... for fark's sake we are past torture and killing protesters, now we're already at the stage of kangaroo courts and executions.

Tatsuma: yes yes, typo, preview before submitting and all that i know

lol, wordpad

Why has no one given A-jad an acute case of lead poisoning yet?

Shiat.

Occam's Chainsaw: Why has no one given A-jad an acute case of lead poisoning yet?

I think the solution is a Mussolini extra-strength, frankly.

No one could have seen this coming.

BooBoo23: No one could have seen this coming.

It's not unexpected....but it's saddening regardless.

Occam's Chainsaw: Why has no one given A-jad an acute case of lead poisoning yet?

i still wish, in that video where he gets confronted by the mob, that someone had hit him with a molotov cocktail.

The more you tighten your grip, Khamenei..

Nice to see they have due process and whatnot there too. Can they drop that whole "republic" schtick, i think they've given up that facade now.


any word from PK?

somedude210: Nice to see they have due process and whatnot there too. Can they drop that whole "republic" schtick, i think they've given up that facade now.


any word from PK?

Seriously. Every time they announce him from here on out, they need to say, "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of the Islamic Dictatorship of Iran."

I'm starting to think this is on the road to either a civil war, or a massive purging of dissidents, including clerics. I honestly don't know if banning green and breaking windows of people yelling "Allahu Akbar" is going to get the religious conservatives against the regime as well.

30th of June

- The Intelligence Minister has declared that some arrested will not be released. The protesters arrested were divided in three groups:
▪ Those who participated and had a hand in the decision-making process regarding the unrest. They will remain under custody until a decision is made as to their fate, and whether they could receive the death penalty.
▪ The anti-revolutionary demonstrators who took advantage of the situation. They will not be freed.
▪ Those who were influenced by the atmosphere. They will be released, if they have not yet been released.
In reaction to the arrest of the British embassy members, the majority of the European Union's members will recall their ambassadors as early as this weekend.

- The Jerusalem Post reports that at least 6 Mousavi supporters who had been arrested by security forces were hanged, and that others are being tried and risk the same fate. The Revolutionary Guard has announced the creation of a new unit, specialized in fighting organized crimes on the internet, including espionage, social corruption, and anti-Government subversive activities, as reported by the IRNA.

- The Keyhan newspaper, one of the most influential newspapers in Iran and controlled by a representative of Khamenei, has blamed Israel for the twitter posts describing the protests. According to them, Israel planted 18,000 messages right before the election in order to foment unrest. Press TV quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that recent comments from Obama showed that the US was forced to take position against the election results due to Zionist pressure. As they have done for the last two weeks, Iranian State Media claimed that some of the vandalism perpetrated by Basijis were in fact the result of violent actions from pro-Mousavi protesters, showing confessions on State television.

- Former President Khatami, who was replaced by current President Ahmadinejad in 2005, called for the creation of an impartial panel in order to address election problems. Former Conservative candidate, on the other hand, indicated that he believed the public recount highlighted the validity of the tampering claims, as most ballots appeared to have the same handwriting and using all the same pen.

- Mousavi will never be able to run again, as Ayatollah Yazdi declared that the Guardian Council will never again approve of his candidacy for any future election. Another cleric, Ayatollah Taheri-Esfahani, has come out in support of Mousavi.

- Ahmadinejad celebrated his victory again today and declared that his re-election as a victory for the Iranian people and a defeat for the Islamic Republic's enemies. According to Ahmadinejad, the following countries have recognized him: India, Tunisia, Malaysia, Lebanon, North Korea, Kuwait, Nicaragua, Comoros, Cambodia, , Senegal, Cuba, Belarus, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Algeria, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Bahrain, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Russia, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Tajikistan, Armenia, Oman, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and Venezuela

- The commander of the Basij forces declared that polls showed 85% of Iranians trust the Iranian election process and that the remaining 15% would be convinced as well now that the Guardian Council declared they were legitimate.

Killing your best and brightest is not good for the long-term prospects of a country.

/look at the French

The article is kind of vague about its sources, but I wouldn't put this kind of barbarism past those shiatheads.

This is a terrible thing for the people, but, in the long run, good news for the revolution as a whole.

Khameni has made serious missteps in this by not maintaining his public neutrality. A-jad has made the huge mistake of endorsing the brutality and in so blatantly rigging the election.

Each new act of brutality and repression further calls into question the legitimacy of not just the leaders but the system and the regime as a whole.

K and A still don't seem to realize that they have crossed the line, that they can never recover from their blunders. It may take months or even years, but they are doomed and so is the whole Islamic system of government in Iran.

I still find it hard to understand how they could have made so many idiotic moves...everything they do or say simply adds new recruits to the protesters and their cause.

idiomagic: I still find it hard to understand how they could have made so many idiotic moves...everything they do or say simply adds new recruits to the protesters and their cause.

Hubris. A bottomless supply of hubris. And in Khameini's case, he might've actually started believing his own rhetoric.

