Live Blogging from Tehran!

Photo:The plain cloths attacked Karoubi in such a way that his turban fell.

The moazzen is saying the azan.

Rafsanjani just got introduced to the podium.

Sound of loud chants we can’t make out.

Rafsanjani: Please sit down so we can make time for the speech.

Chants again. They’re not letting him speak. I can only make out “leader” in their chants. (the blood in our veins is a gift to our leader)

13:20 Rafsanjani: We are approaching the anniversary of the Friday prayers and today’s Friday prayer is in ways very similar to the first every prayers led by Ayatollah Taleqani. In hopes that we can use this prayer for the betterment of the future of our country and the goals of the revolution.

(Tehran radio is now cut off. The host just came on to announce that thousands of people are chanting Allah o Akbar in the streets.)

13:23 Rafsanjani: I have a main part to my speech. It will be about the most critical aspects of Islam.

13:25 The second part of my speech will be about the goals of the revolution, the goals people have worked for and have given their blood for and have been the endeavors of our Imam [Khomeini].

13:26 The third part will be about current day events and the conditions we are in. I will try to draw out solutions the way I see them. Of course, these will be my personal opinion.

13:27 Rafsanjani is speaking of Mohammad, the prophet, and the early days of Islam. This will go on for the first part of his sermon.

13:34 Rafsanjani is still speaking of Mohammad’s early days as prophet and his attempts to establish rule in Medina.

13:36 He is reciting a sourah from the Koran and interpreting it.

13:41 Rafsanjani is getting teary. “The prophet respected the rights of all those under his rule.” He brings an example from the end of the prophet’s life where the prophet comes to the people and asks that if he ever treated anyone unfairly, they speak up and let him know.

13:44 The prophet felt, during the last years of his life, that animosity was brewing amongst his people [he is crying now]. The prophet felt that his old friends are now enemies.

13:46 The prophet went to Baghi [where his old friends were buried] and said to them: you are lucky that you are no longer here to see that your old brothers are killing and destroying one another.

———————-
The first part of the speech is over. The second has begun.
———————-

13:51 He begins (as is the custom) by mentioning the upcoming religious dates of significance (e.g., the death of the seventh Shi’a Imam)

13: 52 May all the oppressors who make innocent people bleed be a witness to eternal condemnation

[the chants begin again]

13:53 I asked you, I pleaded for you to let me speak.

[more chants]

13:54 Rafsanjani condemns China. People chanted “Death to China” . He asks that people stop their chants.

13:55 China has a rational government. It must look at how it can benefit from its relations with the Islamic world. We hope that we will no longer be witness to such atrocities towards Muslims in China or anywhere else in the world.

13:55 But coming to our own problems. We started off very well in the competition. Everything went well and smoothly.

13:56 People became very hopeful. Everything was set for a glorious day. This glory was due to the people. They were the ones who went to the ballot box. And we must be grateful to them.

13:57 I so very much wish that that path had been continued. But unfortunately, that was not the case. I will now elaborate. We must first see what we [probably the ruling establishment] were after. This is coming from a person who was always by the Imam[Khomeini’s] side [he is referring to himself]. For 60 years. The Imam was always after the people. After getting their approval and their participation. This was the art of the Imam which made him so successful. It took the Imam less than 20 years to get the people to come to the streets.

13:58 These people, the ones who were behind the Imam, broke the back of the Shah and brought him to his knees.

13:59 After the victory of the revolution too, we worked on a daily basis with the Imam. Imam would always say that if the system is not backed by the people, nothing would stand.

14:00 The Imam would always quote the prophet [Muhammad] who would say to Ali [Mohammad’s successor]: leave the people if they do not want you.


14:02 He is speaking of the Imam’s command to Bazargan to form a temporary government. But the Imam tells him to keep it short to pave the way for the constitution.

[loud chants]

14:03 We agreed that you will stop chanting. If we do not have the votes of the people behind us, we will have nothing. The guardian council, the expediency council, EVERYONE gets their legitimacy from the vote of the people.

14:04 Without Islam, without a republic, we have nothing. Ali [Imam Ali, the prophet’s successor] waited 19 years until the people came for him.

[more chants]

14:05 Stop chanting.

14:06 Why did the elections come to this? Before the election, near the end, some people doubted what was going to happen. Maybe because of the way the broadcasting corporation behaved.

