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Violence in Khouzestan continues: spreads to other cities
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irani



Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 172

PostPosted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 2:43 pm    Post subject: Violence in Khouzestan continues: spreads to other cities Reply with quote

Wave of violence spreads to other Khoozetan cities

SMCCDI (Information Service)
April 20, 2005

Violent clashes continued, yesterday and this evening, in
several southern Iranian cities, such as, Ahwaz,
Khoramshahr, Mahshar. This wave of unprecedented unrest
which has started from Ahwaz, since last Friday, has spread
to other cities of the oil rich Khoozestan province, such
as, Dezful and Masjed Soleiman.

Sporadic demonstrations are still taking place despite the
heavy security presence and injunctions to end the riots.
Slogans against the Islamic regime and its leadership are
the main motto of these actions.

New reports are stating about the increase of number of
deaths among the demonstrators but also security forces.
Two militiamen were killed in an armed attack against a
security post yesterday evening in Ahwaz.

Houses of some of the regime officials or their relatives
have been set ablaze by some armed demonstrators resulting
in several deaths.

Acts of sabotage are increasing against Petroleum
industry's infrastructures, such as, pipe lines or symbols
of authority of the Islamic regime, such as, governmental
buildings, security posts and banks.

The riots started following the rumor that the Islamic
regime is intending to diminish the social impact of
residents of Arab origin who are living in the area.
Sources are confirming that the rumor was spread by the
Islamic regime's intelligence in order to fuel racism and
to create a general situation making fear to Iranians on
possibility of a split of the country in case of the
overthrown of the Islamic State.

The regime's leadership is hoping to create a situation
rallying Iranians behind the candidacy of Hashemi
Rafsanjani in the upcoming Presidential elections.

Few separatists have tried to transform the rallies in
their favor but their calls have been ignored by most
demonstrators as Iranian Arabs believe strongly in the
territorial integrity of Iran. Most of them fought Saddam
forces and their local mercenaries during the Iraqi
invasion of 1980-82. They do remember the separatists' dark
and blooded records and the so-called "Al-Ahwaz" group's
activities during the occupation of Khoozestan.

Rapes and murders of hundreds of young Iranian Arab females
and the looting of the cities were made by members of this
group who helped Saddam's forces.

----------------------------------

This report is for SMCCDI's mailing list members only; As
the http://www.daneshjoo.org website has been shut down
since last Friday due to Movement's desperate need of
financial help.

The SMCCDI's web site gets 45,000 to 65,000 visits each day
with picks of 183,000 hits on key dates such as July 9th
(anniversary of Students' Uprising of 1999). It's a main
tool helping to keep the world informed on the plight of
Iranian Nation.

An Urgent Call for Help has been issued requesting for
donations of any amount that can be made online via
http://www.paypal.com

Paypal is a certified online banking 1/3 party, that keeps
your Credit Card or any of your banking references hidden
from us and is just forwarding your gracious help minus a
reasonable transaction fee deducted from your donation.

For those interested to help:
1- Please to go to the secure Paypal website and open a
free account that can be also useful for many other
purposes of your daily life.
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2- You can send the amount of your donation by charging
your Credit Card via Paypal for our e-mail address:
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irani



Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 172

PostPosted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 2:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yesterday SMCCDI reported (http://activistchat.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5585)

Acts of sabotage are taking place and a cargo train was
derailed, today, in the Ahwaz-Khoramshahr railroad.












Please don't forget to Help SMCCDI, See more;
http://activistchat.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5629
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Rasker



Joined: 03 Feb 2005
Posts: 1455
Location: USA

PostPosted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 4:13 am    Post subject: Iranian Regime More Isolated At Home After Khouzestan Riots Reply with quote

Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Iranian Regime More Isolated At Home After Khouzestan Riots
http://www.regimechangeiran.com/
Iran Press Service:
Unrests continued unabated in the oil rich Iranian province of Khouzestan, with local and international sources putting the death toll at about 30 people, including seven revolutionary guards and security men in plain clothes and the number of injured at five hundreds.

Though the authorities insist that they have the full control of the situation and calm had been restored, but an Interior Ministry’s spokesman confirmed on Monday some media’s reports that at least 2 more people had died on Sunday in clashes with security forces in the port of Mahshahr, increasing the number of dead at five people, according to official accounts. READ MORE

According to the government, troubles in this south-western region of Iran situated on the borders with Iraq started last week after the distribution of a letter, attributed to Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Ali Abtahi, the former Vice-president for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs calling for a “total persianisation” of the Province that is dominated by Iranians of Arab ethnic speaking an Arabic dialect of their own.

