Death march

Photo essay: Khamenei supporters demand firm punishment against opponents

by Borna News Agency
31-Dec-2009
 
AP: Iran's state prosecutor warned opposition leaders Thursday they could face trial if they do not denounce this week's anti-government protests — the worst unrest since the aftermath of June's disputed presidential election. The prosecutor, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei, said the opposition leaders could be accused of supporting people who defy God by protesting against the government last Sunday, when Shiite Muslims observed the sacred day of Ashoura. He said the leaders may face charges of "supporting apostates," or those who go against God. At least eight people died during the protests and hundreds were arrested.
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No Fear

Real Politik ...

by No Fear on

Jaleho, thank you for seeing past my avatar and focusing on the post than the image. The avatar is intentional and i measure posters maturity based on their reaction to it. Its a way to ignore those who are affected by it. If they can't see through the avatar, they can't see through political developements either. I know its a bit harsh, but it works for me.

Vildemose,

Islam is a unifying factor for all IR power houses. No one dares or wishes otherwise and pretty much all factions within the IR justify themselves based on it. How i feel about Islam is irrelevent and one should look at this powerful force in our society to make changes for better and not worst. We are talking interpretations here and if there isn't any, then we must creat one where its missing. Are you following? lets be pragmatic here and leave the rainbow ideologies to the wishful thinkers.

Some true believers within IR who have sacrificed their limbs or life for Islam during the war are far less corrupt and genuinely wish to make life easier for Iranians in Iran. Many of them are poor but highly educated. These and those like them are the type who are not interested in becoming Doctors or Engineers at universities, but they are filling classes in political sciences, phillosophy, business managements and military. While everyone seems excited about GM movement and its sudden burst of violence, the "real" movement started long before and gained tremendous support from Sepah at the begining of Ahmadinejads first term.

While the impotent reform movement headed by khatami put on a micky mouse show for you and the west to enjoy and eat your pop corns, it failed to accomplish any tangible changes in any aspect of peoples life ( except maybe relaxed restrictions for the youths ) and failed to challenge the corrupt core of IR. The result of their foreign policies, specially related to the nuclear issue, was also a disgrace to any true Iranian. They were simply put, horrible in running the country. However, Khatami does have a nice smile though.

Look at Ahmadinejads cabinet, they are all new faces in our political arena. Look at their age and academic qualifications. This is a new wave which has successfully challenged some of the strongest pilars of IR ( Rafsanjani who heads the most powerful IR institution and other crooks like him ). When Khatami talks about social justices, frankly i don't give a rats ass for what he says. Its just cheap talk.  

The velvet revolution has happened already and in a sarcastic warning by Sepah , anyone who thinks about a velvet revolution will be crushed ( read: we are going to change things around now and if you interfere, you will pay for it ).

I am looking forward to this simply because i am tired of the old underqualified clergy to mess things up and gets rewarded with multi million dollars mansions. I take a true muslim side any day over a crook who had its chances for 25 years to fix things up. I will even go further and declare that NO OTHER FACTION within or without IR has more right than this new wave to form the government since this current administration are the ones who truely fought in the war zones and deserve their chance at running our country. This is a mature political movement, unlike an emotional one like GM or an impotent one like reform.

PS:  Find out about the last deal Khatami government made with IAEA. Its a shocker and an eye opener. Quite frankly. he should be tried as a traitor. No wonder Ahmadinejad went and broke the locks on the enrichment plant and started a completely new negotiations.

 


vildemose

nexus of tension within Iran's government for 30 years. And it m

by vildemose on

 

 NPR: Shuster's interview: (...)

It is certainly true that Islam is a very important factor in the conflict in Iran.

There has been an Islamic republic that has governed Iran for 30 years. And it's a complex matter, this Islamic republic, because it's a compromise between those who waged the Islamic revolution 30 years ago in Iran and who wanted a purely Islamic government, and many who wanted a more secular government that was democratic in nature. And this was a hybrid in effect.

And it managed to keep the clerics significantly imbued with political power for quite sometime. But it also created a lot of dissatisfaction.

Don't forget the opposition that has emerged this year, it's not the first time that there's been a reform movement that has challenged the more entrenched hard line elements in the government. Mohammed Khatami was a reformer who was elected president in 1997 and reelected president in 2001. For eight years, Iran had a president at least who was trying to bring about political reform and he's part of this movement now.

