Brewing anger among the hundreds of thousands peaceful protesters in central Tehran has the Iranian government on edge. Behind the scenes, arrests of prominent individuals backing the opposition are underway. Yesterday, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, the Secretary-General of Nehzat e Azadi (Freedom Movement) Ebrahim Yzdi was arrested while in intensive care.
The elections were stolen. Robert Fisk at the Independent today says a secret letter written on June 13 that claims Mousavi had a slight lead, not enough for an all-out victory, but enough for a second round of votes. Fisk is careful to note that there is no hard evidence that the document is genuine. But it will undoubtebly fuel the demonstration.
The letter:
Interior Ministry’s letter to the Supreme Leader
Salaam Aleikum.
Regarding your concerns for the 10th presidential elections and due to your orders for Mr Ahmedinejad to be elected President, in this sensitive time, all matters have been organised in such a way that the results of the election will be in line with the revolution and the Islamic system. The following result will be declared to the people and all planning should be put in force to prevent any possible action from the opposition, and all party leaders and election candidates are under intense surveillance. Therefore, for your information only, I am telling you the actual results as follows:
Mirhossein Mousavi: 19,075,623
Mehdi Karroubi: 13,387,104
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: 5,698,417
Mohsen Rezai: 38,716
(signed on behalf of the minister)
Iranians are hungry for democracy, for a change. What is happening today is not incidental. The demonstrations resonate with a protest for reform that has caught the elite off guard.
For years a civil society movement has been fomenting. Moreover, individuals within the inner state circle want change writes Nazenin Ansari – Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (a former president), Mir-Hossein Moussavi (a former prime minister), and Mehdi Karroubi (a former speaker of the majlis) figure among those.
Women and the youth (70% of whom are under 30) have been appealing and fighting for more rights. Early February, the 2003 Nobel Prize winner and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi arrived at Tehran’s airport. Ten thousand cheering people were there to greet her. Ebadi’s demands for human rights and democracy have inspired many and today, the voices of countless thousands is shaking the authoritarian underbelly of Iran’s government.