As a result, people turned their wrath on government, attacked banks, public buildings and properties, set fire on buses and burned tires in the streets of major cities and localities.

In the alleged letter, dated mid 1999 and addressed to Mr. Mohammad Ali Najafi, the then Head of Iran’s Budget and Planning Organisation, the mild, moderate and smiling Abtahi proposes, among other measures aimed at changing the population balance of the region, to transfer the Arabs to other areas of the country and changing into Persian the names of localities bearing Arabic names etc..

But a spokesman for the London-based Democratic Popular Front of Ahvazi Arabs had told the “Aljazira” Television of the Persian Gulf Emirate of Qatar that security forces had opened fire on the people participating at a peaceful demonstration called by the Front to protest “80 years of Iranian occupation” of the Province”.

The statement provoked the anger of the Iranian government that immediately ordered the “temporary” closure of the Television’s offices in Tehran.

“If it is proved that Al Jazira has committed a crime, it would be banned permanently and prosecuted”, the official Iranian news agency IRNA had quoted Mr. Mohammad Hoseyn Khoshvaqt, the General Director of the Islamic Culture and Guidance Ministry as having warned.

For his part, Hojjatoleslam Ali Younesi, the Information (Intelligence) Minister blamed the violence on “foreign-based groups and televisions seeking to destabilize the Islamic Republic”, hinting, like several conservative lawmakers, indirectly at “Al Jazira”, the first media to report the clashes.

But as the Interior Minister, Hojjatoleslam Abdolvahed Mousavi-Lari described the bloody incidents in Khouzestan as “a plot that has its roots outside the country”, Dr. Mohammad Reza Khatami, the younger brother of the outgoing President and leader of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the reformist’s main stream political formation accused the ruling conservatives for the dissemination of the faked letter in order to damage the chances of Mr. Mostafa Mo’in, the reformist’s leading candidate for the coming presidential elections due next June.

Whatever the reasons, political analysts and experts says the recent disturbances have their origins in both the antagonism of all Iranian religious and ethnic minorities with the fascistic and apartheid nature of the Shi’a-based Islamic Republic in the one hand and the growing unpopularity of the regime with the quasi majority of the Iranians on the other.

Iran is encircled by ethnic minorities like the Azeris on the Northwest, sharing borders with Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan; the Kurds and the Arabs on the West, bordering with Iraq, the Balouchs on the frontiers with Pakistan and Afghanistan and finally the Turkmen, a tiny ethnic on the borders with Turkmenistan.

With the notable exception of Azeris and some Arabs, all other ethnics are Sunnis Muslims considering the Shi’a as heretics.

For their part, the Shi’as loath the Sunnis. Until some three decades ago, the birthday of Omar, Muslims first Caliph, was the occasion in most households in Iran for Sunni-bashing that included the burning of effigies of Omar and chanting anti Omar songs.

However, the Iranian Sunnis form a minority that has the worst of the situations since as Muslims, they can not be considered as a minority but at the same time they do not enjoys the same rights as the Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians, which are officially recognized by the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, allowing them one representative at the Majles, the Iranian Parliament.

Contrary to claims, by both Iranian officials and some spokesmen of the ethnics, most of them self-appointed and acting as agent provocateurs for foreign powers, the demands are mostly cultural and social than separation. Even the Iranian Kurds that for decades fought for a Kurdish State have abandoned the idea longtime ago.

“What they (the ethnic minorities) want is the legitimate rights to teaching, write and read in their native languages, open cultural, social and religious activities, a greater share in running the economy of the regions they are in domination etc..”, experts observed.

But every time the minorities voices their criticism against the regime one way or the another, they are dealt harshly by the regime’s thugs, as seen recently in Iranian Kurdish areas where security forces attacked the population that was manifesting peacefully its joy over the election of Mr. Jalal Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of (Iraqi) Kurdistan as the first ever Iraqi President of Kurdish extract.

That might explain why more than 150 lawmakers have demanded the government to launch an immediate investigation over the troubles in Khouzestan, order Law Enforcement and security forces to better harness their members during popular manifestations and release all “innocent detainees”.

