Popular uprisings spread across Middle East despite brutal crackdowns

by joe Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:03

A perspective article from the WSWS today connects the momentous strike wave currently taking place in Wisconsin to the revolutionary events in Egypt and the Middle-East. Demonstrators surrounded Wisconsin’s capitol building in Maddison all last week in protest at savage budgetary cuts ordered by state Governor Scott Walker and in defiance of Walker’s threat to deploy the National Guard.

“Many of the workers demonstrating in Wisconsin have carried signs comparing Walker to ousted Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, and expressing the desire to carry out a rebellion that is as powerful and liberating as that conducted by Egyptian workers over the last month.”
See: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/feb2011/pers-f19.shtml

by Joe Sat Feb 19, 2011 16:12

Anyone who doubts either the brutality of the US-backed Bahrain regime or the courage of the young protesters who defied the live fire of Bahraini King Hamad’s troops yesterday should read this Robert Fisk report in today’s London Independent .

"These were not armed men but mourners returning from a funeral, Shia Muslims of course, shot down by their own Bahraini army yesterday afternoon."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/rob....html
Bahrain Hospital : Bahraini protesters fired upon ,hundreds injured .Hospital staff beaten
Al Jazeera report from the hospital .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZd_qDayvEQ

by JP - PBPA pers cap Sat Feb 19, 2011 17:35

In Iran protesters have also been shot down in cold blood. Support the those in Bahrain, Libya and Iran who atre not afrais to give their lives in the struggle for democracy.

Iranian opposition calls for fresh protests over pair killed during rally

Iran's opposition has called for fresh street protests to commemorate the death of two pro-democracy youths killed during anti-government rallies held last week.

The move came after the Iranian regime launched a new campaign to silence the leaders of the Green Movement in what was seen as the most rigorous crackdown on the opposition since the post-election unrest in 2009.

Opposition websites reported that the rallies are aimed at fighting religious dictatorship and voicing support for former presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi.

"In response to the brutal suppression and killing of the supporters of the Green Movement, we will go out in streets in major squares [of Tehran and other big cities] on Sunday which will mark the seventh day after the death of our martyrs," the official website of Mousavi, Kaleme.org, said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/19/iranian-opp...illed

by JP Sat Feb 19, 2011 17:46

The number of people killed in three days of protests in Libya has risen to 84, according to the New York-based group Human Rights Watch.

The main focus of the demonstrations against Col Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule has been the second city Benghazi, where security forces are said to have attacked protesters again on Saturday.

On Friday, one hospital in the city reported 35 deaths.

State media have warned of retaliation if the unrest continues.

Media restrictions make it difficult to verify reports independently but the BBC has confirmed that websites including Facebook and al-Jazeera Arabic were blocked.

Security forces opened fire in Benghazi on Friday when protesters approached a compound used by Col Gaddafi when he visits the city, which is about 1,000 km (600 miles) from the capital Tripoli, eyewitnesses say.

The city's al-Jala hospital received the bodies of 35 people killed in the shooting, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW) and media reports.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12512536

by JP - PBPA pers cap Sat Feb 19, 2011 17:54

This storyline started with a link to an article on wsws.org Heres an extract from another on the same site which illustratres the true nature of the regime in Iran.

It seems clear, however, that the heavy-handed repression carried out by the Iranian government reflects its fears that, as in Tunisia and in Egypt, protests have the potential to tap into mass popular anger created by rising prices, unemployment and social inequality.

The Iranian government has denounced the demonstrations for undermining its attempts to use the Egyptian revolution to advance its own strategic and political interests. “While the lofty message of the Islamic revolution after 32 years is now inspiring people in Tunisia and Egypt undermining the pillars of global hegemony, Mousavi and Karroubi invited people to come to streets in support of people in Egypt but in fact they have served the agenda of the US and Zionist regime,” a group of 233 pro-government members of parliament said in a statement issued Tuesday.

