Note: Hamid Dabashi, Iranian professor of Columbia University at New York has started a series of videos titled "WeekInGreen" which discusses Iran's democratic movement. Student Information Center recommends all readers to watch and share them. If interested visit the "WeekInGreen" youtube channel and Facebook group:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheWeekInGreen

http://www.facebook.com/pages/WeekInGreen/168006002362?ref=search&sid=693095675.709705614..1

Future Plans:

--Iranian-style protests, Thursday evening, go to parks and around in the city with family.

-- Accompanying the mothers of the green movement victims in Laleh Park – every Saturday afternoon.

Summary of the News:

--Radio Zamaneh, Radio Farda, the wave of freedom, BBC News: Unfortunately, despite all the efforts of human rights organizations, Ehsan Ftahyan, 28-year-old political activist was executed today. He was initially sentenced to   10 years imprisonment at a lower court. But the opposition appealed and he was sentenced to death. Various efforts of his family and "human rights watch" and "amnesty international" organizations were not successful in even delaying his execution and he was executed this morning.

--Radio Zamaneh: Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate met with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about the human rights situation in Iran. In this meeting, Ms. Ebadi discussed the "illegal" behavior of the authorities of the Islamic Republic towards human rights groups. She also wrote a letter to the head of human rights organization asking for them to put pressure on the Iranian gouverment regarding their ban on human rights activists to leave Iran. In this letter, she wrote that members of human rights groups are "constantly threatened, imprisoned, and deported. Essentially, she added that these individuals were being held hostage in Iran. 

--Rooz Online: A day after the new media and press deputy was introduced at the Ministry of Culture, Tehran's prosecutor delivered harsh remarks to the media stating that reports that can "disturb public opinion" will be confronted legally. At another ceremony, he warned: "I emphasize that online news sources should also mind their content otherwise they will also be taken care of". 

--Mowj-e-Azadi: Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, has written a confidential message to Ezzatollah Zarghami (head of media) and has asked that two important conditions be met for the next five years. First he has asked for a reduction in the number of television hosts especially the elimination of images of women in media productions. Next, he has asked for the reduction of use of music during television programming. Based on this report, it is apparent that the new government plans on restricting television content in the future.

--Rooz Online: In a response to journalists regarding the execution of some protesters and those under the age of 18, Ayatollah Montazeri answered that these shame trials have no religious or legal legitimacy and therefor any prison or execution order has no merit.

--Mowj-e-Azadi: the National and Religious Coalition has released a statement condemning the oppression of the green movement. They have stated that the Iranian goverment should recognize the green movement as a legitimate cause for some of the Iranian people and instead of oppressing them, they should start a dialogue. This would be in the long term intrest of the Iranian nation.

--BBC News: The Human Rights Watch Organization has awarded 4 Iranian activists with the Hellman Hammett award for their courage and resilience despite the Iranian government's oppression and threats. These activists are Asiya Amini, Yusef Azizi Banitaraf, Mohamad Sadigh Kaboodvand and Arash Sigarchi. This award was given to  human rights activists from 18 countries. 

--AFP: After sprotets from the Iranian Embassy in London due to the establishment of a special scholarship from Oxford University, today one of the officials of the university defended the move. Oxford representatives stated that this new scholarship for a degree in p

hilosophy has been established to provide financial help to an Iranian student and that the source of this scholarship is well-known to the College.   

--Deutsche Welle: on Tuesday (10 November, 19 Nov.), a public meeting on the sidelines of parliament, revealed that the Supreme National Security Council has divided the executive responsibilities of national security between police and security institutions. POlice security forces are now responsible for monitoring information propagated on the internet and the revolutionary guard are now responsible for satellite signal-jamming towers. The latter has raised criticism in the parliament from the minister of health since these high-energy signals are shown to be bad for public health. 

University News:

 --Mowj-e-Azadi: Morteza Asadi, a former member of the Islamic Association of Allameh Tabatabai University (student activist) was arrested by security forces outside of this home on Saturday. He had already received a 2 year ban on attending the University.  

News of Arrested, and Deceased: 

BBC News: A Danish journalist who was reporting on Iranian student protests of last week was arrested in Iran yesterday. He had travelled to Iran to investigate the current situation. 

