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‘Where are their votes’

Support IRANIANS in their struggle for Peace & Democracy

AIDA has had contact with several friends in Iran. They send us their experiences by mail. Internet has become the most important source for information these days. Here you’ll find a couple of the emergency calls that we received. 

Nothing more but deep green and loud silence!!

25 06 2009 – Maryam – Tehran
I am safe and sound. My relatives won’t let me out of house any more! The injustice of it all is killing. Surely you have seen that girl "Neda" dieing on street. Right now, there is a huge amount of depression in Tehran. No one is out. It’s not like the first days that we did walk in peace. There’s lots of pressure in every family these days, I’m not out anymore. They say that you have to bring your last words with you on streets, because no one knows what’s going to happen for you in such gathering anymore. These military guys and some other people (Basij) are everywhere with guns and even swords. You won’t believe me. It’s like cartoons. I don’t believe it either. They have huge cars like the ones with refrigerators to carry arrested people away and there are snipers on the roofs. They actually are killing everyday, lots and lots of people just for showing their disagreement.Saturday, firemen were washing the blood off the streets till midnight. It’s unbelievable. Too scary. But… Although people are scared away by these monsters(that you really would not believe what they’re doing to these innocent, lovable crowd) I think that this movement was completely positive for Iranians. I feel sorry for all the loved ones who died during these days, I wish I was dead instead of all these young fresh girls and boys, but now I know that there’s no need to create a historic public sense of depression. It’s probably a long term thing. people have lost their trust in this fake system and as long as they kill this energy to burst out, they going to make the next explosion louder. So, thanks to all of you  I felt an always can feel your warm friendship even from distance. There are real problems with the internet. I can not enter my inbox anymore and the seed is too low.
 

P.s:
I’m going to make a experimental documentary soon. I’m not sure if we talked about it. But it is about people who live in suburbs of Tehran and each day, they go to Tehran to work. I’m going to use some signs of these day’s incidents in it, because there is something really weird about daily lives of people these days. They just can not return to their previous normal lives. It’s a photo roman, of course!

20 06 2009 – Maryam – Tehran
Today they have killed about 80 people and there ’s no report about it. Sorry that I’m sending you this painful picture but I thought some one out there should know. They had shot people, burnt them with boiling water and bit every who crossed the streets today.

15 06 2009 – Hossein- Shiraz
My Dear 
Iran is in really hot days, we are shocked  and actually don’t know what will happen to us it is like the story in the books. Stay in touch.

15 06 2009 – Hamed – Esfahan
Thanks for your worries. The situation is really hard. By my side ,  our street is the heart of the war. Tonight they killed a boy in Esfahan by gun in Mir street near our home. I am really in pressure when I am at work , worrying about my parents and Aida and my brother Farhoud. There are a lot of Private Clothed Persons who hurt people without any reason and  thinking. Nothing is clear. I really don’t know what I do have to say.
Take care.

16 06 2009 – Maryam – Tehran
I have never seen such a huge national depression. Everybody seem dead and what is so sad is that I presume they will get used to it and this
is going to be forgotten just like previous events. I don’t know if you hear and see what is really happening or not. They have cut all the contacts between individuals (satellites, SMS, face book, are gone). Davood, one of my friends, has received a warning on his phone call. I don’t know how scary is that, may be they are just randomly choose the numbers to scare people off. And on Sunday night, the bastards attack girl’s dormitory, bit them, four girls have gone blind and killed one(I think one). I was living in that dormitory for a while. I can not tell anyone really how I feel. As you see, I can not even write and narrate it properly. I’m just full of hatred. Everyone is. This is all the people of Iran not some and they’re ignoring us.  this monkey has called us "Dust" in his speech. Some dust that will blow away soon. Yesterday there were  millions of people on streets. Walked from Ferdowsi to Azadi Square (this is a very very long way) and it was hopeful to see all of people out, despite the awareness that the guards have permission to shoot us directly since yesterday and they killed one by the end of the day. Two others were wounded. Those who do not dare to walk out, they just use the horns of their cars and you wouldn’t believe how pleasant this annoying noise can be.And all the passers by walk with their hands up and show the sign of victory. Pray and teach me some new oaths to call these bastards

16 06 2009 – Alireza – Tehran
I left my home in Tajrish along with my family at 3 p.m. We went down Valiast Street which is the main northern-southern avenue in Tehran and entered the Evin Exp’way which leads to Enghelab Street. We knew that people are supposed to gather in Enghelab Sq. (Revolution Sq.) at 4 and march toward Azadi Sq. (Freedom Sq.). From Gisha Bridge onwards, we saw people walking down. Cars were blowing their horns and people were showing victory sign. We went to Navvab Street and parked our car at the end of the street. Then we took a taxi to bring us back to the Enghelab Street. On our way, near Jomhouri Sq. (Republic Sq.), I saw a group of about 20 militia with long beards and batons on motorbikes. My hand was out of the car window with a little green ribbon (the sign of reformists) around my finger. One of the militia told me to throw that ribbon away. I showed him a finger. All of a sudden, about 15 people attacked me inside the car. They beat me with their batons and wanted to pull me out. My wife and my daughter who were sitting in the back seat cried and hold me tight. I also hold myself tight on the chair. They wanted to shatter the car windows. The driver went out and explained that he is a taxi and we are his passengers and he has no fault. After about 5 minutes,they left. My elbow hurts severely. Then, a young man from their group came and kissed my elbow! I told him: You know, I don’t hate you. I am like you with the only difference that I know more and you are ignorant. He apologized and left. We joined the crowd in Enghelab Street.

