IRAN RISES

Akbar Alami had been a member of an underground Islamic guerilla group. After the revolution, he was elected to the Sixth and Seventh Majlises. He then tried to run in the currently-contested elections, but was disqualified by the authorities. Although his website gives no indication of this, Azerbaijanists considered him an ally.
Now, as the crisis in Iran deepens, on June 16, twenty five plainclothes police stormed Akbar Alami’s residence and smashed it up pretty bad. According to his website, they were armed with truncheons and at least four were armed with pistols. The results of their handiwork can also be seen on his website. They even smashed up cars owned by the neighbors. He added that one blessing in disguise of this event was that the neighborhood could now understand what the people in the rest of the country were suffering–a rather stark indication that this kind of violence has yet to be visited on Tabriz.
(گرچه در اثر این حادثه ناگوار بنده و همسایگان دچار خسارت های مالی قابل توجهی شدیم و دهها زن و کودک بی گناه نیز به شدت هراسان و وحشت زده گشتند ،با این وجود جای خوشحالی است که بعضی از کارگزارن احمدی نژاد و جمعی از نمایندگان و مسئولان امر هم از نزدیک طعم وحشت و آنچه را که در برخی از نقاط کشور بر مردم کوچه و بازار روا داشته می شود ،با گوشت و پوست و استخوان خود لمس کردند و کم و بیش با یکی از شیوه های حمله ناجوانمردانه بعضی از گروههای موسوم به “لباس شخصی ها” به مردم و دانشجویان بی پناه آشنا گشتند! لذا جا دارد تا به بعضی از مسئولان امر که از وظایف و تعهدات شرعی و قانونی خود عدول می کنند پیشنهاد کنم که کلاهشان را قدری بالاتر بگذارند!)

Nima khan, thank you for this link. I’d overlooked it. Here’s my translation:

Azərbaycanlı jurnalist: “İranın azərbaycanlılar yaşayan vilayətlərində də etiraz aksiyaları olur”
Azerbaijani journalist:
“There are also protests in the Iranian provinces populated by Azerbaijanis.”
By Emil Quliyev
19/06/2009

İranda 12 iyun prezident seçkilərinin nəticələrinə qarşı etiraz aksiyalarında Mahmud Əhmədinejadın seçkilərdə qalib elan olunmasına qəzəblənənlər və Mir Hüseyn Musəvinin tərəfdarları iştirak edib.Cənab Musəvinin seçki kampaniyasının fəallarından Tehrandakı Etimadı Milli qəzetinin müxbiri Səid Purheydərin sözlərinə görə, seçkilərin münaqişələrə səbəb olan nəticəsi elan ediləndən sonra saxtakarlığa yol verildiyinə inanan Musəvi tərəfdarları və başqaları nümayişlərəbaşladılar.
In the protests against the results of the June 12 Iranian presidential elections, in which Mahmud Ahmadinejad was allegedly fraudulently elected, protests in which Mir Hosein Musavi’s supporters participated, according to one of the active supporters of Mr. Musavi’s election campaign, the Tehran E`temad-e Melli journal’s reporter Said Purheidar, as a result of the electoral contest being considered fake by the supporters of Musavi and others, they began to demonstrate.

Cənab Purheydərin sözlərinə görə, bu hadisədən 2-3 gün sonra Mir Hüseyn Musəvi tərəfdarlarını sakitliyə və dinc nümayişlərə çağırdı. O deyir ki, Tehranda milyonlarla insanın aksiyalara qoşulmasının şahidi oluruq. Musəvinin seçki kampaniyasının fəalı iyunun 18-də keçirilən nümayişi İran tarixində görünməmiş bir aksiya kimi qiymətləndirir.
According to Mr. Purheidar, two or three days after this event, Mir Hosein Musavi’s supporters called for silent and peaceful processions. He said that he witnessed a million people participating in the action. The June 18 demonstration by Musavi’s election campaign will go down in Iranian history as an unparalleled action.

Səid Purheydərin sözlərinə görə, insanlar ümidvardı ki, hakimiyyət toplaşan insanları görüb, xalqın iradəsi və istəyini nəzərə alacaq, seçkilərin nəticələrini ləğv edərək, azad və ədalətli şəkildə yenidən seçki keçirəcək. O, Tehran əhalisinin əksəriyyətinin seçkilərin saxtalaşdırıldığına inandığının bildirir. “Bu insanlar seçkilərin doğru nəticələrini görməyincə nümayişləri davam etdirəcək”-deyə o bildirir.
According to Said Purheidar, the people hoped that the the government would see the rallying people and consider the popular will and void the electoral results and hold free and fair elections. He believes that a majority of the people of Tehran consider the elections fraudulent. “As long as the people do not consider the elections fair, they will continue the elections,” he said.