At the same time, some Iranian journalists and intellectuals have called on the authorities to review the closure of Al Jazira’s office, as also demanded by the Television that “regretted” the decision and confirmed that it would continue with its policy of reporting “based on diversity of opinions and coverage of Iranian affaires”, denying Mr. Younesis’ allegations that the “trouble makers were linked to outside-based groups and television stations”.

In the early months after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the region was the theatre of violent clashes between Iranian forces and fighters of the so-called Front for the Liberation of Arabistan, a group backed by Iraq seeking the separation of Khouzestan from mainland Iran.

Commanded by Admiral Ahmad Madani, the Governor of the Province, the fighting lasted several days before the heavily armed Arabs, some of them Iraqi soldiers, were defeated and calm restored.

But 26 latter and despite the toppling of Saddam Hussein and his Ba’thist regime by the Americans and despite the election of a pro-Iranian Kurd to the presidency of Iraq and a Parliament and Government controlled by the Shi’ites in Baghdad, Iran and Iraq continue to accuse each other for intervening in their mutual interior affaires, as seen by recent declaration from eleven Iraqi political parties and groups denouncing Iran of being behind insurgent and terrorist groups in Iraq.

As expected, the United States charged the Islamic Republic with suppressing violently” Arab and other minorities and called on Tehran to exercise “more restraint in dealing with them”, according to Adam Ereli, a spokesman for the State Department.

However, as unrests continued unabatted by Wednesday in Ahvaz, Mahshahr, Khorramshahr, Abadan and other localities, leaving scores of injuries in clashes with the security forces trying to open roads and railways that had been blocked by demonstrators, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, the Defence Minister, in a visit to the region on Wednesday 20 April, warned against the utilization of the incidents by foreigners accusing the Islamic Republic of ignoring the rights of its people, particularly the minorities.

“The Arabs of Iran are Iranian above all and have demonstrated their fidelity to the Islamic Republic and its leadership and they had been on the forefront of the Islamic Revolution and during the holly War (against Iraq)”, he observed, assuring that Iranian authorities have no intention of changing the ethnic balance of the province in favour of non-Arab Iranians.

posted by DoctorZin @ 11:10 PM
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Pantea



Joined: 30 Apr 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Few separatists have tried to transform the rallies in
their favor but their calls have been ignored by most
demonstrators as Iranian Arabs believe strongly in the
territorial integrity of Iran. Most of them fought Saddam
forces and their local mercenaries during the Iraqi
invasion of 1980-82. They do remember the separatists' dark
and blooded records and the so-called "Al-Ahwaz" group's
activities during the occupation of Khoozestan.


there are many people calling dissident tv stations, telling them what's going on in Khoozestan. It may have started with the Arabs but other people have joined them.
Everyone calling starts with: I'm not an Arab!!

It's a POPULAR uprising now.

Drood bar hamvatanane Dalire Khoozestani
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Rasker



Joined: 03 Feb 2005
Posts: 1455
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 7:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks much for the timely info, Pantea!!

When the Ceaucescu regime collapsed in Romania, it all started unraveling with demonstrations among German minorities in a backwater town called Timosoara. Perhaps our Khuzestani friends have called the Liberation a bit ahead of schedule!!

New Regime BEFORE Elections!! Six Hours to Liberation!!
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Pantea



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PostPosted: Fri Apr 22, 2005 3:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

according to Iran press news the demonstrations are spreding towards other provinces such as Chahar mahal Bakhtiari (see map):



ادامه تظاهرات و درگیری در شهر اهواز
عليرغم کلیه اقدامات سرکوبگرانه رژیم اسلامی برای آرام کردن اوضاع در شهر اهواز بنا بر گزارش های دريافتی تظاهرات ضد حكومتی در برخی نقاط این شهر همچنان ادامه دارد. دامنه تظاهرات ضدحکومتی از استان خوزستان به برخی نقاط دیگر نيز كشيده شده است. کارگزاران رژيم اسلامی روز گذشته اعتراف كردند چند شهر استان چهارمحال بختياری نيز نا آرام است.

بنا بر پاره ای گزارشها شب گذشته درگیری در شهر اهواز ادامه داشت و بويژه مناطق ملاشيه و كوت عبدالله صحنه زد و خورد گسترده ميان مردم با ماموران حکومتی بود. رژیم در اهواز یک حکومت نظامی اعلام نشده برقرار کرده و نیروهای گارد ویژه ضدشورش در تمام نقاط این شهر مستقر هستند.