So, this has been a theme, a nexus of tension within Iran's government for 30 years. And it may simply be "that at this point, these two strains of political thought are irreconcilable, or Iranian's are having much greater difficulty now reconciling the two.

if we try to gauge it simply by counting numbers, the numbers of, yesterday, of pro-government demonstrators and the numbers of protesters in the streets on Sunday and previously, I don't think that that necessarily gives us a really good gauge or what's going on in Iran.

 But you have to figure that the pro-government demonstrators, the government helped them get there. They provided buses. They gave them - many government workers the day off. They gave students the day off.

And most importantly, the police allowed them to demonstrate, whereas on Sunday, the riot police and the street militia were out in force and they used violence to try to stop the demonstrations - the protest demonstrations, and they occurred nevertheless.

So I think that we probably need other tools to gauge what's really going on in Iran. And it seems to me there is - this is a political conflict. There is deep dissatisfaction with the government of Iran. There was deep disbelief last June when it was announced that Muhammad Ahmadinejad had overwhelmingly won reelection. There was cognitive dissonance in the streets. People didn't believe that. They believed that the primary challenger, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, won. And I think that in the face of government violence, the amount of violence that the government has mounted against the protests, I think we can get some idea of how deeply felt the protests are.

And we can at least say it is highly unlikely that they - that the government can stop them. The government thought that it could stop them, and it hasn't. And now they will continue, or there may be people on both sides that look for some kind of a political solution. But it is a political conflict and a political problem

//www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122107996


Jaleho

No Fear, you have some

by Jaleho on

very good material, but frankly your avatar is so disgusting that i always get scared looking at it. I pass quickly not to see it!

Anyway, just wanted to agree with you that many people here are DELUSIONAL and try to close their eyes to the fact that Ahmadinejad won 24 million votes and Mousavi 13 million.... (looking at these numbers.....somebody probably heard Ahmadinejad won by 11 million OVER Mousavi, and people leaked it as Ahmadinejad got 11 million votes, hahaha:-) :-) This is the recent rumor that I heard in Sahimi's otherwise OK writing, so it is my joke, don't spread it as a viable leak :-)

No wonder people in denial have to attribute any large pro-government gathering by those who were doped with either potato, cookie, juice, free subway tickets..... but, they'll have to hang in every little video in which you can even hear the voice of the few people next to the microphone rather than a huge crowd!!!

The good thing is that MOusavi himself got the message from this huge rally and is beginning to come to his senses! That's what really counts!!


khaleh mosheh

No Fear

by khaleh mosheh on

Can you also please wheel out the other persona, KhArmagas for a really good 'punch and judy' show? The last show was really funny but sadly for some reason some of the comments were deleted.

LOL 

PS-Thought you may like this

 //iranian.com/main/blog/daneshjoo-12


No Fear

Denial is the first stage of grief for the green supporters ...

by No Fear on

I have read the comments posted on this topic and no one agrees on the massive demonstration to be politically genuine.

While one poster claimed the rally to be photoshopped, other one claimed its the oil money thats given to them as payment for the rally. Are you truely that blind?

No, you are not blind. You are freaking ignorant since supporting the combination of Mousavi , Hashemi Rafsanjani, Karoubi and Khatami is supporting everything thats was wrong with IR for a combined 25 years of administration with the above dinosaurs.

I support Ahmadinejad and lets wait and see how Ahmadinejad administration deals with the opposition leaders and lets compare it to how your beloved dinosaurs dealt with their oppositons, shall we? Or would you want me to refresh your memory if you suffer from short term memory loses?

It might come as a shock to you if i tell you freedom of speech and expressing your voice and opinion is at a all time high during ahmadinejad administration and there are a lot more opposition organs and newspapers active in iran now even more than Khatami's era. But this seems too much for an immature opposition to exercise their rights through legal venues and in return, resort to riots and social anarchy.

Those who support Mousavi and the rest of the highly corrupted mullahs are asking for the same recipe of IR to be feed to them over again. How freaking naive is that? Or do you think you beloved politicians are changed men now??   Get real...

