Monday, July 6, 2009

Mourning Mothers Attacked

www.roozonline.com:
After 20 black-attired women who had gathered at Laleh Park in Tehran to mourn their loved one who were killed in the post election protests were arrested earlier this week,...
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Interview with mother of Yaghoub Barvayeh shot by Basij forces before his death

By The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
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Jila Bani Yaghoub’s Mother : My Children haven’t Committed any Crime, They Just Tell the Truth!

Feminist school : Ten days ago (June 20) Jila Bani Yaghoub and her husband Bahman Ahmadi Amouie , both journalists, that were arrested at their home by plain clothes security forces and since then Jila has called her family once but there is not any information about Bahman Ahmadi Amouie.
so we interviewed Eshrat Oliyaee , Jila Bani Yaghoub’s mother :
How were you been informed of Jila’s arrest ?
My younger daughter was speaking with her on the phone that evening when Jila told her that....More >>
Security forces are trying to disperse families of recent detainees who gathered itside the Evin prison for father´s day.

Childrens´s message in father´s day

Read (farsi)>>

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Father´s day outside the prison.

Tomorrow, Father´s day, families of last weeks detainees are going to gather outside the Evin prison with flowers and gifts in their hands.

Names of 26 victims

Following names are put together by human rights activists in Iran.
1. Mohammad Hossein Barzegar (m) 25. Shot in the head.
2. Seyed Reza Tabatabai (m) 30. Shot in the head.
3.Iman Hashemi (m) 27. Shot in the eye.
4. Parisa Kolli (f) 25. Shot in the neck.
5. Mohsen Haddadi (m) , 24. Shot in the face.
6. Mohammad Nikzadi (m), 22. Shot in the chest.
7. Ali Shahedi (m), 24. Died at police station.
8. Vahed Akbari (m) 34.
9. Abolfazl Habdollahi (m), 21. Shot from behind.
10. Salar tahmasbi (m), 27. Shot in the forehead.
11. Fahimeh Salahshoor (f), 25. Leaded to death after getting beaten by policy.
12. Vahid Reza Tabatabai (m), 29. Shot in the head.

Name of 14 others that was officially announced:

Neda Sultan Agha (f), Fateme Barati (f), Fatemeh RajabPour (f) and her daughter, Kasra Sharafi (f), Mobina Ehterami (f), Kambiz Shoaai (m) , Mohsen Imani (m) , Nasser Amirnejad (m) , Iman Namazi (m) , Mostafa Ghanian (m) , Bahman Jenabi (m) , Ashkan Sohrabi (m) and Kave alikor (m) .

Zeynab Peyghambarzade released

Women rights activist who got arrested in yesterdays peaceful sit-in in Laleh Park was released today.

A mother´s letter

Hamze Ghalebi´s open letter about arrest of her son (Farsi)
Read >>

"We will continue util detainees released."

"Mourning Mothers of Iran announce protest for next Sat in Laleh Park, vow to keep it up until detainees released"
Source: Lara Setrakian ABC News

Mothers released

" The “mothers for mourning” demonstrators arrested in Laleh Park last week and supporters such as women’s rights activist Zeynab Peyghambarzadeh have also been freed. "
Source: enduringamerica.com

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Mourning the dead in Tehran


Photos by Hanif:
"Tehran 1st July 2009. The bodies of protesters - and some innocent victims - are being laid to rest in Behesht-e Zahra ceremony in Tehran following the violence in Iran. Families have to mourn their losses in private; the government has not allowed memorial ceremonies to be held."

Mothers at cemetery

Mourning mothers at Beheste Zahra cemetery
More pictures at Demotix
http://enduringamerica.com
2015 GMT:Reports that women’s rights activist Zeynab Peyghambarzadeh was arrested today in the “Mothers of Martyrs” rally in Laleh Park.

Zeynab Peyghambarzadeh was arrested today.




Women's rights activist and journalist Zeynab Peyghambarzadeh was arrested at 4 july
in Laleh park in Tehran.
Unconfirmed news:
Zeynab Peyghambar Zadeh was arrested today in Laleh Park,She is member of women commission of "Office for Strengthening Unity.

500 beaten by police during The Mourning mothers gathering at Laleh park.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Mothers of protest victims call for new demonstrations

Tehran, 2 July (AKI) - The mothers of protesters killed by Iranian authorities during the post-election turmoil have called for fresh demonstrations in Tehran to mark their deaths. "We are inviting all the people to protest every Saturday at 7 p.m., to congregate at Tehran's public parks, in particular the one in Laleh, to remember our sons, unjustly killed by police authorities during the recent protests," said a statement from a group, calling itself the Mourning Mothers, published on the Iranian site Roozonline on Thursday.
More...

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Report from last Saturdays gathering

(Farsi) on Radio Zamaneh Link

Mothers second statement

Change for equality: The silent mourning of mothers on Saturday June 27th 2009 in Laleh Park in Tehran was violently suppressed by security forces. A number of mothers and young women attending this peaceful gathering were detained by the security forces.

Despite the crackdown by the security forces and their attempt to disperses the attendees, more than 500 women and mothers were able to continue with the sit-in and gatherings in the main spot of the park. These mothers were peacefully gathering to commemorate the young men and women who had participated in the non-violent post-election demonstrations and had been martyred.