گزارشها حاکیست صدای تيراندازی شب گذشته تا بامداد امروز بی وقفه در اكثر نقاط شهر اهواز شنيده می شد. در حاليكه بسياری از خانواده ها در سوگ کشته شدن فرزندان خود به دست ماموران رژيم اسلامی نشسته اند , راديو تلويزيون محلی استان خوزستان به پخش ترانه های شاد به بهانه آنچه " جشن های هفته وحدت و تولد پيامبر اسلام" ناميده می شود , پرداخته است.

همچنين اين رسانه های محلی در برنامه های خود به کشته شدگان تظاهرات اخیر که آنها را " تفرقه افكنان جامعه اسلامی و عاملان بيگانه كه در شيطنت های اخير دست داشته ولی به دست سربازان گمنام امام زمان تار و مار شدند " می نامند , دشنام می دهند و آنها را " ابو لهبان زمانه " خطاب می کنند.

بر اساس گزارشهای دريافتی ، دامنه تظاهرات ضدحکومتی از استان خوزستان به ساير استان های كشور نيز كشيده شده است. کارگزاران رژيم اسلامی روز گذشته اعتراف كردند برخی از شهرهای استان چهار محال بختياری نيز نا آرام است.

گزارشهای رسیده حاکیست چهارشنبه شب در شهركرد، مركز استان چهار محال بختياری ، پس از آنكه يک ميتينگ انتخاباتی توسط مردم معترض برهم زده شد تظاهرات ضد حكومتی گسترده ای در اين شهر شكل گرفت كه تا پاسی از شب ادامه داشت اما تظاهركنندگان با يورش چماقداران رژيم پراكنده شدند.

آخوند دری نجف آبادی ، دادستان کل جنایتکار رژیم روز گذشته در يک نشست خبری ضمن اعتراف به ناآرامی در استان چهار محال و بختياری ، مطبوعات حكومتی را از انعكاس اخبار مربوط به آن منع كرد و گفت "جريانات صورت گرفته در چهار محال بختياری آنقدر مهم نيست كه تيتر روزنامه ها شود . افراد و مسيولين نبايد به برخی از مسايل دامن بزنند بلكه بايد هشيار باشند."

آخوند دری نجف آبادی برای توجیه سرکوب وحشیانه مردم بی دفاع خوزستان ادعا کرد " از قبل مشخص بود با وفور ورود اسلحه از مرزهای تركيه و عراق دست هايی در پی ايجاد فتنه هستند." همین آخوند جنایتکار چندی پیش در رد برخی گزارشها مبنی بر تردد عوامل القاعده از طریق مرزهای ایران ادعا کرده بود " مرزهای ایران چنان حفاظت می شود که حتی مگس هم نمی تواند از آن عبور کند."

دادستان جنایتکار رژیم اسلامی در بخش ديگری از سخن پراكنی خود ضمن اعتراف به دروغگويی و سهل انگاری مسئولين حكومتی استان خوزستان در رسيدگی به وضع مردم و نفرت و انزجار عمومی از حکومت ننگین آخوندی در اين منطقه گفت " مسئولان منطقه بايد با صداقت ، تلاش و فداكاری بيشتر خدمتگزار مردم باشند تا مردم نسبت به آنها دلگرمی بيشتری پيدا كنند."

وی سپس در توجيه سانسور خبری حوادث و نا آراميهای اخير استان خوزستان توسط راديو تلويزيون حكومتی و ضمن اعتراف به امکان گسترش حرکتهای اعتراضی به تمام نقاط ایران گفت " اميدواريم با توجیه افكار عمومی از طريق رسانه ها زمينه خنثی شدن اين توطئه ها در سراسر كشور فراهم شود."

او همچنین مردم استان خوزستان را كه در طول چند روز گذشته بارها شعار مرگ بر جمهوری اسلامی سر داده بودند , "وفادارترين اقشار جامعه به نظام " دانست.
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irani



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PostPosted: Fri Apr 22, 2005 12:29 pm    Post subject: Islamic regime blocks internet access in Khouzestan Reply with quote

Islamic regime blocks internet access in Khouzestan¨

Iran Press News: According to the regime's news agency, MEHR, internet access was blocked as of 5 PM starting on Wednesday, April 20th. This block will be kept in place until the news hour, 3 PM on Friday, April 22nd.

This news agency mentions in it's short report that: "It should be stated that the our enemies have used the internet to encourage the latest sedition in the Khouzestan; as a result, access to the internet is being temporarily denied."

