanding the Assembly of Experts to dismiss the Supreme Leader. The move is the latest and perhaps strongest blow to the Supreme Leader’s reputation in the aftermath of the disputed election on 12th of June. Giving the anonymous nature of the letter, its authenticity as well as its effectiveness is in question. However, the letter indicates the vulnerability of someone who has been untouchable for many years. The synergistic effect of the letter with the slogans such as “death to Khamenei” recently shouted by Iranians in demonstrations could be the last straw for the Supreme Leader’s authority.

The clerics who wrote the letter decided to practice Taqieh,” Muslims have every right to lie or not to tell the whole truth to deceive their adversaries for expediency.” They also complained about the enormous pressure on clerics to keep them silent in case they would turn the more traditional section of the society against the regime. The clerics found this impossible to disclose their identity because of their fear of Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guard and secret services.

The bravery and nobility of the clerics who wrote the letter can not be over stressed because by criticizing the Supreme Leader they have touched one of the most sensitive issues inside the establishment. They have clearly passed the red line which was unimaginable before the events of last few weeks.

For the last two months, the whole world has been watching the brutality of the Iranian regime against its own people. The harsh crackdown on the street protests, mass trial, forced confession, torture, rape and killing were all witnessed by viewers around the world. It is the Iranian people who have been shouldering the responsibility of this campaign. The mothers who have lost their loved ones and still looking for justice, the fathers who lost their children in the cemetery and days after had to bury them in the same place, these are the people who are under enormous pressure. For those prisoners who would have to suffer from the post traumatic disorder for the rest of their lives the meaning of the pressure is more than just a feeling. Those boys and girls who were savagely been raped in the darkness of solitary confinement surely deserve more than an anonymous letter. May be and just may be it is not a good time to practice Taqieh. These people definitely need action and they need it now. Tomorrow is too late.

Shahin M

DARE TO MAKE A CHOICE

Dare to make a choice

At last somebody has decided to be different when all around him are seeking conformity. Mehdi Karroubi unlike the other defeated opposition candidates ventured to be the voice of the political dissidents to reveal the truth of events inside the prisons. He set up a new and greater challenge for the regime when his fellow politicians are procrastinating. He claimed that some of the protestors arrested after June’s disputed election were tortured to death while in custody. The new allegation came after he had said a number of prisoners, both male and female, had been raped. It seems that Karroubi is determined to keep fighting when all around him are remaining silent. After Ahmadinejad’s inauguration ceremony, Karroubi’s approach towards the election has slightly changed. He has decided to keep up the political pressure by focusing on torture and mistreatment of the prisoners in order to undermine the government. The significance of the issue brought forward by Karroubi can not be over emphasized when some ex-MPs are ultimately holding the Supreme Leader responsible. The ex-MPs have asked the Assembly of Experts to investigate whether the Supreme Leader is any longer fit to rule.

Meanwhile the government and its supporters are also mobilizing their power to counter attack Karroubi. Friday Imams across the country in a series of well orchestrated sermons asked the judiciary system to prosecute Karroubi for misleading the public by false allegations. The Friday Imam in Tehran said Karroubi’s claims were “full of libel and a total slander against the Islamic system.”

Karroubi now is experiencing the strong support of the general public like he has never before. The reason behind such a strong support is a sense of hunger for the truth of matter among people. The truth which can potentially subvert the legitimacy, credibility and most importantly the religious authority of the Islamic regime. People of Iran would vehemently question the existence of an Islamic regime which does not observe the basic tenets of Islam such as respect for dignity of every human being. Small wonder that the whole government is in disarray.

The dilemma for the government is either to arrest Karroubi at this particular time and alienate many more ordinary people or refrain from arresting him and face further provocation. In either case the repercussions will be grave and to some extent unpredictable.

Karroubi has clearly demonstrated that he dares to take risks, he has the tenacity to be compassionate and he believes that the courage is the foundation of integrity. Now it is up to the government to make a choice.

Shahin M

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

Yesterday another shocking revelation made my heart sink. The news made me think that the Iranian authorities who claim to be the global leaders of the spiritual path are in fact the most hypocritical religious authorities that the whole world has ever experienced. The defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi in an open letter to Rafsanjani made some distressing allegations. He claimed that some female detainees who were arrested during post-election protests were raped savagely inside the notorious Kahrizak detention center in the south of Tehran. He also mentioned in his letter that “The young boys are also suffering from depression, serious physical and psychological problems as a result of being sexually assaulted inside the prison.

Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Abu Guarib prison and now Kahrizak detention center, these are places where detainees faced terrible and horrific experiences which leave an indelible psychological scar on their soul. For many years the Iranian regime condemned the behavior of the American prison guards inside Guantanamo and Abu Guarib prisons towards so called competent enemies. However, now the regime itself is implicated in a similar situation. The center which was initially built to detain thugs and louts, now is the focus of appalling mistreatment of political dissident. Various news articles have reported on overcrowded cells where prisoners were verbally, physically and sexually assaulted by their guards on a daily basis. Mohsen Ruholamini and Amir Javadifar were two of the many prisoners reported to have died from torture at Kahrizak detention center.