Following our first announcement, we- the mourning mothers of the martyrs- will continue with our peaceful sit-in in Laleh Park and other parks in Tehran. We will do so till we see the end of violence on the streets, freeing of all those arrested for participating in the peaceful protests after the June 12th election specially our fellow mothers who had been arrested last Saturday and the prosecution of those responsible for our children’s death. Our sit-ins will be in Laleh park and the following parks every Saturday from 7-8 p.m.

Laleh Park Andishe Park Mellat Park Gofegoo Park

Dear Mothers! Our mother instinct has forced us to demand justice for our children and freeing those who are detained or in prisons. We invite you to join our grassroots peaceful gatherings in the above-mentioned parks on Saturdays.

To our boys and brothers in the security forces! We are your mothers. We treat you as mothers and with respect. Respect us and our wishes and refrain from inflicting harm onto your mothers. Our sighs will follow you if you treat us with violence.

The Mourning Mothers of Iran

Why Are You Afraid of Us?

By: Azadeh Hajizadeh
Change for equality:

Following the appeal by a group of mourning mothers who intended to hold a peaceful march at seven in the evening, in silence around the pond in Laleh Park in Tehran, I went to the park, even though I am not a mother. All the same to show my respect for these dear mothers I did not want them to be alone.

These mothers in their appeal had written that at seven in the evening, the same time at which Neda Aghasoltani was mercilessly gunned down and as a result of which she had become a symbol of our children’s resistance, they wished to assemble in the area where Neda had been killed in Amir Kabir Street near Laleh Park, and to display through their silence their anger and grief.

A number of those mothers whose children are among the disappeared brought photographs of their sons and a number of the mothers also came with black candles and ribbons so that they might set up signs of mourning near the water feature. It was clear that whatever they wanted, perhaps their silence had deafened the ears of the authorities who had could put up with it no longer and who sent forces on foot to surround them. At five in the afternoon the police forbade the women to sit on the benches near the pond. As they were expelling the women from the park, some of those who were protesting said that everyone should go but that this one woman should remain so that they might help her.

A woman in a black chador was protesting, saying, "tell me that the government is a military one, then I will go". They were insulting the woman in such an obscene way that another mother could no longer put up with it and said to them, "we consider you different from the plainclothes agents and you shouldn’t speak in this way, you are the security forces and you should speak in a lawful manner". In response, the officer in charge of the security forces insulted the woman in an even uglier way and said that everyone should move to the other side of the park.

In the program it had been stated that the silence would begin at seven, but at five the women, who were mostly middle-aged or older, had occupied the second row of benches, behind the first one, and the number of women had increased so much that they actually prevented women, especially those wearing black, from entering the park, and then brought police cars into the park. One officer started filming the faces of the women, which met with unanimous protest. The officers conducted everyone to one particular area and began to beat and abuse them, arresting a number of them and breaking up the demonstration. The number of women arrested and taken to the Shapur temporary detention center was more than twenty. Perhaps others were taken to the Vozara detention center, but we have no information from other detention centers.

In any case, in my opinion this was a spontaneous movement that can be repeated every week, as long as the police consider the matter more reasonably. Why is this? Because this gathering neither closed roads, nor involved chanting slogans, nor the distribution of declarations. None of the above! It simply involved a number of concerned and mourning mothers sitting on the ground a distance apart and wanting with their silence to raise a mighty cry.

It is unbelievable in a country like ours in which the president says that freedom exists to a near absolute degree that these gentlemen can be so scared of a handful of concerned and mourning mothers that they appear on foot in such force that one would imagine (God forbid) that the USA or Israel had invaded. They surround the park in order to create a strange fear and terror among people lest they commit any sort of fault.

I am ashamed. I do not know why. I cannot look into the eyes of these mothers, but their voice resounds in my ears:

"Why are they afraid of us? They are making a mistake, they should let us put on our ceremonies and we would remain calm.

We’ll come so often that we’ll get on their nerves, because don’t we have the right after all? Do the bullies have all the rights?

You see, this crown and throne has kept its promise to no-one, and it won’t keep its promise to them either, they must hold onto their own respect.

How should our children have committed a fault for believing in justice?

It’s our fault, if we hadn’t gone into the streets thirty years ago our children would not be in trouble today.

My son was supposed to be taking the university entrance exam, I said to them, let him go for the exam, I ran after them for a week but they did not keep their word. He studied for a year for the exam but he has been passed over.

State television said rioters killed Neda? They mean the people, but who’ll believe that?

If rioters killed her, why don’t they give permission for mourning ceremonies?

Don’t let them say that the state broadcaster is at all a national broadcaster. I e-mailed an appeal to the state broadcaster, if it was truly national someone would have come along today and made a good report about this. And then they have the nerve to say to us that you are listening to the voices of foreigners!

They also brought along female police. Really, what are the authorities thinking? Do they have an easy life? Do they not see misfortunes? Don’t their own children come along to these marches? Why do they put so much effort into repression? Really, aren’t they ashamed at themselves because of how old we are?"