İranda nümayişlərin təşkilatçılığından danışan cənab Purheydər bütün telekommunikasiya vasitələrinə qadağalar qoyulduğunu, telefon və mesaj sisteminin kəsildiyini, qəzetlərə senzura tətbiq olunduğunu, bəzi qəzetlərin səhifələrinin hətta boş çıxdığını vurğulayıb. O deyir ki, ölkədə İnternetin sürəti zəiflədilib, veb saytlara filterlər yerləşdirilib. Səid PurHeydər deyir ki, bütün bu məhdudiyyətlərə baxmayaraq, etiraz aksiyalarının təşkili barədə məlumat dildən-dilə və yaxud öncəki gün keçirilmiş nümayişlər zamanı elan edilməklə yayılır. Etimadı Melli qəzetinin müxbiri bildirir ki, Tehranla yanaşı İranın azərbaycanlılar yaşayan Təbriz, Urmiyə kimi şəhərlərində də nümayişlər qeydə alınıb: “Urmiyadan alının son məlumatlar yaxşı xəbərlər deyil. Eşitmişəm ki, soydaşlarımız şəhid olub. Bu xəbəri nə təsdiq, nə də təkzib edə bilirəm. Cənab Musəvi türk olduğuna görə, Təbriz, Urmiyə, Zəncan, Ərdəbil kimi şəhərlərdə o daha çox səs toplayıb. Seçkidən sonrakı etiraz aksiyaları zamanı isə çoxsaylı dostlarımızı həbs ediblər. Onların hamısı indi zindandadırlar”.
Speaking of the organization of the demonstrations in Iran, Mr. Purheidar reported that all telecommunications connections remain banned, telephone and message systems are cut, the journalis are censored so that some of them even publish empty pages. He continued that in this country, internet connections are weakened and web sites are filtered. Said Purhaidar said that despite all these limitations, news of the organization of the protest demonstrations are spread by word of mouth or announced during the previous demonstration. The E`temad-e Melli reporter stated that along with Iranians living in Tehran, Azerbaijanis living in cities like Tabriz and Urmia have also promised to hold demonstrations. “The latest news from Urmia is not good. I have heard that some of my neighbors have been killed. I don’t think this news is either confirmed or denied. Since Mr. Musavi is a Turk, he received many votes in cities like Tabriz, Urmia, Zanjan, Ardebil. In the protests occurring after the elections, many of my friends were imprisoned. All of them are still in prison.

Səid Purheydərin sözlərinə görə, insanlar istədiklərinə nail olana kimi mübarizələrini davam etdirəcəklər.
According to Said Purheidar, the people will continue their struggle until their their demands are met.

İsmayıl Cəvadi: “Urmiyədə etiraz aksiyaları iki gün davam edib”
Ismail Javidi: The Urmia protests demonstrations have continued for two days.

By Emil Quliyev
17/06/2009

İranın azərbaycanlılar yaşayan şəhərlərində də 12 iyun prezident seçkilərinin elan edilən nəticələrinə qarşı etiraz aksiyası keçirilib. Urmiyədə yaşayan azərbaycanlı jurnalist İsmayıl Cəvadinin sözlərinə görə, ilk iki gündə etiraz aksiyaları keçirilsə də, hazırda şəhərdə sakitlikdir. Buna səbəb isə polisin şəhəri ciddi nəzarətdə saxlamasıdır.

In the Iranian cities in which Azerbaijanis live, too, there have been protest demonstrations against the announced results of the election. According to Ismail Javadi, an Azerbaijani journalist who lives in Urmia, after two days of demonstrations, the city is quiet. The reason for this is that the city’s police have kept it under close supervision.

Here is an interview by Emil Quliyev of Ismail Javadi.

Here is a summary of the interview by my friend Nima. I have edited it a bit for style.

Q: How did Azerbaijanis generally participate in the elections, and how did they act during the elections and how did they react to the results in Urmia, after the official announcement of the results of the election, then and now?
A: After the announcement of the results of the elections, that Ahamadinejad was declared the elected president, many cities in Azerbaijan, just as some other cities from around Iran, such as Urmia, Zanjan, and Tabriz, witnessed the public reaction. In Urmia and Tabriz, the people were in the streets, and Musavi’s supporters’ slogans were for the nullification of the voting and the election results. Unfortunately, the mass civil protests and complaints were met harshly by the police and security forces. Despite the government’s declaration in all media that these were “illegal protests,” people went out to protest and took to the streets. Following harsh police reactions, there had been at least 30 arrested in Urmia and many injured and hurt.
Q: How about today, in Urmia?
A: Urmia is quiet and nothing to report, but yesterday (last night) Urmia students protested (in the university) and it is reported that in the confrontation between the police and students, glass was shattered; nothing happened in Urmia according to reports; it is “quiet” now; however, in the days ahead, widening and renewed protests are to take place, as was heard among the people. In Tabriz, where students had some severe clashes with the police, the police are in the streets.
Q: Mousavi supporters are due out tomorrow again; how about in Urmia? Are they getting ready to protest anew?
It appears that tomorrow, in Urmia, there will be a gathering in Imam Street; students and the general public are ready and willing to be out (and face the government forces); but it is not clear what the situation will be tomorrow. If it is anything like the past days, there will be more difficulties about the gatherings again.
Q: What is the local and official print media saying about these recent developments? Are they disseminating anything at all about these events?
A: Official papers and media indicate that 30 have been arrested; among journalists –many well-known journalists in Tehran– been arrested and are in jail. In other cities journalists of the local press were and are having major difficulties, and are unable to print/write/publish.
In Tehran, the journal Andishe-ye Now ["Yeni Fekr"], which is Mousavi’s paper, had a large picture/portrait of Mousavi and quotations from him indicating that he is willing to be among people in any way he can, tomorrow, to defend people’s voices.

Update June 25, 2009: A friendly Iranian Azerbaijani blogger has the following to say about the subject matter at hand: http://advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/farzin/. We thank him for his kind words about our blog.

Update June 25, 2009: The Twittersphere is all atwitter about a strike in the Tabriz bazaar. As usual, there is absolutely no proof that it ever happened. The Tabriz bazaar did close last October over a government-proposed value added tax.
Revisit this note for further updates.