Iran new heroes: Neda, the voice of the streets

During last weekend demonstrations at least 10 people died in the clashes with the Government forces. The death toll is up to 19 in the week of protests. Plus 450 detained. But all those figures are unclear, as they are based only on the official Iranian press’ reports. Very little independent information is coming out of Iran, and although the official TV is opening themselves, they are still under the control of Ahmadinejad’s government.

Very little independent information is coming out from Iran. Foreign reporters are banned from going to the streets. The CNN, Newsweek, Al Arabiya and the BBC correspondents have already even been either detained or expelled from the country and their press authorizations revoked. Enemies for the press are not only inside Iran, however. In Bahrain, an important newspaper was closed down after publishing a critic article on Iranian elections.


But despite the censorship, Iranians still are being able to leak information to the outside world. Twitter has become a major point of information for both Iranians and outsiders and both inside and outside Iran. As noted in the NYT, it’s not the first time this happens. Other Internet sites like Facebook or Google have also started to actively help Iranian reformist with small but significant gestures, like adding the Farsi language versions of their websites.

Moussavi himself is actively using the Internet to spread the word. Always with a moderated language -and always, as the official line, invoking the name of Islam- but firmly, has uploaded several messages on his own personal website. For now, that website survives the Government censorship. For now.

YouTube has also arise as a great way to widespread the words of the opposition. In fact, a shocking video [WARNING: Contains extremely graphic violence] of Neda, a woman covered in blood after being shot to death in one of the demonstrations this weekend, and Neda herself have become the new motto for Mr. Moussavi’s supporters. Karoubi, a supporter of Mr. Moussavi who appeared besides him in the last demonstrations, has called to honor Neda in the following protests. She has become a martyr of the new revolution.

The Government reaction has been tough. Basij militias had a letter of marquee to act. That led into them breaking into reformist students’ apartments to intimidate or even beat them. The streets, however, and the reformist movement are not backing down. In fact, that’s giving them more reasons to face fiercely the police forces, as shown in this video.

Every inch gained to the anti-riot police, every recognition of their rights from a Government official, is a small victory for Moussavi’s supporters. But probably the biggest one up to now has been the resolution from the Council of Guardians revealed today, that admitted irregularities in 50 cities. According to the report, at least in those 50 cities more than a 100% voted in the elections. The London think tank group Chatham House, agrees with it.

The Government argues it is because some people voted in places where they are not registered, although they are living there. In the Yadz province, for example, in the city of Taft the participation was of 141%. Official argument claims it was because of the “great weather”. The opposition on the other hand maintains that those irregularities happened in at least 100 cities.




Photo: AP