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Movement slams the regime in VOA TV program\

SMCCDI (Information Service)
Jul 9, 2004

The SMCCDI Coordinator, Aryo B. Pirouznia, paid tribute to the Student Movement's glorious uprising of July 9, 1999, during a VOA Satellite and Internet TV program broadcasted tonight Worldwide. The interview was broadcasted from Los Angeles and in duplex from Washington DC where are located the VOA's offices.

Responding live to VOA anchor's Anooshirvan Kangarloo's question on the root of the results generate from the uprising, Pirouznia stated: "The July 1999 Movement pulled off the false mask of any possibility of reforming the theocratic system. People understood gradually the difference between "us, the People" and "them, the mullahs and their cronies". It was in the aftermath of the Uprising that principles, such as, Secularity, genuine Democracy, Modernity and Humanism started to make their way in Iranians' minds and are now becoming pillars that Iranians are looking for..."

He slammed then the Islamic regime's repressive policies and the comments made by General Tala-i who had claimed that the regime's security forces didn't met any opposition yesterday.

The Movement's Coordinator who's in Los Angeles added: "I think that General Tala-i is very unkind to all the regime's repressive forces when he stated that they didn't had to do anything yesterday. He's unkind to all these repressive troops which were deployed in all Iranian streets for the last 2 months and were spreading terror. He's unkind to all these foreign mercenaries which were beating in the last 2 months on Iranian youth and women in order to increase the terror policy. Talai's comments are in the perfect line of demagogy used by the Islamic republic and it's no wonder that the World can't trust such regime. At least and as quoted by the ISNA, the official so-called Iranian Students News Agency, several demonstrators were arrested which is just a news intending to minimize the real impact of yesterday's event. As many know, at least and in Zarabkhaneh area, over 10 thousands had gathered and clashes occurred.."

The program (VOA's "News & Views" of 7/09/04) will be re-aired tomorrow morning, Iran local time, and can be seen on at the following link till 12:00 PM US EST by visiting:

http://www.voanews.com/real/voa/nenaf/fars/fars1700v.ram .

The interview can be seen from the minute 13':55'' of the program on the students starting from minute 07:15". It will be transferred after 12:00 PM to the VOA website's archives section.

http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_7024.shtml

Read part of what SMCCDI wrote to

President George Bush:

"Mr. President, in less than three centuries, America has become the beacon of hope and support for people worldwide seeking freedom and democracy.

"Embedded in your actions to free the oppressed is, we believe, a deep seated moral basis that is a reflection of America's founding fathers objectives.

"The moral fiber that you and many of the people in your administration represent is the same democratic principals that the people of Iran desperately want and need.

"Serving as a model for the world to emulate, America, you, and most of your administration provides inspiration and hope for the future of Iran. "

UPRISING ANNIVERSARY: “Ruling Authority” Wants to Forget,” Students’ Association Leaders Say
In interviews with Radio Farda, two members of the association of Islamic student councils, who participated in the July 9, 1999 uprising and organized many rallies, lectures and political events during the past five years in commemoration of the uprising, reflect on the government’s reaction.

Radio Farda Newsroom

RadioFarda Newsroom – July 8, 2004- The students’ Islamic councils themselves and their association (Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat) has concluded that the Islamic Republic cannot be reformed, and legal, open political action is not possible under this regime, secretary of the political committee of the association of Islamic student councils Said Razavi-Faqih tells Radio Farda’s broadcaster Maryam Ahmadi about the statement issued today in Tehran by the Daftar in commemoration of the July 9 uprising.
The statement calls for cultural and social work outside the framework of the regime, in order to pressure the political authority to be more responsive to the people’s demands, says Razavi-Faqih, now a student in Paris.

Due to the limitations we are facing, from the interior ministry and from the universities’ management, the Islamic student councils could not hold any rallies or demonstrations, on or off campus, he adds.

“Since we are committed to avoiding endangering the students by violent or unlawful actions, we could not hold any programs this year,” he says, noting the regime, particularly the non-elected part of it, had always tried to control the reform movement and the student activism and stop any dynamic movement in its tracks.

He says it is regrettable that many student activists are still in jail, five years after the uprising. “We believe that the judiciary is not following the law in dealing with the cases of jailed students Ahmad Batebi or jailed journalists and political activists such as Saber, Alijani, Rahmani and others.”

“The July 9 anniversary passes in silence and under repression, because the ruling authority wants this day to be forgotten,” Hojatollah Sharifi, a former member of the central council of the association of the Islamic students councils, tells Radio Farda. However, he adds, several small events were staged by students, which had symbolic meaning, including a photo exhibit at the Sharif engineering university, and similar exhibits in other schools. “The least we can do is to keep the memory of July 9 alive in order to highlight the cruelty endured by the students since then,” he says.

“The fact that perpetrators of the July 8 attack continue to hold high level positions and have become candidates for the Majles seats has been a slap in the face of the students, who were thrown in jail instead of the perpetrators.”

http://www.radiofarda.com/en_article/2004/7/f26d69f5-b6e4-4fab-a9ee-964592a01c08.html