It took a couple years for protests to bring the Shah down. For much of that time, it seemed like the only question was how many people would die in the streets, in the secret prisons, and on the nightly news.

At first, people were no doubt scared off by the repression and the disappearances. Eventually, they began to really understand why prior revolutionaries always say, "It's better to die standing up than live on your knees."

It'll be harder to take the new dictators down because the guys in charge are the ones who lived that before. The new Shahs know their safety is in their unity. But they might as well haul out the Peacock Throne and glue a Koran to it, for all the differences between themselves and the Pahlavis now.

idiomagic: It may take months or even years, but they are doomed and so is the whole Islamic system of government in Iran.

Tatsuma: 30th of June

Thanks for the update. Also, for some companion reading, Green Brief #14 (30 June) ^{(^)} is also up.

somedude210: any word from PK?

No, not yet. Just the semi-but-not-completely confirmed reports that PK is not under arrest, but merely offline and unable to get back online.

"In the end, it matters not the words of our enemies but rather the silence of our friends" (MLK paraphrased - I think)

/I believe another strongly worded denunciation and glowering stare should do the trick!!

I remember a week ago I lamented that how, in one week, the whole Iran thing will be essentially over. I said the only changes to Iran will be a couple thousand extra people filling the prisons. Everyone called me a troll.

I have to admit that I was wrong. The revolution was over even earlier.

Although I didn't want this to happen. I wanted to see those wife-beating, camel c**k-sucking mullahs get hung upside down and gutted alive. But I'm a pessimist. Unarmed protesters/dissidents are usually no match for the bottomless intimidation that can be doled out by an armed oppressive regime. It doesn't matter who the "good guys" are. The bad guys with guns usually win.

Its too bad people in the US don't protest like this against the oppression here. Tens of thousands of innocent people are in our OWN prisons, because of nonsensical "forensic" evidence and prosecutors who just want another conviction under their belt to put on their resumes.

Also, a lot of these "arsons" you read about in the paper are actually accidental fires. The insurance companies hate paying out their policy, so they hire high-school dropout fire inspectors to say that EVERYTHING is arson. This sends innocent people to jail for crimes that DIDN'T EVEN HAPPEN. Some people in the US have even been executed for deadly "arsons" that turned out to be accidental fires.

We're not that much better than Iran when you think about it.

\end drunk rant

yogaFLAME: The more you tighten your grip, Khamenei..

...the more people he kills?

BooBoo23: No one could have seen this coming.

I hope that's sarcasm.

Iran is run by sociopathic idiots these days, it would seem.
Everything they are doing is almost guaranteed to create the unrest and dissent they are so fearful of.

I'm wondering if, after we GTFO of Iraq, one of the many groups therein will take it upon themselves (read: will be paid by the Saudis) to arm their downtrodden Persian neigbors?

All the protesters? Florida had months of criticism just for a few cases of hanging Chad.

I don't know what is worse, the fact that due to decades of mangled foreign policy we are completely unable to provide any meaningful aid, or that we as a nation are perfectly content to watch another Iran slowly tear itself apart. I guess the only consolation is that if we don't act in this situation whatever comes out in the end won't be tainted by western interests.

Well, if this was how they were going to play it, then at least it removes all doubt about AJ's legitimacy, or the true nature of Khameni's rule.

I wonder what the Iranian people are going to do about it now? Non-violence only really works when they're embarrassed to kill unarmed people in full view.

In the BBC podcast that I heard today brought up a few interesting points from a journalist who left yesterday when his Visa expired.

1)As of right now, the political power base is now split. The Supreme leader, who was supposed to be impartial, is now seen as a a lackey of the conservatives in Iran

2)There is an anger among the people that this election was stolen. Before there was a belief that the elections meant something.

3) The Republican Guard is actually gaining more power. Apparently they receive many of the government contracts-so they are deeply entrenched into the economy of Iran. So they are very much interested in keeping the status quo operating.

While I agreed with Obama on how he handled this (In reality there is not much we can do about this since we have no formal relations.) I wonder what his approach will be to this sham government.

Eye for an eye, noose for a noose, Khamenei.

I'm pessimistic in the short-term that the revolt can or will continue, but on the bright side I think the Islamic gov't of Iran is planting the seeds of it's own demise.

Occam's Chainsaw: Seriously. Every time they announce him from here on out, they need to say, "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of the Islamic Dictatorship of Iran."

I like this, except that I think we should use wejash's term, "the new Shah."

This shiat just keeps getting worse and worse.
my attention span is farked.

Iranians are killing each other. Is that really a problem?

We're not that much better than Iran when you think about it.



WILL NO ONE STOP OUR MORALLY EQUIVOCAL ARSON CHARGES???!!!!?!?!