At the same time, after many hours delay, the regime lastnight aired an edited clip claiming to be scenes from yesterday's demonstrations in the city of Ahvaz which contained old footage from demonstrations of previous years.

Note from the editor:

Demonstrations from previous years were by no means quite as heated and explosive. The regime is attempting to manipulate Iranians in other parts of Iran in order for the rebellion not to spread. They have now put martial law in place and they are doing everything they can to contain this week long action by the people.
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asher



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PostPosted: Fri Apr 22, 2005 2:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Irani, that's unfortunate. Thanks for the update.

Pantea (or anyone), any chance we could get an English translation of that last Persian item?
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Rasker



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PostPosted: Fri Apr 22, 2005 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hopefully some people in the blacked out area have internet access through those satellite dishes. I know Direct TV offers that here in the Western Hemisphere (as an add-on to satellie tv), I don't know who offers in the Eastern. It's not as fast as broadband of course, but it beats nothing at all.

I would think that with satellite access people would be able to access sites that the regime blocks on landline isps, as well.
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irani



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PostPosted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 6:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Iran's southern Khouzestan province sliding into Chaos.

http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20050422-040921-5999r.htm

Washington, DC, Apr. 22 (UPI) -- Ethnic tension in the northern Persian Gulf is not limited to Iraq; Iran's southern Khuzestan province is sliding into chaos.

Friday marked another day of fierce fighting between people and government forces. Several days ago severe clashes left dozens dead and hundreds wounded or arrested.

The latest incidents erupted between Iran's State Security Forces and local residents in several districts of Ahwaz, including Kut Abdullah, Kian and Khashayar.

Ahwaz, near to the Iraqi border, has a largely Arab population that has faced harsh repression under clerical rule.

On Friday, anti-government protests again erupted in Ahwaz after SSF units were dispatched to quiet 3,000 residents demonstrating over government plans to redefine the ethnic makeup of the province. The demonstrators looted several government buildings, police stations and set fire to the Agriculture Bank. After the SSF opened up with weapons on the demonstrators at least 300 people were reported injured.

This was the sixth consecutive day of unrest in Ahwaz despite the heavy presence of various security forces, Revolutionary Guards, and officials of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, who have been arresting anyone suspected of starting demonstrations. Ahwaz was placed under a de facto martial law after demonstrators killed a number of SSF agents.

When Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani, known locally as the "Butcher of Ahwaz" for his role in the bloody suppression of anti-government disturbances in the city in 1979, tried to enter an Ahwaz's Dayereh neighborhood with a large contingent of bodyguards, youths attacked them with stones, forcing Shamkhani and his entourage to flee. Unrest has spread to other cities of the province.

-------

SSF= the SS of Iran
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Liberator



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PostPosted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 12:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

KRSI:


Anti-regime demonstrations are continously taking place in AHVAZ and are spreading to other cities fastly. Deaths amongst the oppressive security forces of the Islamic Regime are continously reported and more and more people are taking to the streets chanting DEATH TO THE REGIMES LEADERS! Mollah's are being attacked and booed by Iranians in cities that have revolted against the Islamic Regime!


*****************************************


People need to IDENTIFY the terrorists working for this regime so that they can be hunted down! All these "plainchotes-men"/basij/pasdar etc have to be IDENTIFIED so that they can be tracked down.

MAIN TARGETS OF THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE:

- BAAZAR of TEHRAN and of other cities
- RADIO/TELEVISION of the Islamic Regime
- Government Buildings of the Islamic Regime
- OIL/GAS INSTALLATIONS
- Police Stations and Prisons
- SABOTAGE!




MAY GOD BE WITH THE PEOPLE OF IRAN IN THESE HISTORICAL TIMES!!!



Ba Sepaas
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Liberator



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PostPosted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Iran executes teenage demonstrators in Ahwaz – reports Sat. 23 Apr 2005
Iran Focus


http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/arti...hp?storyid=1925




Ahwaz, Apr. 23 – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards executed a number of teenage demonstrators in the streets of Ahwaz, southern Iran, according to eye-witnesses.

Residents reported that Revolutionary Guards arrested demonstrators in the city streets and gunned them down to terrorise the local people and end a weeklong anti-government uprising that has spread throughout the oil-rich Khuzestan Province.

Helicopters were also seen opening fire on demonstrators.

