After Ahmadinejad's Coup I have received reports from some friends inside of Iran, who conveniently enough I met through some soccer forums. The information lies deeper. But to begin some of what I consider the strongest photos out there.
From TehranLive Shooting a sign of victory wrapped in green, with a Emo-styled hairdo and Calvin Klein underwear, this kid could be any American. This is the face of this election's voters. This is the face of today's Tehran.
From Getty Images we have what might be considered the Tank Man image of this event. The contrast and shock of this image is no doubt to be a opinion shaper.
From TehranLive we have another image, this time of what they layman is doing. Watching on from the rooftops. Snapping photos, Worried. Like on that fateful day in 1979.
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Let me bring you up to date. Every single agency, in and outside of Iran, and practically everyone who knows anything about the nation has declared this thing a Sham. The vote wasn't stolen, the vote wasn't EVEN COUNTED. It was invented. This coup has been bought around by the guard, and supported by the Ayatollah. The actions take are indefensible, and a group of hardline radicals are ignoring the will of the Iranian people.
Even now the phone lines and internet connections have gone eerily dead, alongside the electricity for the entire city of Tehran. The police is out looking for Satellites, and communications from Iranians on Twitter, Facebook and through blogs have totally died out.
Make no doubt about it. Tehran is under martial law.
From the streets I have updates, a friend in Iran is a sports journalist for the immensely popular national football team. Due to the nature of his reporting, he has been practically ignored, and free to switch his reporting over to covering these events.
This is what he is telling me about what he has heard.
* 1. The Green protesters have taken over at least two police stations in north of Tehran, the Guards are trying to take back the buildings.
* 2. University dormitories across Iran have been attacked by the Revolutionary Guards.
* 3. The building of the ministry of Industry, and a major telecommunication center, have been set on fire.
* 4. Sharif University's professors have resigned on mass.
* 5. Unrest in Rasht, Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz and every other major city.
Meanwhile supporters are saying that Mousavi has asked people to form near his campaign offices at 12:30 today. His supporters now consider him President. Others are reporting this is a police trap. Very well may be.
Mousavi is no lightweight. He has held back out of care for his country, and his people. But let us not ignore the facts. Mousavi was Prime Minister during the Iraq-Iran War, and he knows HOW to run a campaign.
If Mousavi want's it and I hope he does, this revolution is on, and the National Guard will fall to the hands of the people.
Meanwhile inside Government Officials are leaking the REAL election numbers.
Unofficial news - reports leaked results from Interior Ministry:
Eligible voters: 49,322,412
Votes cast: 42,026,078
Spoilt votes: 38,716
Mir Hossein Mousavi: 19,075,623
Mehdi Karoubi: 13,387,104
Mahmoud Ahmadi-nejad (incumbent): 5,698,417
Mohsen Rezaei (conservative candidate): 3,754,218
Keep this rec'd and keep Iran in your thoughts.
Down with the Dictator, Down with the Ayatollah. Allaho Ackbar!
Update 1
Civil War in Iran? According to this article. things are very hot right now!
But the scariest point he made to me that I had not heard anywhere else is that this "coup by the right wing" has created pressures that cannot be solved or patted down by the normal institutional arrangements Iran has constructed. The Guardian Council and other power nodes of government can't deal with the current crisis and can't deal with the fact that a civil war has now broken out among Iran's revolutionaries.
The Green Supporters are beginning to block all major highways into Tehran.
Removing the Ayatollah? It's possible according to Trita Parsi.
Clearly, the anti-Ahmadinejad camp has been taken by surprise and is scrambling for a plan. Increasingly, given their failure to get Khamenei to intervene, their only option seems to be to directly challenge -- or threaten to challenge -- the supreme leader.
I will be liveblogging for another 3 hours at least. Reports as they come in.
Update 2
Cell Phone service and some internet is being restored to the capitals, and reports are coming in on twitter, hundreds by the minute.
The most important from Mousavi's dedicated followers twitter who is calling throughout the nation to figure out whats going on.
NEWS: NO teargas was used in Rasht, Iran. Riot police beating ppl, and blocked streets.
These news are CONFIRMED, on phone with ppl from Rasht now.
NEWS: Riot police has been beating many protesters in Rasht, but new protests on their way in afternoon
It's also CONFIRMED that majority of ppl in Rasht voted for Mousavi.
Local and national news outlets, including television stations; are not reporting the riots or any other new news, and going on as if nothing has happened. The police are in control of the Iranian press.
AP is being told that foreign press must be prepared to leave the country. Looks like they don't want a foreign audience to witness their massacre.
CONFIRMED Image of after the riot, for our Calvin Klein friend up top. Posted via email, late.
THIS is what Ahmad is doing to his country.
Update 3
Looks like the trap worked, and the majority of the protest leaders have been placed under arrest.
The silencing power of the dictator's police force is at strong display.
Update 4
My final update for tonight, I'm taking a break to sleep. It seems the Ayatollah's own duaghter has been placed under arrest, most interesting.
I've felt at times utter hopelessness and frustration over these events and at others great inspiration. I truly have cried over what this nation is doing to its own people. It has made me physically sick to see some of these pictures. To see how people looking for a little human dignity, a basic right, are being treated by their own countrymen, by their own fellow humans.
One time I really believed that basic humanity could over come all, but as Iran has shown us tonight, and over the past few days, word's and protest will do nothing against the guns of a dictator.
This is no longer a time for the Irani's to sit idly bye. Any revolution undertaken at this time would easily compare to that undertaken so many years ago on our own soil. If they have the manpower and the will the Irani people must take their nation into their own hands. They must arm themselves and fight.
When they are finally free, I hope the world will welcome them back, I hope we will welcome them back. I hope freedom will reign in Iran, over this disgusting Tyranny.
Down with Ahmadinejad. Down with the Ayatollah. Allaho Ackbar. Goodnight Iran and Good Luck.
Update 5
After a long nights sleep I am back and we now have sources for those prior numbers. Balatarin is where they were posted. And a official complaint filed by Rezaei seem to indicate this.
We also have numbers from a website of Khatami that seem more plausible.
ballets cast - 37.4 million (81%)
Spoilt ballets - 600,000 (1.6%)
Mir Hossein Mousavi - 21.3 million (57.2%)
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - 10.5 million (28%)
Mohsen Rezaei - 2.7 million (7.2%)
Mehdi Karrubi - 2.2 million (6%)
We are also seeing confirmations that the Ayatollah's own daughter has been arrested.
By the way, do you think we at DailyKos can put together a effort to provide proxy's for the people of Iran. We should try to find and contact people who can spread the proxy's out for use. The Iranian people really need this stuff. Depending on the response I might be looking for providers and setting up a donation fund to provide Proxy Services to twitter users inside of Iran.
Update 6
The latest news across the Twitter wires is that the University in Tehran has been invaded, Tear Gas has been shot, and many Student's are injured and dead.
Is this this movement's hope poster?
Update 7
Change_for_Iran's updates are heartbreaking.
5:26AM I'm praying to GOD they leave us be! we should get Reza to a hospital Asap, he has some bad wounds. #iranelections
Reza is looking very bad & they will shoot at us again if we try to leave here. #iranelection