If we weren't terribly indebted to China, we might able to diplomatically ask them to apply pressure onto Iran. At this stage, I would liken us to a compulsive gambler asking his bookie to twist a jockey's arm. Although, I hear Ahmadinejad is not tall enough to be a jockey, so my analogy may not work.

dudemanbro: I'm pessimistic in the short-term that the revolt can or will continue, but on the bright side I think the Islamic gov't of Iran is planting the seeds of it's own demise.

I've kind of been thinking about how there has been student unrest every few years, and how each wave has been bigger than the last. More importantly, the youth overwhelmingly support the opposition, and the regime supporters aren't getting any younger. Those who are for reform will continue to grow in numbers and those who are against it will continue to die off.

Is it too much to say that reform is inevitable?

/If this is just another "wave," adding in a little "you bastards executed my brother just for opposing you" to the next wave and it'll be unstoppable

yogaFLAME: The more you tighten your grip, Khamenei..

The more star systems will slip through your fingers?

only hung 6 people? that's not so bad. maybe this dinnerjacket guy isnt so bad after all.

ossaFK: I remember a week ago I lamented that how, in one week, the whole Iran thing will be essentially over. I said the only changes to Iran will be a couple thousand extra people filling the prisons. Everyone called me a troll.

I have to admit that I was wrong. The revolution was over even earlier.

Although I didn't want this to happen. I wanted to see those wife-beating, camel c**k-sucking mullahs get hung upside down and gutted alive. But I'm a pessimist. Unarmed protesters/dissidents are usually no match for the bottomless intimidation that can be doled out by an armed oppressive regime. It doesn't matter who the "good guys" are. The bad guys with guns usually win.

Its too bad people in the US don't protest like this against the oppression here. Tens of thousands of innocent people are in our OWN prisons, because of nonsensical "forensic" evidence and prosecutors who just want another conviction under their belt to put on their resumes.

Also, a lot of these "arsons" you read about in the paper are actually accidental fires. The insurance companies hate paying out their policy, so they hire high-school dropout fire inspectors to say that EVERYTHING is arson. This sends innocent people to jail for crimes that DIDN'T EVEN HAPPEN. Some people in the US have even been executed for deadly "arsons" that turned out to be accidental fires.

We're not that much better than Iran when you think about it.

\end drunk rant

Whoopty Whoo? Is that you?

screechingbitermonkey: Everything they are doing is almost guaranteed to create the unrest and dissent they are so fearful of.

I hope you're right, but I'm afraid that you are not. The regime appears willing to kill whatever number of its own citizens that is required in order to maintain its power. Remember these are the same lunatics who sent unarmed child "soldiers" to clear minefields during the Iran/Iraq War. To them, life is cheap, and the life of an enemy cheaper still. Removing such a regime through peaceful means is a dubious prospect at best.

Toppling the regime is going to require a significant armed faction (such as the army) to very publicly throw in with Moussavi and fight a civil war. And do it soon, or the people who need their help will all be dead.

Tatsuma: 30th of June

- The Intelligence Minister has declared that some arrested will not be released. The protesters arrested were divided in three groups:
▪ Those who participated and had a hand in the decision-making process regarding the unrest. They will remain under custody until a decision is made as to their fate, and whether they could receive the death penalty.
▪ The anti-revolutionary demonstrators who took advantage of the situation. They will not be freed.
▪ Those who were influenced by the atmosphere. They will be released, if they have not yet been released.
In reaction to the arrest of the British embassy members, the majority of the European Union's members will recall their ambassadors as early as this weekend.

I'm willing to bet that by 'three groups' they actually mean one, and will hang almost everyone.

CayceP: I'm willing to bet that by 'three groups' they actually mean one, and will hang almost everyone.

they let at least one of the tweeters out, so there is some hope.

Vangor: If we weren't terribly indebted to China, we might able to diplomatically ask them to apply pressure onto Iran.

Why would they? Given their public offering of congratulations to Ahmadinejad on his re-election, they probably see the situation as the people rising up against a legitimate government, and I don't think they want to encourage that.

Cybernetic: Removing such a regime through peaceful means is a dubious prospect at best.


Shush. The American Messiah will simply miracle the Iranian government away, just as Obaba's wishful thinking has resulted to the immediate end to Iranian aspirations to be a nuclear power.

"Change we can believe in" = "Surrender to our enemies".

/Yes we did
//WTF were we thinking???

cloud_van_dame: CayceP: I'm willing to bet that by 'three groups' they actually mean one, and will hang almost everyone.

they let at least one of the tweeters out, so there is some hope.

Really? That's good to know. I wish we could do anything about this at all, as stupid as that sounds.

CayceP: I'm willing to bet that by 'three groups' they actually mean one, and will hang almost everyone.

Damned if the government needs groups. Certainly crushing dissent by killing those dissenting is important, but merely locate people who are not expressly loyal and imprison, try, and execute them. The effect will be more drastic as none will feel safe and time-wasting actions such as investigation are utterly unnecessary.

I searched the internet, but I can't find directions on how to become a secret Muslim.