A 5-year-old boy was killed when he was run over by a Revolutionary Guards’ armoured personnel carrier, eye-witnesses said.

Smoke from tear-gas that has been fired was so heavy that hospitals have been inundated with patients complaining of severe respiratory problems. A number of hospitals have also been raided by State Security Forces and large numbers of youth have been arrested on charges of taking part in the demonstrations.

Fierce fighting has brought the province to a complete stand-still since Friday, when State Security Forces (SSF) opened fire on a 3,000-strong anti-government demonstration in the city of Ahwaz.

Ahwaz was placed under a de facto martial law after anti-government demonstrations led to bloody clashes between local residents and security forces.

A government-orchestrated counter-demonstration on Friday was greeted with apathy by the local people. Even the non-Arab residents of Ahwaz stayed away from the march led by local clerics and officials of the Islamic Republic. State television showed scenes of the demonstration, with large banners blaming “the U.S., Israel and the Monafeqin” for the uprising. Monafeqin, or hypocrites, is the term Iranian state media and officials use to describe the People’s Mojahedin, Iran’s main opposition group.

The semi-official Jomhouri Islami daily wrote in its editorial today, “We must not ignore the seditious role being played by the Monafeqin in the events in Ahwaz".

The Prosecutor-General of Ahwaz Amir Khani said today that five people had been detained by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, charged with being the primary instigators of the clashes that are still on going in a number of districts. He also announced the arrest of a further 59 people involved in the clashes in Ahwaz by the security and intelligence apparatus.
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irani



Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 172

PostPosted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Apparently there is still no Internet...

IRAN: INTERNET BLACKOUT IN THE SOUTH

Tehran, 22 April (AKI) – Following the ethnic unrest in southern Iran, in the Arab majority region of Khuzestan on the Persian Gulf, the government of President Mohammad Khatami has decided to cut-off internet connections in many cities. "The decision was taken following the use of the internet by those involved in the protests, for communication purposes that had the security of the state at risk," according to the Tehran-based Mehr news agency.

Two days ago, the government in Tehran also "temporarily" closed down the offices of the Qatari-based Al-Jazeera television channel in the Islamic republic for what authorities said was inciting unrest and false reporting. According to Mohammad Mohadessin, a representative of the Council of National Resistance of Iran, that participated in a press conference on Friday morning in the Iranian capital, 70 demonstrators had lost their lives in the clashes of the previous days in Khuzestan.

Mohadessin estimates that in the last hours, another 1,000 people have been arrested in the same region in the south in relation to the unrest, that according to the Iranian opposition, has extended to many other cities in the region.

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Quote:
representative of the Council of National Resistance of Iran, that participated in a press conference on Friday morning in the Iranian capital, 70 demonstrators had lost their lives in the clashes of the previous days in Khuzestan.


How come is MKO allowed to have a representative In Iran? Question
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irani



Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 172

PostPosted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 5:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Iran rejects higher death tolls in ethnic unrest

TEHRAN, April 23 (Reuters) - The death toll from ethnic unrest in oil-rich southwest Iran remains five, an Iranian official said on Saturday, rejecting higher figures from a rights group and exiled opposition activists.

Officials say demonstrations on April 15 were sparked by the circulation of a forged letter, supposedly from a senior official, suggesting that Iran's Arab minority be relocated to dilute its influence in the oil-producing heartland.

Amnesty International's Arabic Web site said the rights group had received "unconfirmed reports" of 31 dead in the violence in Khuzestan province.

The People's Mujahideen, an armed opposition movement listed as a terrorist group by Washington, said in a statement sent to Reuters via its political wing that 62 people had died.

But Iran's interior ministry spokesman said both figures were wrong.

"The figure is still five," Jahanbakhsh Khanjani said.

Some three percent of Iran's 67 million people are Arabs.
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Pantea



Joined: 30 Apr 2004
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 24, 2005 3:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Iran: Handling Of Ahvaz Unrest Could End With Televised Confessions
By Bill Samii

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/04/cf5cec5f-9395-4997-99f7-00af615aa562.html


If the authorities follow a pattern established after other incidents of unrest, the people they arrested for involvement in the Ahvaz unrest could soon confess on television that they were involved with foreign elements.


The official Iranian reaction to the 15-18 April unrest in the city of Ahvaz in southwestern Khuzestan Province is following a pattern seen previously in the government's reaction to July 1999 student riots and its reaction to October 2000 ethnic violence in Sistan va Baluchistan.