Those like me who support Ahmadinejad are hoping for tangible changes in social rights ( Not necessarily how much women hairs are visible ) , fight against corruption, introducing new ,young and capable forces in our political and economical sector based on their academic qualification, reduction or elimination of religous entities from administrations, stronger stance against foreign powers specially on the nuclear issue and so on.

I am sorry that Ahmadinejad does not have the pretty smile that khatami displays or the savviness of Rafsanjani to be more popular with our youth. Infact he is far from looking half decent. He is firebrand politician that despite of what most of you think , had the guts to do what is right for Iran in difficult times, a quality possessed by true leaders.


Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime

Mousavi, Kahrubi, Khatami, and others like them

by Everybody Loves Somebody ... on

will be jailed when the time is right! Once the current regime is overthrown and replaced with a true democratic government justice will be brought upon all the collaborators of the Islamic Republic past and present red and green!? It's just a matter of priority!
Iranian people will never forget nor forgive the atrocities these so-called reformed individuals had committed back during the 80's and 90's.
Javid Iran


vosough

درسی از تاریخ

vosough


. آن روز بهاری 1357 نیز ، حکومت شاه 400 هزار نفر را در تبریز به خیابانها آورد ، آن هم تبریزی که حدود 600 هزار نفر جمعیت بیشتر نداشت . اما این اجتماع عظیم چند ماه بعد چه شد ؟ آیا آنها که آن روز در حضور جمشید آموزگار و ارتشبد شفقت فریاد «جاوید شاه» سرداده بودند ، بر سر آن میثاق خود ماندند ، یا آنکه همه چیز نمایش دولت مستعجلی بود که برای مشروع نشان دادن خود ، به بسیج نیرو دست زده بود ؟ براستی این چهارصد هزار نفررا در ماههای بعد چه شد ؟   حکومت شاه آن روز 400 هزار نفر را در تبریز جمع کرد ، اما برجای نماند ؛ کیهانیان امروز چند نفر در تبریز و دیگر شهرها جمع کردند که چنین سرمست گشته اند ؟! بر سر اینکه امروز طرفداران حاکمیت دهها هزار نفر بودند یا صدها هزار نفر ، چانه نزنیم ؛ بازی با اعداد و ارقام ، این دولت مستعجل را مفری نخواهد گشود !     //www.rahesabz.net/story/6774/  


The author in the article above does make a valid and factual point about the impermanence of loyalty among some citizens however in my opinion the green movement inside Iran should not depend on a sudden shift in the loyalty of the Islamic regime supporters in comparison for example with Shah's time since this regime's ties is much deeper with these people albeit some of it simply because they are spending more.  
Of course the positive side is the fact that since the revolutionary and then Iraq war fever has significantly subsided their main method in getting the support of these folks has been via financial means which actually is much easier to counter vs. true idealogical ties since all is needed to get their support is by outbidding the regime (granted it may seem as an impossible and ridiculous task now).  
One of the pictures that caught my attention was the one with a sign suggesting that: "if they continue to put pressure on us we will 'repeat' ashora" --  go figure!!   Does this mean they are suggesting that Islamic regime with all of its power is now like the oppressed 72 martyrs and the supposed "khaso-khashak" and the "sosolhay balay shahr" are now the same as Yazid caliphate.  Or are they admitting they are the oppressor like Yazid and they will deal swiftly with any oppressed group.     Once again here are some people that don't even know their own history (which isn't the first and won't be the last).  These folks are appalled that protestors took to the street on a holy day of Ashoora yet they either don't know or act as if they don't that not only 30 years ago the same was done by they themselves or at least their older family members but for the last 30 years the regime they are supporting has been using religious holy days to push their political agendas.


At any rate albeit this was just one sign among many but such logic and the words of the folks interviewed by the regime's media (clip) or the imam jomeh of Mashad which also spoke at at Wednesday's rally all point to the difficulty of task ahead.  Prehaps this explains the cleverly written elamayeh by Mousavi.


Tabas

PHOTOSHOP FAKE !

by Tabas on

---------- Forwarded message ----------

تعدادی از عکسهای این مجموعه به وضوح ، عکسهای دستکاری شده در   PhotoShop هستند .

<blockquote style="border-left: #1010

<><>



MM

The forced march: more observations and JJ is funny

by MM on

Happy new year to you too Darius.

