Good evening, and welcome to Day 6 of the Iran election crisis.
I know several people at Daily Kos found my previous diary a useful resource. I wanted to let you know that I have continued that project on an independent site,
Green Revolution Chronicle,
which I've managed to keep updated about three times a day. Other liveblogs and DKos diaries are doing a magnificent job of posting new updates as they come, but I wanted to keep a central, permanent resource that packs as much information and references onto one page as possible.
The blog is divided into four sections:
Sources
The best comprehensive online coverage of the 2009 Iran election crisis. Includes blogs and Twitter feeds. Does not include CNN.
Liveblogging
Best overviews, timelines, news aggregators and continuing coverage.
Twitter
During the election, the Iranian government cut off access to telephones, text messaging, Facebook, YouTube, and opposition websites - but not Twitter. Apparently, because its API enables its use across many servers and clients, they're having incredible trouble shutting it down. As a result, Twitter is literally the central hub for the entire movement.
- #iranelection
Widely considered superior to any mainstream media coverage as a realtime news source. Emerging cliché: "The revolution will be Twittered."
- #iranrevolution
Proposed successor to #iranelection, since the uprising has grown beyond the election alone. Still catching on.
- IranAnon
This account was set up by IranProxy.org, allowing Iranian users to Twitter anonymously.
- Individuals:
- StopAhmadi
DC protest leader, reliable updates.
- IranElection09
- ProtesterHelp
American working to distribute critical tools and information to protesters. Famously attacked by thrown rocks on Wednesday.
- Mousavi1388
The Mousavi campaign itself. Has been providing updates since main website was hacked.
- Gkarbaschi
Gholamhossein Karbaschi, blogger for Karoubi campaign.
- IranBaan
Human rights activist.
- Because Iranian Twitterers' safety may depend on their identities being protected, most have been removed from the public list. They will be restored when there is a consensus that the danger has passed.
- Rejected Sources
These feeds are disseminating incorrect or deliberately misleading information. Some of them may be operated by the Iranian intelligence service. Do not trust them.
Timeline
A list of major events in Iran since Friday, 12 June, 2009. Updated continuously.
Wednesday, June 17th: Cracks in the Armor
Following fatalities during the battles of the previous day and night, Twitter users solicit first aid tips over #gr88medical. In the early morning, while Twitter finally goes down for maintenance, the Basij continue raiding houses and student dorms through the night. Rasht is now calm, following a long few days of violence and many arrests, but the conflict Isfahan (as reported by Bill Keller) is even more brutal than in Tehran; Ahwaz is described in a similar state. Human Rights Activists in Iran confirm 32 dead: eight in the Azadi Square shooting on Monday, most of the rest in the University attack of Sunday night.
Compared to the strife of the last few days, the streets of Tehran are blissfully peaceful. Early protests are prompted by the Basij dorm raids. "Where is my vote?" graffiti appears on paper currency. Rallies in Tehran continue throughout the day, converging on Mousavi's silent march on Tir Square. As Rasafjani calls for an emergency meeting of the Assembly of Experts - a meeting whose only purpose could be to discuss the fate of Khameini's reign - government forces show shifting loyalties, as police are seen wearing green armbands, and some soldiers vow to protect protesters from the Basij "with God's help."
International politics becomes a factor, as the government accuses the United States of responsibility for the protests, while Mousavi accuses Ahmadinejad of receiving counsel from the Russian military. This narrative could end up shaping the overall dynamic of the conflict in the days ahead. Wednesday also sees Khameini approve a partial recount by the Guardian Council, and cellphone service is shut down.
The next major rally is planned for Thursday (2pm, bolvare sharzad sazmane melal). Mousavi has also planned a "Sea of Green" march to prayer on Friday.
- 1.30am | Twitter down.
- 3.00am | Twitter up.
- 10.30am | Rasafjani calls emergency meeting of the Assembly of Experts.
- 11.00am | Filled ballots found in Tehran garbage receptacles.
- 3.00pm | Ibrahim Yazdi, former Foreign Minister who was one of the first to accuse the government of a coup, among ~100 people taken from hospital to Evin prison.
- 5.00pm | Planned protest forms in Tir Square, reaching 500,000 participants in silent march. Speaking to the crowd, Mousavi reiterates rejection of the 10-day recount.
- 5.30pm | Iran soccer team loses World Cup qualifying game with South Korea.
- 7.00pm | Mousavi calls for a national day of mourning in the mosques on Thursday.
- 8.00pm | Dr. Ebrahim Yazdi, FMI Secretary General, arrested.
- 8.30pm | Zahra Rahnavard, Mousavi's wife, joins injured students at Tehran University.
- 10.30pm | Arrest of analysts Hamid Reza Jalaipour and Saeed Laylaz is reported.
- 11.00pm | Iran summons Swiss ambassador to complain of "interventionalist" U.S. statements.
- 11.30pm | Mousavi and Khatami send joint letter to Ministry of Justice demanding release of protesters.
Rooftop chanting continues on the fifth night; "Allahu Akbar" and "down with the dictator" are joined sporadically by "down with the Basij."
Archive
An index of noteworthy posts, articles and media from each day of the crisis.
June 17th, 2009
Continuing
Actions
Details of actions that resistance supporters outside of Iran can take.
- Join a protest in your home country. Worldwide demonstrations in support of Iranian resisters have been organized since the first days of the crisis. Where Is My Vote? is keeping a list of planned international protests here.
- Set up a proxy server. The Iranian government is moving as fast as it can to track down addresses being used by its citizens to organize resistance. By setting up a proxy server, you can help the people of Iran evade censorship and maintain contact with the outside world. See here for details.
- Distribute anti-censorship software. These programs, which connect users to proxy servers with modulating IP addresses, can help Iranians on the ground defeat the government's heavy Internet screening. Freegate even provides a Farsi language plugin.
I hope this advertising isn't too obnoxious. I'm just feeling really motivated to do my part and contribute something useful to a worthy struggle. If I were in Tehran, I would be on the streets right now. But I'm doing the best I can with the hand I was dealt.