Bahman 25^th (February 14, 2011) is a key day in the struggle of Iran’s reform movement, equal to 25 Khordad 1388 and Ashura of 1388 (June 15, 2009 and December 27, 2009 respectively when government forces opened fire on demonstrators questioning the official results of the 2009 presidential election killing  a number of them). Bahman 25^th is the day when the leaders of the Green Movement, Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, called on the Iranian regime to respect the people’s rights and freedoms, and were put out under house arrest in 2011 along with their spouses.

The green election campaign which was part of the general movement against lies and corruption, turned into the green movement against “national humiliation” because of the military coup that took place against the public’s vote on election date. The pace of this national awareness, whether caused by the support from the leaders of the Green Movement (Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi) or as a response to the government’s reaction, eventually showed the way that resulted in specific political demarcations. The roots of the Green Movement and its off springs have been were so deep that they did not leave any room for other middle tiers to play their game. A movement had been born that pulled even the most moderate and conservative movements into its manifold. And this was true not just in the realm of politics but also in other social endeavors such as the arts, culture, and sports.

The demands of the Green Movement could be grouped under one umbrella, which is also the case today: the “struggle to attain people’s rights” and the attainment of “the sovereignty of people over their destiny.” Under this umbrella a range of political and civil forces can be defined and included, while the positions and principles of the leaders of the Green Movement (Mousavi and Karoubi) too lie there.

The Importance of Bahman 25 to the Green Movement

The way I understand the behavior of the leaders of the Green Movement from the day of the 2009 election and the months that followed, they have been “warning” the regime and the public through a series of principles, including those specified in the people rights. In most of the communiqués and his responses, Mousavi only reverted to issuing “warnings.” He asked the regime to honor the rights of the people, to refrain from mass arrests and creating a police-state environment, to not engage in shutting newspapers, and to respond positively to calls for peaceful demonstrations.

In other words, Mousavi and Karoubi gave the regime “opportunities” to show their respect and commitment to the constitution and the rights of people. This is why during the year or more after the elections, they repeatedly requested permits from the ministry of interior for demonstrations to test the commitment of the regime.

So February 14 of 2009 (Bahman 25^th) marks a turning point. From then on, Mousavi and Karoubi’s goals were no longer to get permits. They had by this time given plenty of opportunities to the regime to show its pledge to the constitution. Now was the time to practically fulfill the rights provided in the constitution. This was similar to the steps that Mousavi had taken to implement his right to publish a one-page newspaper on the Internet and distribute its printed copies in the real world. This was the Green Kalameh newspaper. Through the newspaper he had given the regime yet another opportunity lift its bans on shut newspapers and debarred presidential candidates. But the regime again disregarded these. So the next step was to press the regime on the specific rights of the people. And this is precisely what he did in his call on February 25^th when he insisted on his right to publish a publication, have a one page website and call for peaceful demonstrations.

The Green Movement today is at this phase; the phase where it demands for the implementation of people’s rights. Future opportunities could be defined in this path. The regime’s disregard of people’s rights with is hope that problems will be solved in time, is the wrong path that the regime has been following for decades. Every day that passes only brings more harm to it.

Perhaps Bahman 25^th is also the anniversary of the day when Mousavi and Karoubi were put under house arrest but I believe the more important issue is its place in the course of the struggle of people and that it is a turning point in their struggle against the rising despotism in Iran.

History will of course be a better judge.