Read carefully: What I saw today was the most elegant scene I had ever witnessed in my life. The huge number of people were marching hand in hand in full peace. Silence. Silence was everywhere. There was  no slogan. No violence. Hands were up in victory sign with green ribbons. People carried placards which read: Silence. Old and young, man and woman of all social groups were marching cheerfully. This was a magnificent show of solidarity. Enghelab Street which is the widest avenue in Tehran was full of people. I was told that the march has begun in Ferdowsi Sq. and the end of the march was now in Imam Hossein Sq. to the further east of Tehran while on the other end people  had already gathered in Azadi Sq. The length of this street is about 6 kilometers. The estimate is about 2 million people. On the way, we passed a police department and a militia (Baseej) base. In both places, the doors were closed and we could see fully-armed riot police and militia watching the people from behind the fences. Near Sharif University of Technology where the students had chased away Ahmadinejad a few days ago, Mirhossein Mousavi (the reformist elect president) and Karrubi (the other reformist candidate spoke to people for a few minutes which was received by cries of praise and applause. I felt proud to find myself among such a huge number of passionate people who were showing the most reasonable act of protest. Frankly, I didn’t expect such a political maturity from emotional Iranians who easily get excited. My family and I had put stickers on our mouths to represent the suppression. Placards that people carried were different; from poems by the national poet Ahmad Shamlu to light-hearted slogans against Ahmadinejad. Examples include: " To slaughter us/ why did you need to invite us / to such an elegant party" (Poem by Shamlu). " Hello! Hello! 999? / Our votes were stolen" or " The Miracle of the Third Millenium: 2 x 2 = 24 millions" (alluding to the claim by Government that Ahmadinejad obtained 24 million votes) , "Where is my vote?" , " Give me back my vote" and many other.

We arrived in Azadi Square where the entire square was full of population. It is said that around 500,000 people can be accommodated in this huge square and it was full. Suddenly we saw smoke from Jenah Freeway and heard the gunshot. People were scared at first but then went forward. I just heard the gunshots but my sister who had been on the scene at that part told me later that she saw 4 militia came out from a house and shot a girl. Then they shot a young boy in his eye and the bullet came out of his ear. She said that 4 people were shot. At least one person dead has been confirmed. People arrested one of the Baseeji militia but the three others ran away when they ran out of bullet. At around 8 we went back on foot. On the way back people were still in the street and were chanting Allah Akbar (God is  Great).  I was coming home at around 2 a.m. In parkway, I saw about ten buses full of armed riot police parked on the side of the street. Then I saw scattered militia in civil clothes with clubs in hand patroling the empty streets. In Tajrish Square, I saw a very young boy (around 16) with a club who was looking at the cars to see if he can find something to attack. I don’t know how and under what teachings can young boys change into militia.

I came home. Tomorrow, people will gather again in Valiasr Square for another peaceful march toward the IRIB building which controls all the media and which spreads filthy lies. The day before Yesterday, Ahmadinejad had hold his victory ceremony. Government buses had transported all his supporters from nearby cities. There was full coverage of that ceremony where fruit juice and cake was plenty. A maximum of 100,000 had gathered to hear his speech. These included all the militia and the soldiers and all supporters he could gather by the use of free TV publicity. Today, at least 2 million came only relying on word of mouth while reformists have no newspaper, no radio, no TV. All their internet sites are filtered as well as social networks such as facebook. Text messaging and mobile communication was also cut off during the demonstration. Since yesterday, the Iranian TV was announcing that there is no license for any gathering and riot police will severely punish anybody who may demonstrates. Ahmadinejad called the opposition as a bunch of insignificant dirt who try to make the taste of victory bitter to the nation. He also called the western leaders as a bunch of "filthy homosexuals". All these disgusting remarks was today answered by that largest demonstration ever. Older people compared the demonstration of today with the Ashura Demonstration of 1979 which marks the downfall of the Shah regime and even said that it outnumbered that event.

The militia burnt a house themselves to find the excuse to commit violence. People neutralized their tactic to a large degree by their solidarity, their wisdom and their denial to enage in any violent act.  I feel sad for the loss of those young girls and boys. It is said that they also killed 3 students last night in their attack at Tehran University residence halls. I heard that a number of professors of Sharif University and AmirKabir University (Tehran Polytechnic) have resigned. Democracy is a long way ahead. I may not be alive to see that day. With eyes full of tear in these early hours of Tuesday 16th June 2009, I glorify the courage and bravery of those martyrs and I hope that their blood will make every one of us more committed to freedom, to democracy and to human rights.  Viva Freedom, Viva Democracy, Viva Iran
 
17 06  2009 – Maryam – Tehran
Yesterday Ahmadinejad asked his people(which I really don’t who they are, but they surely are not 24 million) to come out in street. There were people who are not pleased with the disturbances of these days! Attacking people at home and killing young girls in dormitory in the middle of night is not disturbances? They have guns on the roofs and people are showing their anger in complete piece. Yesterday there was no sound from us. All wore black and marched on in complete silence. People stood in front of the institution of Television and sat with their back to the institute. Governmental dogs were taking photos and films everywhere. Although all have covered their faces, too many were scared.
And the most injustice is watching Obama saying that he is not sure about what has happened in Iran and people should decide about their fate. Isn’t it obvious? We are alone. There is no such thing as human right in here. I hope I’m not passing the depression to you. Say hello to everyone and take care.

18 06  2009 – Maryam – Tehran
The internet is shit. I will send you the photos one by one and if you can put it on internet, please do. These are the names of people who were killed in dormitory: Fateme Baraati – Kasra Sharafi – Mina Ehterami – Kambiz  Shoaee – Mohsen Imani

Thanks -  Maryam