Gitdoun ver 2.0: Thanks.

I took a fresh look at the pictures and it is sorta fascinating to concentrate on the facial expressions of the folks in this forced march.  I give two examples.

The pulled eye-brows and looking away tells me that the lady in #39 is worried and almost ashamed.  You see the same pulled eye-brows and worried look on the lady in picture #6 who is holding AhmadiNejad's picture up.  Both ladies in #6 and #39 show hair.

Also, some men (e.g., #15) are clean shaven and see expressionless women (#41) who are just counting minutes to get out of there; Not very typical regime supporters.

I am sure that the regime's agents are monitoring our blogs and will fix the next forced march to include pictures of ladies with appropriate hejab and men who look more "pashmaaloo" with typical angry zealot looks (cf., look at the lady in the middle of #9 and the wooly mammoths in #17).

In my first comment, I wrote that if I knew Arabic, I would understand these folks better.  Well, I do not know if JJ did it on purpose, but as I was thumbing thru the pictures again, the ads on the left side of the screen said:

Ads by Google

Learn Arabic Now

Arabic Lessons

other Hebrew lessons.

How appropriate! LOL

 


عموجان

This is fake

by عموجان on


Why this is fake, because if they claim majority are with them and this is all they have to show as their supporters only in one day then why the killings, rapes, jails, all they had to do ignore the opposition and they would have gone away. They can’t, they been faking it for past 30 years.  Sorry I forgot, it has been 6 month past the election and opposition still on the streets. 


gitdoun ver.2.0

your right -MM-

by gitdoun ver.2.0 on

god damn, look at picture #42.  the girl on the left wearing black and green right there spells it alllll out. they don't look at all enthusiastic and it seems they are hiding behind their big sunglasses (out of shame?) anyhow your soooo right MM.  And I for one will not write off everyone at these pro-regime rallies as murderers and traitors. Sure there are basij dogs who feel khamenei is divine who whole heartedly come to these rallies and it is these people who should be condemned. But then there are some here who come out of ignorance as there only point of reference are the state controlled news media. And yet there are others, as MM has kindly pointed out, who are forced to come or have their jobs taken away. I feel the regime has taken them as hostages and they have little or no choice to come to these pro-khamenei rallies. It's easy for us sitting in the comfort of our homes here in Santa Monica or in Canada to judge everyone as traitors but if we were in their shoes could we all make the sacrifices necessary???  


Darius Kadivar

Well For Once we are ALL in the Same Camp ;0))

by Darius Kadivar on

Happy New Year Trita Parsi and NIAC

//iranian.com/main/image/92689

LOL

 


پیام

آقا ببخشید، ناهار کجا میدن؟

پیام


آبجی، همون جا که ساندیس دارن پخش می‌کنن، کنار اتوبوسی که از
آبادیتون و کمپ پناهجوییتون آوردتون اینجا. افغانی‌ها دست چپ، عراقی‌ها
سمت راست.


MM

Dear gitdoun ver.2.0, I am glad you are keeping an open mind

by MM on

Dear gitdoun ver.2.0,

I am glad you are keeping an open mind.  Please take a look at the news of how these government sponsored Marches are organized.  One realizes that if you work for the government office, factory or school and value you job, future and family, you are forced to bus to these events from far away.  The latest reference I can give you is:

Demonstrations in Iran: Karim Sadjadpour CNN, December 30, 2009 or //www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=24417&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+carnegie%2Firan+%28Region+-+Iran%29&utm_content=Google+Reader  which appeared on one of the comments in Iran: developing news by vildemose on

Please take a look.  If you are still on the fence, I leave others to give you references to look up.


gitdoun ver.2.0

i dunno. on the fence

by gitdoun ver.2.0 on

first and foremost let me make it clear that i want democracy for iran. but at the same time i am hesitant to condemn that every one of these people are brutal savages who should be imprisoned. sure they are brainwashed and are a part of this cult of islam that believe in wilayat faqhi. but im not sure  these people who are pro-regime  know the whole truth. As we all know newspapers, t.v., and radio are all controlled by khamenei. and besides how many people in iran are rich enough to afford the luxury of a satellite dish ???  i feel if they had access to the truth and not some spin distorted propaganda by state media they maaaay switch sides. im not saying all of them would since many are brainwashed into thinking khamenei is divine but i feel some may.