The reality is that the Iranian revolution of 1979, which overthrew the hated dictatorship of the Shah, was, like the revolution that brought down the US-backed regime of Mubarak in Egypt, a largely secular uprising dominated by the Iranian workers and oppressed. It was the betrayals of existing leaderships in the workers movement—particularly that of the Stalinist Tudeh party—which allowed Ayatollah Khomeini and the Shia clergy to assume control, repress the most militant layers and subordinate the revolution to the interests of the Iranian bourgeoisie.

If the regime now fears the potential for Iranian workers to become involved in a similar mass movement as their counterparts in Egypt, it is because the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in the midst of implementing the most sweeping “free market reforms” that the regime has dared to attempt since 1979.

You may access the rest of the article at: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/feb2011/pers-f16.shtml

by joe Sat Feb 19, 2011 20:23

The wsws article by Bill Van Auken argues that Mousavi's Green Movement - which JP identifies as the Iranian opposition - is to the right of the Ahmadinejad faction in its support for the IMF and its calls for the ending of subsidies to the poor.

The passage immediately after the quote given by JP reads:

“The Green Movement, far from being an opponent of these measures, has criticized the government only for failing to carry them out earlier and more aggressively. Reflecting the interests of more privileged layers of Iranian society, it denounced Ahmadinejad as a populist for “squandering” resources on welfare programs for poorer sections of the population.”

JP quotes the Green Movement's “support for former presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi”.

The wsws article says this about the Green Movement and its leader :

“The Green Movement first launched protests in 2009, based on the claim by Mousavi and his supporters that the elections were fraudulent, and that Ahmadinejad and his supporters had rigged the results. No credible evidence was presented to back these claims, and polling by both Iranian and Western groups largely confirmed the vote. The Greens’ belief in Mousavi’s victory was largely fueled by his lead in the most affluent areas of Tehran, from which the so-called “Green Revolution” emerged.”

Van Auken’s article concludes with this warning :

"To the extent that protests remain politically controlled by the Green Movement, however, they serve social reaction not only in Iran but internationally, as grist for the mill of US imperialism’s propaganda."

by JP Sun Feb 20, 2011 13:53

You are attempting to mislead people. The article rightly criticises the Greens but it is the present Iranian Government which is introducing cutbacks the article makes that clear. But it goes on to make it clear that the Iran Government must be overthrown by a workers revolution.

While the overthrow of the Iranian government and its replacement with a regime directly subordinate to US interests remains a strategic goal of US imperialism, Washington would view the emergence of a genuinely revolutionary movement of the Iranian working class—that is, a challenge from the left rather than the right—with the same hostility it holds toward the independent struggles of the workers in Tunisia, Egypt and countries throughout the region.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/feb2011/pers-f16.shtml

The Iranian protesters also deserve human rights. They do not deserve to be shot down in cold blood. Anyone who supports the Egyptian revolution should also support the Iranians in their struggle for democracy.

by JP Sun Feb 20, 2011 14:02

I am shocked that anyone would attempt to divert attention from the suffering of the Iranian people. Here is another article from wsws.org which shows the economic attacks on the Iranian people by the present regime.

Iran imposes huge increases in fuel and food prices

Iran’s government has imposed massive hikes in the prices of subsidized goods and services, including gasoline, diesel, natural gas, electricity, water and flour. The price hikes, which came into effect last Sunday, are the first stage in what is now expected to be a two-step elimination of the government’s more than $100 billion price-subsidy program.

The price hikes included a trebling of the cost of water and electricity, a fourfold increase in the price of natural gas used in home heating and cooking, and a tenfold increase in natural gas as vehicle fuel. The price of gasoline is being raised by 4 times to 40 cents per liter when bought as part of Iranians’ monthly ration allotment, and by seven times for other purchases. The price of flour has been raised by a factor of 40.

Fearing the popular reaction to the price hikes, the government mobilized security forces in Teheran and other major urban centers. There was reportedly a large police presence at gasoline stations. When the government hiked gasoline prices in 2007, several dozen gasoline stations in Teheran were torched.

There is nothing progressive about the Greens but equally there is nothing progressive about a government which shoots down people in the street.

by Joe Sun Feb 20, 2011 14:19

Yes the struggle for democracy must be supported ,but that can't be done when you identify the opposition to the cuts in subsidies with the Green Movement and the attempt to overturn the results of the 2009 election .

