Free Republic

TEHRAN, May 7 — Students at Amir Kabir University fended off club-wielding university security guards on Monday and went ahead with elections for a pro-democracy association. Despite the successful election at Amir Kabir, it is not clear that balloting for student associations will be allowed at other universities. The associations, a powerful center of support and communication among student democracy advocates, are a constant irritant to the government, which seeks to maintain strict control over politics and cultural norms. The University of Science and Industry, where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad taught before he was elected, has not been permitted to hold...

Nepal has been under seige from Maoist rebels for about 3 years now; but to Reuters and the Associated Press,the rebels are "pro-democracy" protestors. AP moans that "Nepalese Police Have Killed 3 More Protestors" http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/nepal;_ylt=AvaGe3ZYhqKvtkOqn60GF1qs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ-- Reuters grumbles that police have imposed a curfew to prevent protests... http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L1969978.htm Although both agencies have reported bombings and murders committed by Maoist guerrillas in the past, you will see no hint of that in today's stories. Clearly, the Maoist thugs have been transmorgified into peaceful protestors ! Aren't you GLAD ??

The war in Iraq is a neo-conservative project, right? Yes, in the sense that in the aftermath of 9/11, President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have come to believe that “the defense of freedom requires the advance of freedom.” But little noticed is the fact that some of the strongest supporters of this revolutionary idea are on the left. Prime Minister Tony Blair, leader of Britain's Labor Party, is the most obvious example. "A democratic Iraq,” he insisted earlier this year, “is not just a giant step forward for...

Thousands of Egyptian university students have demonstrated angrily against the government, in the largest such protest yet to be staged. The students - mostly from the Muslim Brotherhood movement - marched at five campuses in Cairo and the Nile Delta. Hundreds of police prevented them from taking their protests outside university gates onto the streets. Islamists, liberals and nationalists want an end to Egypt's 24-year-old state of emergency. They also called for an end to the presidency of Hosni Mubarak. Mr Mubarak has been the country's leader since 1981. He is hoping to win a fifth term in office in...

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - About 300 university students staged a rowdy protest in downtown Cairo on Monday calling for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down and further democratic reforms. The protest, held on the grounds of the American University in Cairo, was the latest in a series of demonstrations aimed at increasing political freedoms in Egypt, the Arab world's largest country, which Mubarak has ruled since 1981. Truckloads of police cordoned off the university during the protest, which comes ahead of planned September presidential elections in which more than one candidate - other than Mubarak - will be able...

Rejecting the demands of Hong Kong people who staged a massive pro-democracy march, China said today it will stick by its earlier decision ruling out the direct election of the territory's next leader. A key mainland official in Hong Kong said China's top legislative panel had made its position clear when it said in April that Hong Kong people cannot democratically choose the successor to Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa in 2007 or all lawmakers in 2008. Hong Kong people staged a massive, peaceful pro-democracy march on Thursday, with many holding out hopes that Beijing would change its mind and move...

China asserts control over Hong Kong's political future BEIJING, (AFP) - China has tightened its grip on Hong Kong's political future, dealing a blow to pro-democracy campaigners with the ruling Beijing must have the final say on any electoral reforms in the former British colony. Members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing passed a resolution stating all political reforms in Hong Kong have to be approved by China's central government. "The interpretation has been passed," lawmakers told reporters as they exited the meeting at Beijing's central Great Hall of the People. The legislation was...

Iranian Students Call Election Boycott - Crisis Not Over Wed Jan 28,11:58 AM ET Add World - AFP to My Yahoo! TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran's main pro-democracy student group weighed into a bitter political stand-off, calling for a boycott of next month's parliament elections in protest over the mass disqualification of reformist candidates. And dampening hopes that the Islamic republic could pull out of one of its worst political crisis amid intense government wrangling with hardliners, embattled President Mohammad Khatami cautioned it was too early to say if an acceptable solution could be found. A statement from the Office to...

Pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong have been celebrating significant gains in Sunday's local elections. The Democratic Party said it had won 93 of the 120 wards it contested. The pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) said it had suffered a serious defeat in the poll that saw a massive turnout. Voters turned out in droves to cast their ballot - the first major test of public opinion since massive anti-government protests last July. Those protests were against new security laws which were then shelved. The BBC Chris Hogg says Hong Kong's distict councils have few powers....

Please click here to watch the Iranian Freedom Flash movie.. it's a bit dated (about 4 or 5 months, however it is very moving) Please watch when you get a free moment and email the link to all of your friends and family if you feel it is of value.. Hopefully this group who created it or others can continue their great work! Best to you all!!! --

Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement scored another victory on Sunday when more than 20,000 protesters braved searing temperatures to rally in the territory's third mass demonstration in less than two weeks. About 10,000 people had been expected to attend Sunday's rally in the central business district but the higher turnout appears to reflect widespread dissatisfaction with the performance of Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong's leader, over the stagnant economy, Sars and other local issues. Organised by the Democratic Development Network, the rally was originally scheduled for April, but the onset of Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) meant the date was postponed. The...

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (Reuters) - President Bush on Sunday praised pro-democracy demonstrators in Iran, calling their protests a positive step toward freedom. "This is the beginning of people expressing themselves toward a free Iran which I think is positive," Bush said. Thousands of Iranians in Tehran protested against their conservative Islamic rulers for a fifth night on Saturday and smaller protests were reported in two other cities in the biggest anti-establishment demonstrations for months. "I think that freedom is a powerful incentive," Bush told reporters after he attended church services during a weekend visit to Kennebunkport. "I believe that some day...