Iranian Alert - June 23, 2005 - Iran Student Leader: 'elections between bad and worse'

Regime Change Iran ^ | 6/23/05 | freedom44

[freedom44]

Top News Story

NY Sun

WASHINGTON - The choice for Iranians tomorrow in the presidential runoff is between "bad and worse," according to a leader of the July 9, 1999, Tehran University uprisings, Ahmad Batebi.

In a phone interview yesterday with The New York Sun, Mr. Batebi said, "The candidates were never elected by the people, the selection of the candidates are from the supreme leader. The people of Iran had no power in choosing any of them."

Mr. Batebi is currently on the lam, avoiding authorities in Iran where he is still wanted for his crime of endangering the state's national security. An image of him holding a bloody jersey graced the cover the Economist in 1999, and has been replicated on Tshirts and posters as a symbol of Iranians' struggle for democracy. After his arrest in 1999, Mr. Batebi wrote an open letter in which he said his torturers at Evin prison "held me under [a drain full of excrement] for so long I was unable to breathe and the excrement was inhaled through my nose and seeped into my mouth," according to Amnesty International.

In a rare public feud in Iran, the results of last Friday's race have been challenged by three of the losers. Four newspapers were shuttered this week for printing an open letter from a cleric, Mehdi Karrubi, that accused the guardian council and the state militia, or Basij, of rigging the election in favor of a former Tehran mayor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Authorities last week issued a decree banning text messaging, used by everyday citizens to rally support for reformists, and have started an investigation into the defamation of presidential candidates.

When asked for his impression of Mr. Rafsanjani, Mr.Batebi said, "He is wanted by Interpol for his role in the murder of Kurds at the Mykonos restaurant in Berlin. He appealed to young people, but he has the blood of the young people on his hands in the country."

In describing Mr. Ahmadinejad, Mr. Batebi said, "He is a founder of the Jerusalem force of the revolutionary guard. He has been nominated by the supreme leader who is concerned Rafsanjani has been too powerful." American intelligence considers the Jerusalem force as the wing of Iran's military responsible for funding and training anti-Israel terrorism.

Some commentators in the West, such as a University of Michigan professor, Juan Cole, have speculated that Mr. Bush's statements before the election actually drove Iranians to the polls in protest. The interior ministry estimated the voter turnout at about 60%, while the unelected Guardian Council - the body responsible for counting the votes and vetting the candidates for office - said the figure was 70%.

Mr. Batebi discounts both figures. He said that 16 million people voted, but of the votes cast, 5 million were left blank in protest. Mr. Batebi estimates the real turnout closer to 30%, according to his friends in the interior ministry.

A Washington-based historian and human rights activist, Roya Boroumand, said yesterday that she, too, believed the official vote count numbers were inflated. "The indications are the regime was extremely scared about the massive boycott," she said."Intimidation and threats are part of the Islamic Republic's methodology to get people to vote. People spread the word, 'If you don't have the stamps on your ID, you will not get passports renewed easily.' This is not official on paper. But it certainly works. I know tons of people who vote because they want this on their ID."

A Daily Briefing of Major News Stories on Iran:

China supplies arms to Iran, Sudan

Regime Change and it’s Limits

Last weeks election boycott was a success

Student Activist arrested at home in Iranian Capital

Arrests made ahead of tight Presidential Poll

Iran discovers network behind smear campaign

Reformers: Voters are being bought

[freedom44]

[Khashayar]

FREEDOM FOR IRAN

[Khashayar]

some polling stations in Iran were shut down due to extensive cheatings and fraud.

[Syncro]

Iranian Vote Ping

[peacebaby]

My "pen pal," a young woman in Iran, explained the voting this way (excerpted from her email to me):

"... you may remember I said that we don't have real democracy... it is just a shell of it because people can not change the countrie's main policy, governmet need their votes to show off the acceptablity of the rule by people against foriegners, it is just sort of puppet show therefore wise people do not allow rulers to abuse them and do not attend this kind of election, for that reasons I didn't vote either and I don't know what will happen next years, both US president and
secretary of state advocated Iranians' right to have open election and hereby I would like appreciate them,.. ."