JP clearly identified the opposition with the butcher Mousavi's Green Movement in his/her post of Sat Feb 19, 2011 17:35 .

"The move came after the Iranian regime launched a new campaign to silence the leaders of the Green Movement in what was seen as the most rigorous crackdown on the opposition since the post-election unrest in 2009."

"Opposition websites reported that the rallies are aimed at fighting religious dictatorship and voicing support for former presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi."

by JP Sun Feb 20, 2011 14:37

No one is supporting the Greens here. But wsws.org, the site you link clearly calls for the overthrow of the Iranian Government. You say the Greens will cut subsidies, maybe they would, but the current Iranian Government IS cutting subsidies. It has declared Economic War on the Iranian people and now it is shooting the Iranian people down in the streets.

No honest intelligent person would suggest that the2009 Iranian elections were fair. By so claiming you are undermining support for the people in Libya and Bahrain. You have no credibility.

The Iranian people have the right to demonstrate without being shot down by the militias. Why won't you support them?

by JP Sun Feb 20, 2011 14:42

I was just linking from the BBC first. It is wsws.org that clearly calls for the overthrow of the Iranian Government. But when I linked to that you tried to misrepresent what they had written.

So, for the fourth time, along with wsws.org I believe that the only true revolution in Iran will be one that emerges from the working class and one that specifically opposes any alliance with the US.

By calling people onto the streets the Greens have summoned up a monster that will sweep both the Greens and the Iranian Government away.

by JP Sun Feb 20, 2011 14:53

Heres what Amnesty have to say about the Iranian elections and what followed. The full report is at the url

A year after the most serious human rights violations Iran has witnessed in 20 years, the Iranian authorities continue to shroud the country’s human rights situation in secrecy by avoiding repeated requests made by UN human rights experts and NGOs to visit Iran in order to make independent assessments of the situation.

The aftermath of the June 2009 election witnessed disturbing displays of excessive use of force to disperse peaceful demonstrations. Mass “show trials” followed sweeping and arbitrary arrests of thousands of protesters and individuals critical of the Iranian government. Some were later sentenced to death; others received prolonged prison terms.

Between June 2009 and the end of the year, the authorities acknowledged over 40 deaths; Amnesty International believes the true number of people killed unlawfully to be much higher.

The government held itself above scrutiny as it denounced recommendations by many Human Rights Council members to implement international human rights standards, calling them politically motivated, at the same time ensuring that any voices of dissent in Iran were smothered, ensuring no return to the demonstrations of mid-2009.

The Human Rights Council must not allow the government of Iran to pretend to cooperate with the Council’s procedures while in reality and in spite of a standing invitation to the Special Procedures, Iran shows no sign of receiving any of the seven Special Procedures that have requested to visit the country. It has not received a visit from a Special Procedure since 2005.

Recent developments in Iran again make the requested visits more urgent than ever.

Independent scrutiny of the measures put in place by the Iranian government to curb the rights to freedom of assembly and expression in print or via the electronic media is urgently needed. In the aftermath of the 2009 election, new laws and stricter practices were implemented that served to tighten freedom of expression, especially on the internet. For example, In May 2010, the Head of the Judiciary talked of measures to prevent private SMS messages from creating sedition in society, suggesting that all private communications may be subject to scrutiny, without specifying criteria for investigation.

Students taking part in demonstrations or perceived as critical of the authorities may be expelled from universities, and academics who have expressed views considered unacceptable by the government face removal from their jobs, creating a climate in which scholarship is under attack.

A human rights lawyer who publicly criticized the execution of a juvenile offender in foreign news media is serving a one year prison sentence.

Amnesty International has documented the systematic use of incommunicado detention which heightens the risk of torture or other ill-treatment. Detainees are subjected to torture or other ill-treatment to extract “confessions”. Methods reported include beatings, rape, death threats, and prolonged solitary confinement.