In these and other cases Tehran has resorted to mass arrests, overwhelming force, blaming foreigners, superficial official interest in local problems, and false displays of national unity. This pattern suggests a predictable outcome which could include show trials and televised confessions, followed by imprisonments.

The riots in Ahvaz and several nearby habitations apparently were triggered by a letter signed by former vice president Mohammad Ali Abtahi that called for forcibly relocating the local Arab population and replacing it with Persians. Abtahi described the letter as a forgery. Unconfirmed reports cited on 19 April by Radio Farda cited 20 dead and hundreds injured. The authorities arrested more than 360 people, news agencies reported on 18 and 19 April.

The first official step called for repression and scapegoating.

On 18 April, Amnesty International identified seven men who had been arrested and said at least 130 others were detained in the Ahvaz environs from 15-18 April. Amnesty International went on to cite "unconfirmed reports" that 29 people were killed and the authorities have cut off water, power, and telephones in parts of Ahvaz. Amnesty International also referred to extra judicial killings.

Minister of Intelligence and Security Hojatoleslam Ali Yunesi said at a gathering of district governors in Tehran on 18 April that unspecified enemies and domestic opponents are using many methods, in vain, to undermine the Iranian state, "Aftab-i Yazd" reported on 19 April. He accused "some people" of turning ethnic dissatisfaction into "political demands, as has happened in Khuzestan." Unnamed opponents are making false allegations about the government, and "presenting political problems as intractable." Certain "people try and get arrested in order to become famous. The Intelligence Ministry...is aware of [their] motives...and will not be trapped." "We have separatist and suspect moves under observation, and can confidently say, do not worry. The enemy has no power to provoke a crisis in collaboration with domestic opponents."

Interior Minister Abdolvahed Musavi-Lari said on 20 April that the Ministry of Intelligence and Security has identified the parties mainly responsible for the previous week's unrest, state television reported. He blamed counter-revolutionaries in other countries and irredentist websites. He said a "large number" of people were arrested. Anonymous sources told Mehr News Agency on 20 April that 10 people will be tried as the ringleaders, and 200 out of 340 detainees were released. Ahvaz prosecutor Iraj Amirkhani said on 21 April that most of the detainees are less than 20 years old, IRNA reported on the same day.

The government temporarily banned broadcasts by the Arabic-language satellite-television station Al-Jazeera, which is popular among local Arabs, accusing it of fanning the unrest, AP reported on 18 April.

Thousands of people were arrested in July 1999, and a 17 July 1999 Intelligence Ministry statement blamed "grouplets" and "counter-revolutionaries." After a bombing in Sistan va Baluchistan on 17 October 2000, local security officials blamed "subservient elements of arrogance" and added that the purpose of the bomb was to distract locals from events in Israel and undermine regional unity.

Then came the sudden display of interest in local concerns.

Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani, who is an ethnic Arab, was dispatched to the Ahvaz area to look into the reasons behind the unrest. He met with local leaders, and he stressed that ethnic Arabs are an integral part of the country but acknowledged that Khuzestan Province suffers from "underdevelopment and war destruction problems," IRNA reported on 21 April.

This is what happened after the October 2000 explosions in Sistan va Baluchistan. President Khatami gave local representatives the cold shoulder in a 16 October meeting. The bombing occurred on 17 October, and within four days Khatami sent a delegation to investigate locals' complaints about underdevelopment and drought damage.

The next step is the regime's show of strength and enforced unity.

This occurred on Friday, 22 April, when the regime organized a massive march in Ahvaz. The march is to commemorate Solidarity Week, ISNA reported. This is the first time Iran has had a Solidarity Week and the timing is probably not coincidental. Nor is it a coincidence that the visiting Shamkhani said locals have decided to organize a "grand solidarity gathering," according to IRNA. On 22 March IRNA reported that "hundreds of thousands" participated in the solidarity march.

On Friday, 16 July 1999, there were massive pro-regime rallies in Tehran, Tabriz, and other cities.

It is only a matter of time before some of the detainees appear on television to confess that they are working on behalf of foreigners. Iranian state television broadcast the "confession" of student leader Manuchehr Mohammadi on 19 July 1999. He admitted being in touch with Iranian expatriates, and according to the announcer he admitted receiving financial aid from "spies and fugitive Zionist elements" in various American cities.

Mohammadi, as well as other students arrested in July 1999, is still in prison. Young people from Ahvaz may join them soon.
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