"Mubarak, Ben Ali, now it's time for ..."

"For all of its empty talk about Egypt, the government of Iran should allow the Iranian people the same universal right to peacefully assemble and demonstrate in Tehran that the people are exercising in Cairo."
- White House national security spokesman Tommy Vietor

”We wish the opposition and the brave people in the streets across cities in Iran the same opportunity that they saw their Egyptian counterparts seize in the last week.” She added, ”We are against violence and we would call to account the Iranian government that is once again using its security forces and resorting to violence to prevent the free expression of ideas from their own people.”
- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton




Video from Feb 14, 2011 protests against Ahmadinejad in Tehran

An eyewitness in Tehran today reports for the BBC:

Mohsen Asgari
BBC News, Tehran

"Riding on the back of a motorbike, holding my mobile to take video footage, I went to central Tehran on Monday afternoon. My driver skilfully found back alleys to reach Azadi (Freedom) Square, the Iranian counterpart of Egypt's Tahrir Square.

Thousands of people made their way amicably and silently towards the square, most of them young. Many wore trainers, suggesting they were anticipating having to run away from the security forces to escape arrest.

Riot police began to disperse the crowd before they even started the rally. Men on motorbikes belonging to the police and Republican Guards charged the protesters and beat them severely with batons. However, this merely emboldened them.

When the troops fired tear gas at the crowd, it became very difficult to breathe. Some girls and women fainted. Many of the protesters were also detained. Others set rubbish bins on fire to combat the effects of the gas.

My driver was hit by a paintball fired by a policeman and lightly injured, but he was still able to drive me back to the office. Once there, I was shocked to see that official and semi-official news agencies were saying everything was normal when for a couple of hours there had been total chaos."

The World Needs to Keep its Eyes on Iran

Against the Light - سهراب - Sohrab
29"x69" oil on screen 2009 (detail)

"Also arrested were the mother and brother of Sohrab Aarabi, a young Iranian man slain during protests in June."
- Los Angeles Times - 28 December 2009
Leading Iranian dissidents arrested, body of Mousavi's nephew missing


"This is a very important moment in Iranian history, and it is probably time to start asking whether Iran's uprising could become a Berlin Wall moment. It's not just an issue of the sporadic protests once or twice a month... It's also one of the most vibrant and imaginative civil disobedience campaigns anywhere in the world."
- Robin Wright, author of "Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East," from a conversation with CNN.

"Neda is not dead. This government is dead!": A Day of Mourning in Iran & Around the World

Behesht-e Zahra / Tehran today - July 30, 2009 / Zahra Rhanvard (Mousavi's Wife) #iranelection #neda #sohrab


The Call - ندا -Neda

40 days after Neda Agha Soltan's murder, thousands of Iranians have gathered at the graves of those killed by Ahmadinejad's government. Today, at least 3,000 mourners pushed past riot squads to lay flowers on Neda's grave. A chant heard at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery today declared, "Neda is not dead. This government is dead." The Los Angeles Times reports that the security forces, after an initial flurry of arrests in and around Behest Zahra, retreated from the growing crowd. Noted Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi, Mahnaz Mohammadi, and Rokhsare Ghaem Maghami were briefly arrested then released.

Enduring America reports:

Etemade Melli has an account of Mehdi Karroubi’s appearance at the memorial, including the resistance of mourners when security forces accosted him, and of his speech. The English translation, courtesy of Mani:

Karroubi walked towards Neda Agha Soltan’s resting place, surrounded by a large group of people. The special forces attacked him and tried to disperse and separate the people from “the reform sheikh” [Karroubi] by beating them with clubs and pepper spray. The police encountered stiff resistance from the people, and Karroubi held his ground and stated strongly that he is staying in this place.

Karroubi sat beside Neda Agha Soltan’s grave and accompanied the people by reading the Fateheh [the prayer for the dead] for Neda. The Prayer was read with protest intonations. Afterwards Hojjatoleslam Hadi Ghaffari joined Karroubi and spoke to the people for a few minutes. During Karroubi’s speech, the security forces had a conflict with the people and arrested some individuals. These forces were confronted with slogans like “let him go, let him go” and flowers by the people [police presumably released those arrested].

Mehdi Karroubi, after spending an hour with the people, moved to the exit and his vehicle, accompanied by a large number of people chanting

From the Los Angeles Times: "Thousands of protesters continue to mourn Neda Agha-Soltan and other protester deaths in Iran. Amateur video taken near Behesht Zahra cemetery shows an endless sea of mourners chanting Mir-Hossein Mousavi's name, waving green pieces of fabric, and holding up victory signs."








Today in Tehran - July 30, 2009 - On the Metro to Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery
From the Los Angeles Times: "Protesters have been making use of the metro system, which runs next to Behesht Zahra. Here, protesters riding the metro chant "Death to Russia" and "Death to China" to the tune used to support the Esteghlal soccer club in Tehran."