[Eagle of Liberty]

My heart goes out to those who are standing strong against this Regime.

Are we going to see a revolution?

[Khashayar]

Very well-said!

That is just a show for the rest of the world!

The regime of Mullahs is not the legitimate ruler of Iran!

[Khashayar]

Keep your fingers crossed!

[F14 Pilot]

http://www.oyicm.org/images/media/Sepas-Rahbare-Mihan-Doost.WMV

A video of the late Shah of Iran

[Reborn]

A Revolution? I hope so. Ahmad Batebi's image will be forever in my mind. Look at him! Intelligent, full of life & dreams of Freedom, and not afraid to go after it!!! That famous pic of him pierced my heart, and I've been an active supporter of FREEDOM IN PERSIA ever since. These mullahs don't care about their people, and will destroy them in their madness if the people don't revolt before it is too late.

[DoctorZIn]

Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin”

[thierrya]

Thanks!

[DoctorZIn]

Freepers: Help remind the international media to ask the hard questions!

I have just published an open letter to the international media in Iran reporting on the run off elections Friday. These journalists are in a unique position to ask the hard questions of the government about the legitimacy of these elections. In the letter I have included a number of questions they could ask with source material.

Bloggers please post this on your blog or write your own. READ MORE

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

• Ken Timmerman is scheduled to appear Friday on Fox News Bill O'Reilly Show to discuss in new book on Iran.
• SMCCDI says they need your help today in transforming regime's sham "run off of June 24th" into protest action.
• Iranian blogger Windseed of Iran Votes 2005 has several interesting reports on the run off elections.
• Iranian.ws reported a security firm, Secure Computing, blamed for contributing technology to Iran's Internet censorship rejected the charge, and said any use of its software by Iran is "illegal and unauthorized."
• Reuters reports that Iran had arrested 26 people for suspected electoral violations.
• Iran Focus reported that Iran'’s State Security Forces raided the home of a student activist in Tehran.
• Iran Focus reports that students in Allameh Tabatabai University protested against the extended detention of a fellow student activist.
• Sardar Haddad argues that some journalists were duped by the regime's election propaganda show and explains why that the election charade was boycotted by the overwhelming majority of Iranians.
• Eli Lake, New York Sun interviewed Iranian student dissident Ahmad Batebi who said, The candidates were never elected by the people, the selection of the candidates are from the supreme leader. The people of Iran had no power in choosing any of them.
• New Statesman reports on the arrests of international journalists in Iran.
• The Washington Times argues that elections alone do not make democracy and can even be counterproductive.
• The Financial Times reports in a last ditch effort for votes Rafsanjani is offering every family in Iran $11,000 worth of shares of privatizeded companies.
• Amir Taheri argues a win by Rafsanjani would be a sure sign that Khamenei thinks he still needs a kind of interface with the broader Iranian society whereas a win by Ahmadinejad indicated Iran is following the North Koreans model.
• Boston.com reports that the facade of elections conceals the remarkable changes that Iran has undergone in the past few years.
• VOA News reported the United States said Thursday Iranians are being denied a free choice in the country's presidential run-off election.
• Middle East Newsline reported the United States has determined that despite numerous requests China has become a major supplier of weaponry to Iran.
• MSNBC reported on Iran's mullahs vs. the masses.
• Foreign Affairs reported that the Bush administration would like to resolve its problems with Iran through regime change. But the strategy is unlikely to work, at least not quickly enough.
• IranMania reported that Iran's reformist government alleged that "certain organs" were buying votes.
• The Washington Times reported that Congress and the administration seem unaware of the fact that the regime has conducted the election in the United States, possibly in violation of U.S. law.
• And finally, SMCCDI reported "Foundation for Democracy in Iran" (FDI), a prominent US based Iran Watch Group, is sounding the alarm.

[DoctorZIn]

To read today’s thread click here.

Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin”

[Valin]

Are we going to see a revolution?

I think we will. The question is when?