obama

They use Islam as a shield for their corruptions and killings!

by obama on

Very clever of them. to stay in power, accuse your oppositions as anti islam, not you! They should be killed because they insulted islam, not because they are protesting against your brutalities! Shame! They don't care that in the process, they have destroyed isalm and people's beliefs!


rtayebi1

david ET

by rtayebi1 on

Thank U. So so true


maziar 58

....

by maziar 58 on

david jan tee ghoorban..........Maziar


alipournourbakhsh

Did you know?

by alipournourbakhsh on

ما اولین ملتی هستیم که قاتلین اجدادمان را عاشقانه دوست داریم 



statira

goverment supporters all look like Moavyeh

by statira on

Ajeebeh, yeh adame hesabee ba ghyafeyeh nourani( be ghoole ma irania) toyeh een jamaate hezbolahee nist. Khoda kharo shenakhteh keh shakhesh nadadeh.


Noosh Afarin

TEHRAN: 10 DEY 88 Tazahorateh Dar Karaj! Melateh Ma Bidar Ast, A

by Noosh Afarin on

TEHRAN: 10 DEY 88 Tazahorateh Dar Karaj! Melateh Ma Bidar Ast, Az Mousavi Bizar Ast! DEC 31, 2009

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQWD_LYvpRM


Jeesh Daram

Pro BBC march

by Jeesh Daram on

These photographs clearly shows this was the biggest pro-British and BBC march that Iran has ever seen. The British ambassador in Terhan must be delighted that on the day that Britian declassifies 30 year old files that reveal British government paid 85 billion pounds to Khomeini; Iranians pour to the streets and carry signs that reads BBC.

All food and soft drinks were sponsored by the British Embassy in Tehran. 

 

 


jasonrobardas

Families of religious oligarchs and "Mozdoorane regime"

by jasonrobardas on

     and shaban bimokh typs and  government employees who are feeling insecure and scaresd of the regime , They have all gathered . These gatherings are all organized by the government .


MM

My take on the pictures from this forced march

by MM on

Here is my take on the pictures from this forced march:

#4, #12...: They are really POed at BBC – my new BF.

#7, #9:  “If it was not for Velaayat-e Faghih, we would have dictatorship” – WOW!  HELLOOOOOOO!

#10, #30: now the Islamists put on masks not to be identified.

#6, #16, #39, #42: the ladies are showing hair - How dare! Where is sister Zeynab to warn them?

#21, #25, #26… #44: Mock and blame other religions – very typical of the Islamist government.

And finally,

#3, #7, #8, #9, #16, #17, #22, #23, #26, #30, and #32: If I knew Arabic, I would know what these invaders tried to say a lot more clearly.  If it was not for some Farsi writings, I would think that I was watching a Hamas or a Hezbollah March.

 


Brian Appleton

As the opposition has correctly asserted

by Brian Appleton on

the regime does not have a monopoly on God. 

 

Brian H. Appleton

aka

Rasool Aryadust


عموجان

YES

by عموجان on


Yes we know they have supporters (they all are in their payroll).The question is why these people don’t get shot at, taken to jail or raped when they are doing the same thing as anti government marchers were doing, walking, chanting and holding signs. So, Is Islam a fascist religion or a fascist government?

These pictures don't change any body's opinion regard less of which side you are, unless when the pay checks stop coming.  


Mona 19

خدا یک عقل سلیم بهشون بده

Mona 19


Pic #21 !?

IRI blames Baha'is for recent unrest on the day of Ashura in Iran!!

Fars News ,Javan newspaper andIran State TV 

Mona 

 

 


Anonymouse

Prince chubby made it! Hooray!

by Anonymouse on

//iranian.com/main/image/92689 

Everything is sacred.


Khar

Massive propaganda against the opposition!

by Khar on

oil money can buy alot but it's too little too late, Stay Tuned...


vildemose

The Pitiful Pro-Government

by vildemose on

The Pitiful Pro-Government Rally in Karaj They are protected, they are transported and they will be fed as well, but they are so few
:))

More people turned up for the pro-government rallies in the last days of the Shah's rule.
//azarmehr.blogspot.com/2009/12/pitiful-pro-government-rally-in-karaj.html