Publicly-aired “confessions” made by detainees deprived of access to a lawyer or their family for weeks or months are far too common.

Most recently, Farzad Kamangar, a teacher and Kurdish rights activist was executed on 9 May 2010. His conviction followed repeated acts of torture. In a 2008 letter he described how, when being interrogated in Tehran, he was asked of his origins. He wrote, “…[A]s soon as I said ‘Kurd’, they flogged me all over my body with a hose- like whip.” He added that his hands and feet had been tied to a bed and his feet, thighs and back were whipped and that he was electrocuted.

The expertise of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions is urgently needed to assess the circumstances that resulted in at least 40 killings according to official figures which took place in the course of demonstrations in the latter half of 2009 and to determine, independently, whether the security forces had any role in the killings, as many Iranians believe.

Evidence arising from the dozens of unmarked graves in cemeteries across Iran and reports that the authorities had shown photo albums containing images of scores of corpses in makeshift morgues to the families of those who had gone missing both suggest that the true number of killings exceed official estimates.

The legal proceedings that led to the executions in January and May 2010 of seven political prisoners, including four Kurds, two of whom were connected to the election unrest demand independent scrutiny.

Individuals continue to be sentenced to death for vaguely worded charge such as “moharebeh” (enmity against God). The authorities seem to use to death penalty as a means to threaten and intimidate demonstrators..

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/054/2010/....html

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party Sun Feb 20, 2011 15:19

try these for context

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=23050

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=23252

by JP Sun Feb 20, 2011 20:12

More news from Iran. To make it clear as attempts are being made to misrepresent everything I post:

1. I do not support the Green Movement. I support the right of Iranian people to protest on the streets just as I support the right of Libyans and Baahrainis to do the same.

2. I believe that these demonstrations in Iran may hasten the end of the Iranian regime and will lead to a workers revolution as does wsws.org.

3. Joe also posts links from the BBC, Guardian etc, he is no more responsible for everything that is at these links than I am.

4. I oppose all US interference in Iran.

5. Iranian people are being murdered on the streets right now by the militias. Anyone who fails to condemn this has blood on their hands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCaIimeOGwU

This amateur video posted on YouTube shows protesters running away from the security forces, who are riding on motorbikes, in Molasadra street in Tehran.

In Kerman, a province in south Iran, protesters have gathered in Kowsar and Azadi squares.

Iran's semi-official FARS news agency, which is under the control of the Revolutionary Guards, has reported that "Tehran is quiet and without any unrest".

"Despite the propaganda by the Zionists' media and the protest call by the opposition in Tehran streets, the city is in complete quiet," it said.

In Zahedan, a city in south-east Iran, hundreds of protesters are marching from Daneshgah street toward Imam Ali square, according to an opposition blog.

In Tabriz, a city in north-west Iran, pro-democracy demonstrators are clashing with riot police in Saat square, according to opposition website Azarbaijan Press News.

Caption: Video Id: oCaIimeOGwU Type: Youtube Video
This amateur video posted on YouTube shows protesters running away from the security forces, who are riding on motorbikes, in Molasadra street in Tehran.

by Workers Support Mon Feb 21, 2011 14:29

Iran: Jailed trade unionist needs urgent medical treatment

Prisoner of conscience Mansour Ossanlu has had a heart attack on 11 February 2011 in Rajai Shahr Prison, Iran. He was transferred to a hospital where he is reportedly shackled to his bed by metal cuffs on hands and feet. Over preceding days contact with his family has been restricted and access to the open air has been limited. We are deeply concerned about his health.

Despite the recommendation by the Coroner, and Medical Examiner, in both 2008 and 2009 that Mansour be treated outside the prison, the authorities continue to refuse to allow him to leave for treatment. Mansour Ossanlu is leader of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed), was arrested on 10 July 2007.

UPDATE 18 FEBRUARY 2011:
Mansour Ossanlu was transferred back to prison on Wednesday 16 February. We are concerned that he will face the very conditions which have lead to his serious health problems.

Background information

In August 2008 Mansour Ossanlu was transferred to Rejai Shahr prison, west of Tehran, where he was placed among prisoners who have been convicted of crimes such as murder, rather than among political prisoners.