Analysis

Siraj al-Din Mirdamadi, journalist and political analyst in living Paris, interviewed with adio Farda regarding the current issues in Iran  Mir Hossein Mousavi. He said:

- After the recent events and the way in which the regime confronted the opposition, it appears that since then the opposition leaders' language and rhetoric has changed dramatically. It appears that they are more established now, but not necessarily radicalized.-He added that he thinks the rhetoric of Mr. Mousavi and Mr. Karroubi might still change under the pressures of the regime. After the pressures of the government as well as pressures from state-backed media for their arrest, it is possible that in the future they might have to back away from some of their earlier ideological statements. For example, some of their statements regarding defending the Imam's (Khomeini's) values. He added that further harsher reactions are also expected from the government. Already, the police confrontation with protesters last week was more violent than the previous demonstrations. But at the same time, the slogans shouted by protesters were also more volatile and direct. It is hard to tell whether less people came out to protest last week as compared to the Qods day protests, or whether they were just more wide-spread (and thus diluted). Either way, the slogans and songs were definitely stronger. It seems that both sides are gaining fervor in their cause and are further challenging the other sides' theoretical and intellectual stands. 

Recommendations and Warnings:

Mohsen Sazegara mentioned various points about the revolutionary guards in his Tuesday and Wednesday videos. He pointed that MirHossein Moosavi currectly mentioned in his earlier interview that the revolutionary guards are deeply involved in fraud and also that their legitimacy should be taken by publicizing notions about their moral, religious, political and financial illegitimacy due their acts in torture and rape of prisoners, bringing in arms in politics and corrupting the economical system.

Sazegara also pointed that the green slowgans were heard this Nov. 4th in schools so this counts as the birth of Iran's high school students movement.

Posted by مرکز اطلاع رسانی دانشجویی‌ at 9:05 AM 0 comments  

Student Information Center (SIC)

 Newsletter for Monday 9th of November 2009

Future Plans:

--Iranian-style protests, Thursday evening, go to parks and around in the city with family.

-- Accompanying the mothers of the green movement victims in Laleh Park – every Saturday afternoon.

Summary of the News:

--Jamaran News website:Mir Hossein Mousavi in an interview gave his opinions about the history of factional competition and the current situation of the Islamic Republic. He said: " It is not fair to tell people to stand behind the regime, in spite of all the badness, weaknesses and the corruption." He added: "multi-billion dollar contracts with Revoultionary Guard neither benefits the national economy, not the revolutionary guards, and nor the unity of the country, and this approach alone can risk the whole country." With regard to the role of the constitution in creating unity, he said that currently some of the principles of the constitution has been highlighted and some others are left out, and added: "even the constitution itself is not the word of God, and if necessary, its principles can be revised." Full text of the interview will be attached to the email.

--BBC News: Mehdi Karroubi Referred to the dual behavior of the Iranian government in connection with the nuclear program and the relations with America, and said that the Iranian government is suffering from confusion. In a video message distributed in social networks, he said that on one hand the Iranian government tries to open the door to relationship and dialogue with America about the nuclear program, and on the other hand it tries to prevent it. He said: "Iranian nation's interests can not be played with every day, on the basis of analysis that people are unaware of." Karrubi, while referring to the dichotomy in the government's behavior, said that the dual behavior will result in people's distrust of the government, and indeed they "have every right not to trust."

--Radio Farda: On Monday, Tehran's public and revolutionary prosecutor accused three American climbers that had entered Iran from Kurdistan border about three and a half months ago, of espionage. Simultaneously with the announcement, Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State, once again demanded the immediate release of three climbers.

--Norouz: Islamic Association of Azad University of Tabriz, in an statement, protested against the arrest of Hassan Alizadeh and Behnam Nikzaad, two students of the university who had been arrested on 13th of Abaan in campus shuttle station, by plain clothes security forces.

--BBC: According to two Iranian news agencies, the government has announced that 40 other people who had been arrested for being in the street on 13th of Abaan have been released.

--Parlemannews: Mohammad Khatami said the conditions for achieving national unity and understanding is that firstly, the authorities must accept that the society is in crisis and secondly, while all opinions and tastes should have freedom of expression, all facilities and immunities should not only be in the control of a particular opinion whose only thought is elimination of others, and that everyone should have the chance to talk.

--Noruoz: The second meeting to address charges of Behzad Nabavi, a senior Islamic Revolution Mojahedin Organization member, was held in a private court, despite his request otherwise. During the meeting he rejected all charges.

--Radio Farda: Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, Shiite grand ayatollah, urged the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic to hold the court of the attackers of the university dormitories and the defenders of the Kahrizak prison disaster. He said the lack of fast action in this case will lead to people's distrust of the judicial system.