Eventually after the regime had been forced to shut down the detention center, the Iran’s police chief admitted yesterday that the protestors who were arrested after June’s disputed election had been tortured while in custody. In a preposterous and absurd comment he denied any fatality as a result of the torture and claimed that an unspecified “viral illness” had caused the death of some of the prisoners.

These are the people who claim to have a solution for global problems. They claim to become the perfect symbol of the Islamic state for the Muslims around the world. These are the people who claim to have the immaculate religious authority. These people now must be held accountable for their savageness towards the children of this land.

Even if we could not cry out for justice, it would still be inconceivable that so many young Iranians had to die in order to awaken us to their sacrifice. The most precious lives of this land are being lost for the sake of the political and religious ideology of a few single minded demagogues.

This reminds me of the words of Malcolm X, “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you are a man, you take it.”

Shahin M

CONSPIRACY THEORY ?

CONSPIRACY THEORY ?

The story began when in October 1952 Mohammad Mosaddeq (1882-1967) declared Britain an enemy and cut off all diplomatic relations. Mosaddeq vehemently argued that Iran must begin profiting from its vast oil reserves instead of allowing Britain to exploit this rich resource as it had done for many years. The direct consequence of such a brave policy was that the British and American intelligence services reached the conclusion that the Prime Minister Mosaddeq should be ousted. The plot, known as Operation Ajax was in fact a coup d’état against a democratic, elected and very popular government of Mosaddeq. The coup which was organized and indirectly operated by the CIA and MI6 was in fact the very first chapter of this long story.

The perception of many Iranians about the British and their secret agenda towards Iran may clearly demonstrate in a very famous political satire called My Uncle Napoleon by Iranian author Iraj Pezeshkzad. The British government through out this novel is lampooned for being responsible for any event, no matter how trivial, that occurs in Iran. Apart from the hilarious aspect of this fiction, the story highlights a well accepted general belief amongst Iranians, the British government is a cunning old fox because of its vicious strategic abilities and the fact that it never gives up.

Since the revolution in 1979, the Anglo-Iranian political relationship has just been an emotional roller coaster. A series of dramatic events occurred over many years. These included the closure and reopening of the British embassy in Tehran, the religious edict issued by Khomeini to kill Salman Rushdie, the British government’s role in implementing sanctions against Iran because of its nuclear program and the last but not least seizing 15 Royal Navy personnel in the Persian Gulf. All these events indicate a deep and long lasting animosity between two governments. After all perhaps David Miliband made a valid point when he asked the Iranian government and the west not to be imprisoned by their history.

This dramatic story has another twist in its tail. The Iranian authorities have now put the embassy’s chief political analyst, Hossein Rassam on trial in Tehran. Rassam is accused of spying and inciting unrest over Ahmadinejad’s re-election in June. The Foreign Office announced the charges as unjustified and the trial as the latest Iranian provocation which can only bring about further discredit on the regime. As unpredictable as the fate of Hossein Rassam seems to be, there is a striking point here which should not be missed, Rassam is simply a hostage held by the Iranian authorities. The regime is going to use him in order to give the foreign powers a lesson not to cross the red lines which have clearly been identified by the Iranian government. Rassam as a political analyst is clearly not someone, who could by any stretch of the imagination, orchestrate a velvet revolution. Such accusation can only be possible if the prosecutor and the people behind the scene are motivated by the old British conspiracy theory in their minds

This trial, accusation of espionage and an attempt of the British government to promote a velvet revolution in Iran remind me of the words of a former British ambassador in Iran. He said, “Tehran was an interesting place to serve because it is one of the very few places left on earth where people still believe we have some influence.”

Shahin M

SAME DIFFERENCE

SAME DIFFERENCE

This is a photograph which can simply not be forgotten especially for many Iranians. The picture illustrates the seconds before Muhammad Jamal al-Durrah (1988-2000), a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, was shot dead while shielded by his father. This boy quickly became an iconic martyr and a new symbol of the Second Intifada. Iranian state television, however, broadcast the relevant footage of the incident every so often in order to demonstrate the ferocity of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Apart from the controversy over this incident there was one crystal clear issue: the incident happened during a clash between IDF and Palestinian Security Forces in the Gaza Strip, a clash between enemies.