14:07 Rafsanjani: Some are chanting and I can’t make out what they say. But I am speaking what you want to hear. I want unity too.

14:08 I have never acted across party lines, and now too we must search for unity to find a way out of our quandary.

14:09 I have some suggestions. I have spoken to some members of the the expediency council and the assembly of experts about them too.

14:10 We must bring back the trust of the people. First of all, everyone must accept the law. The people, the parliament, everyone.

14:11 We must create a condition so that everyone can speak. We must speak logically. And a part of this is on the shoulders of the broadcasting corporation.

14:12 The guardian council did not make good use of the extra fives days given to them by the leader.

14:13 We do not need people in prison for this. Let’s allow them to return to their families.

14:14 We must join hands with those who have incurred great loss and try to lesson their pain.

14:15 We must give freedom to the press within the confines of the law.

14:15 We are all members of the same family. We must remain friends and allies. Why have we gone so far as to pain some of our marajeh [top religious leaders]?

14:16 I hope this sermon will pave a way out of this current situation. A situation that can be considered a crisis.

14:17 The sermon is finished.

Link

• NEWS
  
  
  
  Today Friday 17 July, in various sections of Tehran, we are once again witness to mass demonstrations in Iran. There are reports that there are more than 2 million people giving slogan in the main streets and squares of Tehran. Some of the slogans are: ‘Down with Dictator,’ ‘Free all Political Prisoners,’ ‘Coup d’etat government; resign, resign,’ ‘Down with Ahmadinejad;’ ‘Our Neda isn’t dead; it is the government that dead,’ amongst others. There were also slogans saying ‘People didn’t get killed to make concessions’ (ma koshteh nadadeem keh sazesh koneem), referring to a rejection of any behind the scene wheeling and dealings between the opposing factions of the regime.

The demonstrations are continuing right now; Azerbaijan Road, Vali Asr Square, Keshavarz Boulevard, Hafez Road, Daneshjoo Park, North Amir Abad, Ferdousi Square towards Iranshahr, Haft Tir Square, and the cross section between Karoun and Hashemi are teeming with protesters. From Vanak Square and above, protesters are giving slogans of ‘Down with Dictator,’ and burning photographs of Mousavi and Rafsanjani.

In Keshavarz Boulevard and North Amirabad there are over 2-300,000 people shouting ‘Down with Dictator’ and have been clashing with the regime’s security forces. People are moving towards Fatemi Square and the Islamic regime’s broadcasting house.

According to reports, the regime’s security forces have attacked people, including with plastic bullets, batons, and tear gas. The numbers of arrested is unknown.

New Channel TV has also been receiving reports of protests in other cities including Shiraz, Esfahan and Yazd

Via New Channel TV, protesters are asking for doctors and nurses to get to the demonstrators as many do not want to go to hospitals in case they are arrested by the regime’s security. Also the public are being asked via New Channel to allow protesters fleeing security forces to enter their homes in order to protect them.

From

• Shadi Sadr(Lawyer&Women Rights activist)kidnapped by plainclothes walking 2 sermon !They were so violent taking Shadi Sadr that her Hejab (Scarf&long coat) were removed .Plain cloths were beating Shadi today & they took her by force while she was resisting.

• Group of Moms anouncd gathering in parks on Sat Jul 18 .

• Slogans being chanted: Hashemi sookoot koni kha-eni.

• The slogans being heard on the audio seem 2 B from Basij, seems they are closer to the microphones.

• Basidj chanting in support of Khamenei, yet Raf keeps thanking them as though they r chanting 4 him.

• Heavy Clashes between Pro-Khamaeni and People around Tehran's University.

• Military helicopter have been flying over Tehran for hours.

• Plain clothes are beating people who were in the way to Friday prayers.

• People have started protesting in nearby streets but the forces are trying to disperse them.

• People chanting: "Death to the Dictator", "Irani dies but doesn't take pitty", "Red-blooded Mousavi, support us".
  
  
  

• For the first time in the history of Isl. Rep there is tear gas and heavy clashes during Praying time.

• In street around the university the forces have clashed with people. Tear gas & batons were used.

• Several people arrested around Uni of Tehran .

• Police Fire Tear Gas at Friday Prayers in Tehran .