What's next in Iran? Khamenei will officially endores Ahmadinejad as President on August 3rd, the inauguration at Majlis will be held on August 5th. Huge protests are expected

Much more at:
IRAN: Crowd of thousands overwhelms security forces
the latest from iran 30 julymemorial-day

United 4 Iran: We Can Be Heroes - July 25, 2009

Green Scroll Unveiled in Paris - July 25, 2009


David Bowie's "Heroes" for the people of Iran. Amsterdam rallies - July 25, 2009


To the People of Iran: "We have heard your voices. We are with you!"
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu


Reza Aslan - "Stand Up for Iran"


Shirin Ebadi - Message of Support for Iran



Artists 4 Freedom is international in scope and is located between London, Barcelona, Lisbon and Berlin.
Link Below:
Artists 4 Freedom

United 4 Iran Presents Arts Program for Peace at UCLA

United 4 Iran Presents Arts Program for Peace at UCLA

Date/Time:
Jul 25 2009 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Price:
Free to the public
Where:
UCLA Bruin Plaza
308 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles CA 90024

United4Iran event at UCLA
Desmond Tutu and other Nobel Peace Laureates, Iranian Poets and Artists Support July 25th Global Day of Action Protests in Iran Continue - Global Activism Increasing



In Los Angeles a coalition of student organizations, United4Iran.org, Levantine Cultural Center and others are presenting an evening of music, poetry, speeches and solidarity messages on Saturday, July 25, from six to nine pm. Among the presents/performers are Sussan Deyhim, Maz Jobrani, Mamak Khadem and Naked Rhythm.

A press release from United4Iran quotes several prominent leaders and others:

"We deplore the violence and crackdown on peaceful protesters, the increasing restrictions on civil liberties, and the imprisonment of a growing number of civil leaders in Iran. " —Archbishop Destmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate, 1984

"If one country sincerely wants to support democracy in another country that is under dictatorial rule, the only thing to do is to support the freedom fighters who stand for the democratic institutions of that country. Done this way, the sapling of democracy will bear the flower of freedom." —Shirin Ebadi, Iranian human rights activist, Nobel Peace Laureate, 2003

"The Iranian leadership is violating the country's own commitments to international human rights treaties, as well as contravening Iran's own laws." —Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate, 1976

"We call for the release of all political prisoners, the secession of violence against protesters, and respect for human rights and civil liberties in Iran." —Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate, 1997

The two most prominent living Iranian poets, Ismael Khoie, and Simin Behbahani, who lives in Tehran, have joined the Global Day of Action. Dariush, socially conscious singer and Iranian cultural icon, will perform at the Washington D.C. United4Iran rally.

Desmond Tutu, Shirin Ebadi, Mairead Maguire and Jody Williams are available for interviews.

Los Angeles and more then 55 cities around the world solidarity rallies are planned in support of civil and human rights for the Iranian people and for an end to the violence. Check www.united4Iran.org for a full list of participating cities and supporting organizations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, FIDH, International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Nobel Women's Initiative and Peacejam



I am eager to share with you an interview I did with Artists 4 Freedom on my paintings for Iran.
Artists 4 Freedom is international in scope and is located between London, Barcelona, Lisbon and Berlin,
Here's the link. Please feel free to comment on the site.
Artists 4 Freedom

U2 Features Images of Iran in Concert

U2 Amsterdam July 21, 2009, originally uploaded by u2log.com.

U2 adds images of the protests in Iran to the live presentation of Sunday, Bloody Sunday.



Update:
U2 Now Scrolls Rumi Poem Azadi in Solidarity With Artists 4 Freedom

More shots at:
U2 Log

Grünes Berlin

U2 Paints Berlin green for Iran
(Sunday Bloody Sunday for Iran - Live in Berlin - July 18, 2009)

Update:
U2 Now Scrolls Rumi Poem Azadi in Solidarity With Artists 4 Freedom



Artists 4 Freedom in support of Iran:
Artists 4 Freedom

Text of the Rumi Poem Here:
U2 Scrolls Rumi Poem During Barcelona Concert

July 7, 2009 Video in Milan Can Be Found Here:
U2Goes Green Again for Iran in Milan



"Our private lives continuously intersect with the history of our time."
-Huston Smith

Photos From Today's Protests in Iran - July 9, 2009

"Our private lives continuously intersect with the history of our time."
-Huston Smith

Revolution '09 موج سبز

Revolution '09 موج سبز, originally uploaded by greggchadwick.

Gregg Chadwick
Revolution '09 موج سبز
48"x36" oil on linen 2009
(in progress - the revolution and the painting)

An Iranian citizen writes from Tehran:
(from Andrew Sullivan)

"I remember September 11, 2001. I remember watching TV all day worried and sad. I remember holding candlelight vigils with my friends for the victims. Then George W. Bush went on to declare us as one of the “Axis of Evil.” I remember asking myself, “Why?” Not a single one of the terrorists was Iranian, and I wondered why he didn’t bother to make a distinction between the government and the people. In fact, in all of the Middle East I don’t think there is a more pro-American nation than Iran, but no one made such a distinction. Consequently, the Iranian people were viewed with an aura of suspicion in every airport and embassy around the world for the rest of the Bush administration."

"But all of that unfounded negative stereotyping came to an end when, in the aftermath of the elections, the nation stood up to the manipulative authorities and separated its account from that of the government. We shattered the stereotype with the amateur photos and videos taken with our own mobile phones. We captured the true picture of the Iranian nation and relayed it to the world, a picture of a young and highly educated nation yearning to be free."

--PA

Much more at:
Andrew Sullivan at theAtlantic

Ghoba Mosque: Protest Today In Iran - June 28, 2009

تجمع مردم معترض به نتایج انتخابات-هفتم تیر ماه 88 رو به روی مسجد قبا
واقع در محدوده خیابان شریعتی

Video report seems to confirm reports that thousands of protesters gathered today in & around Ghoba mosque. #iranelection #gr88 #neda

Courageous Non-Violent Protest in Iran

Cue David Bowie's Heroes as you watch this video from Iran which was posted today. Amazing courage.

On the Sixth Day

Today in Tehran. The Guardian has a source on the ground who estimates that today's silent protest has a drawn a crowd of up to a million people.

Much more at:
A Day of Mourning