By Laleh Khalili
July 15, 1999
The Iranian
we have shambled eternally
through the seven feats and defeats of Rotsam
throughout this interminable redundancy of virile destruction
and murderous patriotism
we - in idolatry of our innumerable heroes -
have slaughtered our sons on city streets
and in dark chambers of infamy,
we have gone unpunished but by memories of murder
damning our eternal existence,
and we will
will
will
be judged and decapitated through
the inevitability of fratricide ... GO
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Protests
Deja Vu
20 years after the revolution
By Arash Markazi
July 16, 1999
The Iranian
A young man holds an unconscious classmate close to his chest as he
runs with several thousand other student protesters. Young women wrapped
in linen from head to toe, attempt to run through the commotion. What was
to be a peaceful demonstration had turned into mass hysteria and total
chaos...
The current protesters, however, do not hold the same memory of what
happened twenty years ago. That's because many of them are not a day older
than twenty themselves. More than half of Iran's population was born after
the revolution, and this youthful contingent was the main reason why Mohammed
Khatami won the 1997 presidential election ... GO
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Thursday
July 15, 1999
Protests
Now what?
Three possibilities following the student protests
By Mark J. Gasiorowski
July 15, 1999
The Iranian
I think Ayatollah Khamenei certainly cannot sit back and play on the
dissatisfaction that has emerged. Even if the student demonstrators are
crushed in the next few days, Khamenei and the conservatives now have a
major problem on their hands. If they do not make major concessions to
the students' demands, the unrest that we have seen in the last few days
will almost certainly reemerge, and it may well spread beyond the universities.
If so, the conservatives will be forced to rely increasingly on repression,
transforming the populist Islamic regime that has existed since the revolution
into an Islamic dictatorship. This may work in the short term, but in the
long term I believe it is simply not viable. Iran is not China, and the
Tienanmen Square approach just will not work there ... GO
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Wednesday
July 14, 1999
Protests
Gridlock
Student protests, the government and the constitution
By Guive Mirfendereski
July 14, 1999
The Iranian
Iran is in the grip of the early stages of a constitutional reform movement,
which is brought about, inevitably and unavoidably, by a constitution which,
as a friend has put it, is a blueprint for gridlock. Gridlock, maintained
for too long, even if it is in the natural order of constitutional checks
and balances, is a recipe for disaster, because nothing of good can get
accomplished, while everything evil remains unaffected ... GO
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Also
see latest protest photos
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Tuesday
July 13, 1999
Protests
Great pain
Eyewitness accounts of tension in Tehran
July 13, 1999
The Iranian
Eyewitness reports by of recent student protests. The first two are
from today's events near Tehran University, written by S.M.A. The other
is from a few nights ago originally posted on the Iran News alias, forwarded
by Payman Arabshahi. Also
see photos from various news agencies.
Report 1
Near the University of Tehran. Noon.
Two major prongs on the east and west side of the university making
evasive moves. Just two hours ago there was nothing to report. Now, burning
tires and newspapers, refuge from tear gas
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Monday
July 12, 1999
Cover story
The spark
... that ignited nation-wide student protests
July 12, 1999
The Iranian
An eyewitness account of the scene of an incident that sparked nation-wide
protests at universities. On Thursday July 8 the security forces backed
by hardline thugs clashed with student protesters at Tehran University's
dorms in Amirabad. The students were protesting against the closure of
the moderate Salam newspaper when they were attacked. Scores of
students were injured and hundreds were arrested. The unconfirmed death
toll is at least three. (See
photo index)
The attack began at the dorms closest to the main gate. Some students
ran to a set of dorms further inside the compound, and they were pursued.
The worst damage was to the inner dorms -- dorm 20, particularly. Room
40 in that building was completely burned. I mean BURNED! It
was a horrific site.
In the corridors, my eyes felt irritated. Tear gas! Most
rooms were trashed. Windows broken, doors
kicked in. There were signs of fire in the corridors -- the size that
one would expect for the purpose of fighting off tear gas. Around the campus
there was plenty of broken
glass ... GO
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