• large crowd headed for IRIB headquarters.

• There are so far more than 100 ppl arrested today in Tehra.

• The ppl also chanted the political prisoners must be freed!
  
• Basidjis chanted our blood belongs to our supreme leadr while ppl said our blood belongs to our ppl/nation .

• The IRG Special Riot Guards attacking near universit .

• Hard conflict in Enghelab Sq. Basij Throwing tear gas .

• No Mobile Network in Central, Heavy Clashes at Jamalzadeh Cr. (Azadi St.)Tear gas and Blockage.

• Ambulances sent to uni., fatemi st, vali asr." "masses gathering at fatemi sq"!

• It's the first time they didn't broadcast friday prayers on national TV in Iran.

• "Fistfights, knives & other at uni" "Plain clothed attacking ppl with knives."

• Peopel are moving towards IRIB , anti-riot plain-clothes are beating up people by knife.

• Masses of ppl growing at Vali Asr." "chaos" "Masses angry.

• Reenforcement on the way to Vali Asr & Fatemi.

• Riots all over Tehran. many areas being reported.

• Between two sermons on Qods street tear-gas was fired and after prayer also plain-clothes attacked people and now are beating up people and firing tear-gas again.A group of people are chanting and some other have gone to metro stations to be safe .

• Peopls marching 2 vezarat keshvar - interior ministry from Fatemi Tehran

• People shouting in streets ,I am ready to die to get my vote back.
  

• Today plain-clothes were destroying people's cars around Enqelab Sq !

• Comm back up. Interior Ministry surrounded by big masses.Tear Gas & Batons but Peopl fighting back.At least 20 thousands right now outside of Interior Ministry in Fatemi.

• Plainclothes shot tear gas among the participants just before Hashemi starts his speech.

• Tabriz reporting heavy clashes.

• Crack down ordrd but not effective cos masses growing & fighting back.It's mass street fight.

• Masses growing both at Interior Ministry & TV Station." "Clashes" "heavy clashes.

• Mashhad declared emergency.
  

• Hundreds of thousands on Tehran's streets.

• Tehran City Police Force not following orders to charge the people.
  
  
  

• One of the detained people on july 9th whom was transferred to Kahrizak camp,has died.This person who was suffering from severe respiratory disease,after a few days transferred from Kahrizak camp to hospital but because of physical weakness died in hospital.Although , number of people who were arrested on July 9th was more than 400 ,but about 140 of them after arresting tranferred to Kahrizak camp and kept there for 5 days.These people were in a really bad condition at Kahrizak camp .

• On July 16th Ra'uf Taheri,Ahmad Medadi and Reza Abassi before holding the releasing ceremony for Saeed Mateen Pour (human rights activists and journalist ), were arrested by Zanjan Information office agents.
  

• Even-though foreign news reporters did not have the privilege to go to the pre-reserved spot and report for the "namaz jome", the last news received states security forces did not even let them come into the area.This report also states not only they did not get the chance to report the friday masses, but many of them's identification cards have been revoked, and they were told they were not allowed to film anything on the spot not the surrounding streets!

• Today the plain cloths even attacked children & youth who came with their parents for the prayerIn 16-Azar ave the doors were closed. When the speakers were also disconnected some tried to break the door.At the same time pepper gas was fired. People chanted "Don't be afraid, we're all together".

• Today the plain cloths even attacked children & youth who came with their parents for the prayer.

• Karoubi's son: The plain cloths who attacked my father were congratulated by their commander on their radio. he said:Plaincloths damaged a Peugeot Persia and damaged it by standing on the roof.

• There were many buses in front of the university showing some people were forced by gov. organizations to go.At the same time people who really wanted to go were being attacked by batons & tear gas.With heavy presence of anti-riot police, bikers & plain cloths at about 4pm people dispersed in Enghelab sq.Cars in the nearby streets were honking their horns to protest.To help with the heavy amount of tear gas attacks, people had started fires,To create smoke & help people specially those with Asthma & pulmonary diseases people put their belongings on fire. When Rafsanjani was talking about releasing the prisoners people chanted "Political prisoner must be freed"!

• Today the police and Baisj arrested at least three bus full of people at the Friday praying.Clashes b/w people & security forces still on.

• People are protesting in different places, including Tabriz & different parts of Tehran.