--Norouz: Mohsen Armin, Islamic Revolution Mojahedin Organization spokesman said:" Conservative flow no longer has the support of the high level clergy and grand ayatollahs, and the Religious singers have replaced the grand ayatollahs in this current." He called the green movement a generator for the reform movement, and said "the green movement is the mass instantiation of the reform movement. The reform movement, despite its vast coverage, had only been performed by political elites and activists before."

--Taghir: Seyed Mohammad Khatami paid a visit to Mehdi Karroubi's home to give his comforts with regard to the events which occurred for Karrubi in 13th of Aban.

--Parlemannews: Family of "Saeed Abbasi" who had lost his life in the events after the election told the "Hayat-e No" newspaper to write about the offending to their young son's tomb, and to protest to this action, showed the newspaper the pictures of before and after breaking of the tomb stone. Previously, similar news was published about damaging the grave stone of Neda Agha-Soltan.

--BBC News: Oxford University in Britain established a scholarship called Neda Agha-Soltan, one of the victims of the events in Iran's presidential elections. Queens College, Oxford University, in the news published in their website has announced that from the gifts of two knowledge loving people they have created the Neda Agha-Soltan scholarship, to be given to the philosophy Master students of this college.

--BBC: Nine cinema communities, in an open letter to the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran, protested to the travel ban to three Iranian filmmakers and asked for the follow up and resolving of their issue. Jafar Panahi, Fatemeh Motamed-Aria, and Mojtaba MirTahmasb are three filmmakers who were banned from traveling outside the country at the Iranian border at the airport.

--Blog of the Mourning Mothers: Last Saturday, police and plain clothes figures prevented mothers' gathering in Laleh park, and urged them to move out of the park and disperse.

University News:

--Bamdaad News: Following arrest of two students of Electrical and Computer engineering department in Khaje-Nasir University of Technology, on Saturday and Sunday, students of the University went on an unprecedented hunger strike in front of the campus self-service, and gave slogans of "Allhakbr". After student protests in the presence of Saffar-Harandi, secutiry forces attacked Soheil Mohammadi and Ali Parviz's homes and illegally transferred them to an unknown location. A short film of the stike will be sent in the email.

--BBC News: Again with the presence of former Culture Minister of Ahmadinejad's government, Hossein Saffar Harandi, in the University of Guilan, students attended his speech with protesting slogans. On Sunday in the Hekmat attrium in Gilan University Harrandi had an speech, which was met with chants of "Our shame, our shame, our Minister of Culture" and "poor dictator, the movement will go on."  A video of this event is attached to the email.

News of Arrested, and Deceased: 

--BBC News: Hadi Heidari(cartoonist), Ebrahim Shirkavand, Mohammad-Amin Shirzad, Mohammad-Javad Mozaffari and Maysam Vare who had been arrested weeks ago during the Komail prayer gathering were released.

Recommendations and Warnings:

Mohsen Sazgara mentioned in his talks on Sunday and Monday:

--He referred to the interference of Police in the mourning mothers' gathering in Laleh park, and said that people's accompanying them and the families of the prisoners are both necessary and positive.

-He referred to the strike of the workers of Communication company of Doorshir, and said that we should support them.

--About the revelation and identification of the Coup thugs, he said it is very important, and that in work and at neighborhoods these people should be rejected so that they stop supporting the coup government, and said that in return, as soon as they return from their path they should be accepted and forgiven. (He said contacting their homes would be a good way to pressure them.)

--He mentioned the rare violence of the government in 13th of Abaan in Shiraz University, and said for future actions, we should think of solutions to protect green movement members from harm.

--About the future of the green movement, he emphasized that there should be growth in three levels: Geographical, social, and quality(organization and information). He said these growth dimensions are essential for the maturity of the movement.

--About 16th of Azar (7th of December) he said this action would be most prominent in Universities, and that we should spread the action to high schools and schools, and contact teachers as well.

--He said finalization of contract of Revolutionary guards in buying the communication company is close, and said that after this, large scale sanctions of the communication company should be planed.

--About reaction to Coup he emphasized on three principles: removing their legitimacy, Weakening them, and creating division and paralyzing them, and said Revolutionary guards is the right target for these three acts because it has a central role in the Coup.

-- He said the presence of green movement in Tasousa and Ashoura religious ceremonies and how much that leads to finalization of the green movement, depends on how much we are able to weaken the Revolutionary guards' and its greed of controlling all resources.

Posted by مرکز اطلاع رسانی دانشجویی‌ at 9:57 AM 0 comments  

Posted by مرکز اطلاع رسانی دانشجویی‌ at 9:56 AM 0 comments