Opinion
Enough of Fratricide
No doubt Iran is going through hard and decisive times because of which any comment, statement, decision or measure by anyone inside or outside the government, is important and must be made with a responsibility.
Families Are Used as Hostage
The way the Iranian state has treated the family of one member of the Nehzat Azadi leadership (Freedom Movement of Iran), Gholamabbas Tavassoli, is a shameful example of how the state treats members of the opposition.
The Wolves Should Know Well
In Iran, this is the month of Bahman (the eleventh month in the Persian calendar), which means avalanche. It is the month in which the 1979 popular revolution overthrew the 2500-year monarchy and founded the Iranian theocracy.
Let’s Believe in Spring
Two weeks after Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s 17th statement, I can say with greater certainty that the message has changed the tumultuous atmosphere in Iran. It has now been redirected toward finding a political solution to the crisis.
When Will You Leave, Mr. Khamenei?
Mr. Khamenei, oh Absolute Ruler! Whatever we wrote until today has had no impact. You do not hear the cries of the people; you do not wish to hear them. Or perhaps you are incapable of hearing them.
The Kurds, June Pres Elections and the Aftermath
Well before the presidential elections for the tenth president in Iran, on June 12, 2009, the issue of participating or not in the elections was a hot question among the Kurds leading to debates and discussion among their political and social circles.
Grapes of Wrath
Grapes of wrath now grow from the Iranian plateau and like the lava from Mount Damavand flow to burn the apparatus of dictatorship. This wrath flows from thirty years of criminal actions.
The Playground of the Generals vs Our Playground
The image of that pickup truck driving over one of the protestors on Ashura (the day Shiites honor the martyrdom of their third most important saint Hussein) in Iran does not fade away from my eyes. My heart fills with hate, but at its height I remind myself that peace is the identity of our Green Movement.
Cartoon
Elsewhere
Reports

Revolutionary Guards’ New Claim on Eve of Revolution ANniversary:
Plot Unveiled to Assassinate Green Movement Leaders
With only three days remaining until the Iranian Green Movement’s 22 Bahman rally (this is the 11th of February coinciding with the victory of the 1979 revolution), a commander of the Islamic Passdaran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) explained what he referred to as “details of the plan to assassinate Mohammad Khatami and the martyrdom conspiracy,” raising concerns in political circles about the possibility of the assassination of one of the Green Movement’s leaders in the coming days.

Government Demonstrations in Azadi Square Sanctuary
Activists Threatened: You Will Be Arrested If You Are in Tehran
With three days remaining to the February 11th anniversary of the Islamic revolution (in Iran known as the 22nd of the month of Bahman), the main topic of conversations in Tehran’s streets, taxis and parks are the creation of insecurity for activists and journalists even at their residences and the constant broadcast of contradictory interviews to frighten the public and intimidate protesters not to participate in the gathering.

Letter of Iranian Journalists to Foreign Colleagues:
Listen to the True Calls of Iranians
A group of Iranian journalists have written a letter to foreign reporters who are invited to Iran by Iran’s government to provide media coverage to the celebrations of the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

Universities and Security Measures
New Arrests; Strange Charges
Arresting and pressuring student activists is never ending. While new reports emerge every day of the disturbing conditions of detained students, we are witnessing a new wave of arrests; a new wave that has led to the arrest of more than 15 students.

Lawyers, Defendants and Prosecutor Collude in Court
Seeking Help from Religion and Attacking Mousavi
On the fourth trial session of individuals arrested on Ashoura Day, a 20-year-old student was charged with Moharebeh [armed struggle against state] and two other defendants were accused of spying for foreigners.

Economic Failure of Imports from China
Naghdi Admits as Well
As criticism mounts in Iran over the country’s policy of importing non-essential goods from China, and the government’s response has been the announcement that it has curtailed such imports by 40 percent, without giving any detailed statistics, the commander of the para-military Basij force said during a Basij seminar that unemployment remained the most serious problem of the government, adding, “We must not allow our markets to be filled with foreign goods, particularly products from Chinese companies that have hurt our economy.”
Mir-Hossein Mousavi on eve of 22 Bahman
Dictatorship in the Name of Religion is the Worst
As the anniversary of the 1979 revolution that brought on the Islamic republic approaches on February 11 (ie 22 of the Persian month of Bahman), presidential contender Mir-Hossein Mousavi blasted Iran’s judiciary’s actions and the government’s treatment of protesters in an interview, reiterating his previous positions and announcing, “Today, people’s resistance is the Islamic revolution’s precious legacy, aptly demonstrated by our people’s intolerance for the dishonesty, fraud and corruption that we witness these days.”

Assembly of Combatant Clergy Issues Statement
Invites Public to Rally on Revolution Anniversary
The Assembly of Combatant Clergy [Majma Rohaniyoon Mobarez], an organization headed by former president and green movement leader Mohammad Khatami, issued a statement last night reiterating the demands made by Hashemi Rafsanjani in his landmark Friday prayer speech last summer and Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s statement no. 17 issued last December and calling for the green movement’s supporters to attend next Thursday’s rally while “Refraining from any kind of violence, respecting civil behavior and displaying tolerance and acceptance even in face of violence.”

Interview with Marvin Zonis
The Iranian People Are Entitled to More Freedom
Marvin Zonis is Professor Emeritus of International Political Economy at the University of Chicago. In the 1960’s Mr. Zonis traveled extensively in Afghanistan and lived in Iran for a while. He has written on oil, business, digital technology, Russia and foreign policy.

Judiciary’s Contradictory Statements about Execution of Rahmanipour and Alizamani
Executions Not Related to Post-Election Events
The judiciary released a report yesterday detailing the cases of Arash Rahmanipour and Mohammad Reza Alizamani. The report does not mention the specific date of their arrest and has no reference to “participation in protests” under the listed charges.