Now the Islamic regime itself faces a similar situation after an Iranian 12-year-old boy was killed last Thursday in the Behesht Zahra cemetery in southern Tehran. Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered for the mourning ceremony of the victims of the recent protests. The riot police and security forces were deployed to the cemetery and started interfering with the religious ritual of the victims’ family. The 12-year-old Ali-Reza had attended the ceremony with his father but lost touch with him in the crowd. Soon after Ali-Reza was hit on the head by a baton of a riot police and died as a result of cerebral hemorrhage. Ali-Reza’s body was released four days later as an attempt to minimize the impact of such a violent crime against humanity. A deliberate attempt to avoid creating another symbol of the resistance against the regime with no sense of compassion.

These stories have a startling likeness to one another. Both of the victims were innocent young boys who had their whole lives in front of them and were beloved by their families. However, the striking point of the second incident is neither Ali-Reza’s age nor the fact that he was an innocent boy. The striking point is that Ali-Reza was killed by a regime that was supposed to protect its citizens. An Islamic regime which was expected to follow the instruction of the Qur’an when it says “if any one slew a person .… it would be as if he slew the whole humanity”. Ali-Reza was slain by a regime which is desperate to hold on the power and is ready to sacrifice the human lives for that. This boy was not on enemy line nor was he caught in the middle of a battle ground. He was an innocent mourner for his fellow compatriots. Ali-Reza became a martyr among many others whose departure puts the Iranian regime to a disgraceful shame.

Shahin M

FFORCED CONFESSION

Now, once again the Iranian regime divided to its very core has decided to assert its power to extract another series of forced confessions under torture in order to stir up the political climate and achieve its pathetic aims. For three decades and almost exactly in the aftermath of every single political challenge faced by the regime, the Iranian people have witnessed very dramatic televised programs. In these not very entreating shows defendants wearing prison uniforms literally denounce all their former political beliefs and comrades. Apparently they are absolutely repentant for what they have done and are desperate to convince their audience about their motives. They are, under extraordinary set of circumstances, driven by so called foreign enemies in order to oust the Islamic regime. The Irony of the situation is that in all the occasions the suspects used to be part of the establishment and had occupied high rank posts.

Sadegh Ghotbzadeh (1936-1982) was probably one of the first people who was implicated in this kind of coercion. He was a close assistant of Khomeini during the revolution. After the Islamic Revolution took power he became the Director of National Radio and Television. He was then appointed as the Foreign Minister before being arrested and accused of plotting the assassination of Khomeini and the overthrow of the Islamic regime. In a series of televised programs he confessed to everything and begged for merci. Ghotbzadeh was executed when the Military Revolutionary Tribunal found him guilty and sentenced him to death.

Mehdi Hashemi, a cleric and a senior official in the Revolutionary Guard was another example of this notorious process of forced confession. After eight months from his arrest, Hashemi produced a taped confession aired on National Television and headlined in newspapers as “I am manifest proof of deviation”. Soon after his confession Hashemi was found guilty by a special clerical court on charges of treason, sedition, murder and related charges. Hashemi was executed even before his guilty verdict was announced.

These above examples were among hundreds of people who were forced to confess during the last thirty years in Iran. This routine practice of the regime is an attempt to bring about necessary benefits:

a) People who confess are easily eliminated because of their crimes and no longer able to endanger the regime.
b) The whole process is a clear demonstration of the power and strength of the regime to eradicate any possible threat.
c) People who may support the suspects are terrorized by the charade and would no longer follow their way.
d) These forced confessions are meant to divert the attention of people from the real obstacles faced by the regime.
e) The most important aim is to run a smear campaign against more prominent comrades of the people who confess. This method in fact enables the government to implicate its high rank political rivals at any given time and in consequence prepare the ground to marginalize or even eliminate them for good.

Last week, 100 people including former Vice President (Mohammad Ali Abtahi), former Deputy Speaker of the Parliament (Behzad Nabavi) and former Deputy Foreign Minster (Mohsen Aminzadeh) were taken to the court in Tehran. The charges included rioting, vandalism and acting against national security. The former Vice President, who could hardly be recognized because of 3 stone weight lost during a month, accepted the charge of treason and told the court that his earlier claims of fraud about the 12th of June election were completely unfounded.

The defendants in their dictated testimonies were trying to blame the main challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi and former presidents Khatami and Rafsanjani for directing the mass demonstrations after the election results. They told the court about their premeditated secret plan to carry out a velvet revolution in Iran following the pattern in former Soviet Union Republics. Some of the pro-government senior conservatives have already asked the prosecutor to act swiftly against those who are directing the protests behind the scene. As unprecedented as these events seem, this is crucial for the survival of Ahmadinejad’s government to put an end to this already over long demonstrations and protest at all costs.

These events raise huge questions in people’s minds:

a) Do these engineers of human souls with their Stalinism’s style ever think about their own destiny while they are becoming overly strict authoritarian?
b) Our country is changing and because we should be part of it, do not we have every right to condemn the perpetrators of these shameful events and demand nothing more than justice?
c) How can we ever be able to restore what we have lost?

In memory of those who have been martyred.

Shahin M