Information All Star

Riot Police attacked hundreds of demonstrators with tear gas and fired their guns into the air to disperse a rally in central Tehran on Monday, carrying a threat by Iran’s most powerful security force, Revolutionary Guard, to crush further opposition protests over the disputed and highly publicized presidential election more than a week ago.

The Revolutionary Guard ordered demonstrators to “end the sabotage and rioting activities” and said their resistance was a “conspiracy” against Iran.

Reports said helicopters hovered overhead as approximately 200 protesters gathered. Hundreds of anti-riot police quickly put an end to the demonstration and prevented any gathering, even small groups, at the scene. Police did not allow anyone to stand still, asking people to keep on walking and separating people who were walking together.

A statement posted on the guards’ website warned protesters to “be prepared for a resolution and revolutionary confrontation with the guards, Basij and other security forces and disciplinary forces”. Read more…

The death of Neda serves as a rallying cry for freedom in Iran and around the world.

Amid the thousands of images of Saturday’s crackdown on protesters in Iran that is circulating in the Internet, it was the very graphic video showing the dying seconds of a young woman touched a nerve for many people around the world.

Neda was protesting in Tehran together with his father, against the alleged electoral fraud that took place during lran’s presidential election last week, when the pro-government militia Basiji sniper shot her straight in the heart. The gunman is said to have been hiding on the rooftop of a civilian house.

The graphic footage that has gone viral on the Internet shows the woman known as Neda collapsing onto the pavement of Karegeh Street as her eyes roll back and blood begins pouring out of her mouth and nose while her father and fellow protesters tried saving her life desperately. Read more…

After videos and images were shown around the world of mass protests and violence following the disputed election, the government on Tuesday cracked down on journalists. Iranian authorities are restricting all journalists working for foreign media from covering the election protests against the winner of last Friday’s election, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The rules cover all journalists, including Iranians working for foreign media. It blocks images and eyewitness descriptions of the protests and violence that has followed last week’s disputed elections.

The order issued Tuesday limits journalists for foreign media to work only from their offices, conducting telephone interviews and monitoring official sources such as state television.

The crackdown on journalists prevent media outlets from sending independent photos or video of street protests or rallies. Read more…