He has been denied permission to leave the prison for treatment for pre-existing medical problems, and new ones gained through the denial of access to treatment. He was denied treatment by the case judge, despite a referral by the prison doctor following his fourth medical examination.

Mansour Ossanlu was previously detained for eight months, from December 2005 to August 2006, and again for a month from November to December 2006 in connection with his trade union activities. He had reportedly been sentenced to five years' imprisonment in May 2007, but was believed to be free on bail at the time of his arrest.

In October 2007, upon learning that Ossanlu was at risk of losing his eyesight unless he was given urgent medical treatment that was being denied him by the prison authorities, Amnesty International and the Global Unions mounted an urgent appeal which resulted in his transfer to hospital. Though his eyesight has been saved, he continues to be denied urgently needed medical treatment.

More details at link:

by JP Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:58

From countercurrents. Full article at url.

What began in Tunisia spread to Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Algeria, Bahrain, and now Libya, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The entire region is erupting in protests, mischaracterized as revolutions. They're not, falling far short convulsive, violent, unstoppable tsunamis for change, removing old orders for new ones. So far, they're absent in the region, not even close despite popular passion for change. More on that below...

On February 18, The New York Times said Tunisian protests continued outside various government ministries in Tunis, demanding resignation of interim government officials and release of imprisoned family members. On February 20, Reuters headlined, "Troops fire in air at Tunis protests," saying:

They failed "to disperse tens of thousands of demonstrators in the capital calling for a new interim government," defying a government ban against rallies after earlier protests subsided.

For the second straight day, up to 40,000 gathered in front of the prime minister's office shouting, "Leave!" and "We don't want the friends of Ben Ali!" Others demanded pay raises. ..

Yemeni Protests Continue

On February 20, Al Jazeera reported that security forces used live fire against demonstrators in Sanaa. Clashes between protesters and government troops were reported, both sides firing weapons outside Sanaa University.

Thousands also staged sit-ins in Ibb and Taiz, demanding President Saleh step down after 32 years in power. In Aden, security was tightened with tanks and armored vehicles on city streets...

Iranian Protests

On Sunday, Tehran Vali-Asr and Enghelab square clashes were reported between protesters and security forces. Government officials denied one reported death. Similar demonstrations occurred in Shiraz and Isfahan.

Rahesabz.net said plainclothes Basij security forces arrived in Shiraz, carrying the Iranian flag and blocking entrances to some city streets. Arrests, tear gas, and beatings were reported near Tehran's Sharif University. In contrast, state news agency Fars said the capital remained calm.

However, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported large protests in various cities. The Human Rights House of Iran (RAHANA) said uniformed and plainclothes security forces manned several parts of the capital, and that at least 50 people were detained in Shiraz.

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party Sat Nov 12, 2011 20:56

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=27575

by W. Finnerty Sun Nov 13, 2011 17:14

"Countries in Asia are scrambling to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as full members. Confronted by a belligerent United States, NATO, and Israel intent on toppling the governments of Syria and Iran, the economic, cultural, and de facto collective security pact that comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan announced after its prime ministers' summit in St. Petersburg that SCO would soon be opening its doors for full membership for Pakistan, Iran, and India. The Asian nations want to freeze the United States out of interference in Asia."

"The Bulletin of Atomic Scientist's 'Doomsday Clock,' a measure of how close the world is to nuclear war, now stands at six minutes until midnight. With the machinations of Israel toward Iran, the internal meltdown of Obama's White House staff with the demotion of chief of staff Bill Daley, and the invitation by SCO to Iran to come under the protective security umbrella of Russia and China, the clock has just jumped ahead several minutes."

The above excerpts have been copied from the Global Research Article dated November 10th 2011 at the following Internet location:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=27584

The above information has been sent earlier today to several of our senior politicians and lawyers, including our new President Michael D. Higgins. A copy of the e-mail used can be viewed at the following location:
http://www.humanrightsireland.com/ChiefJusticeSusanDenh...l.htm