Protests and violence outside Tehran? ... - Thorn Tree travel forum

Protests and violence outside Tehran?

Replies: 38 - Last Post: 25-Aug-2009 20:32 Last Post By: Yakkalot

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Posted
17-Jun-2009 11:52
by: Yakkalot

Posts: 491
Registered: 16/06/06

Protests and violence outside Tehran?

Reading through various blogs, twitters (including persianKiwi) and speaking with friends, there are a lot of stories about some supposedly pretty severe violence from the authorities in Rasht and Avhas ("Many dead" supposedly) as well as the video from isfahan now airing on the cable news netowrks.

A lot of the talk seems to be like a lot of wishful thinking and rumour milling from people hoping for a new revolution (talk of Generals being arrested, mass killings etc)
As well as deliberate misinformation on twitter by other parties.

Can anyone confirm incidents in towns outside of Tehran?
What are internet connections like?
Is there any truth behind the cancelling of all foreigner's visas?

Cheers, Luke

Posted
17-Jun-2009 19:47
by: polishpower

Posts: 8
Registered: 02/06/09

1

About visa - it's not true. I have just called the Iranian Embassy in Warsaw and they told me that the confirmation to get my visa came today from the MFA, means that next saturday heading there!!!

Posted
17-Jun-2009 20:53
by: Yakkalot

Posts: 491
Registered: 16/06/06

2

That is very good news PolishPower.

Was it a tourist visa? How long did you get? Was it what you asked for? Did you apply in Warsaw?

Cheers, luke

Posted
17-Jun-2009 23:03
by: tbinning

Posts: 91
Registered: 19/06/06

3

Hi guys,
Thank goodness. I'm relieved to hear that there is at least SOME hope to obtain a visa. I am Canadian and applied on Sunday, two days after the election. Go figure. I applied through keys2persia, and have told them to wait a while with my application until they send it to the MFA, maybe a week or so. Hopefully things don't get worse, do you think waiting a few days is a good idea or should I push the application through now?

To answer your other question, I have been following the developments closely. Yes there are major rallies in all the major cities, Tabriz, Shiraz, Rasht. I have seen pictures of Imam Square in Isfahan completely full, like the streets in Tehran, with hundreds of thousands of people. Sure makes me worried about my visa.
Taylor

Posted
17-Jun-2009 23:07
by: Yakkalot

Posts: 491
Registered: 16/06/06

4

Here are some pictures of isfahan:

http://iran-now.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=84700

Posted
18-Jun-2009 00:51
by: samnc0

Posts: 204
Registered: 11/06/08

5

I know this forum probably isnt the most appopraite for politics-current events, so can anyone direct me to a direct blog (in english) of someone actually there with the protesters? I am curious what they actually want...just their theocracy with a human face, or an entirely new system

Posted
18-Jun-2009 04:26
by: emilep

Posts: 39
Registered: 10/06/09

6

Hey Samnco, a good tweet is https://twitter.com/persiankiwi

I believe that the only thing they really want is the elections to be void. However, nobody really knows what will happen. As I have not been to Iran I don't really know whether a theocracy is working, although the Iranians I've talked to in other countries say it isn't all that bad.

I hope that somehow the ayatollah won't survive and the head of state will become the president, but, again I don't know what the Iranians really want.

Posted
18-Jun-2009 04:49
by: dow204

Posts: 175
Registered: 07/10/07

7

I'm glad polishpower got his visa. However, because things change at whim, it wouldn't surprise me if the MFA had sent the approval via snail mail weeks earlier and the Iranian Embassy in Poland just received it. polishpower, if you can, please drop us a message here to let us know if you had any problems on arrival.

I called the Embassy of Iran here, and asked him about "due to current events" if the visa regulations for tourists for VOA had changed since I'll be leaving soon, and he said he didn't think so. He gave me the number to the Immigration at IKA and asked me to call.

Posted
18-Jun-2009 05:44
by: samnc0

Posts: 204
Registered: 11/06/08

8

wow, that Tweet page is pretty interesting.

Is there any way to e-mail him back, or is it only a one-way system?

Posted
18-Jun-2009 08:31
by: jsmerkle

Posts: 16
Registered: 16/08/00

9

Here's another website with good info: http://www.iranian.com/

Posted
18-Jun-2009 08:38
by: amiriniran

Posts: 2,068
Registered: 11/08/06

10

hi,

please note that twitter and of course facebook are both now blocked in Iran if you did not know. by the way, since last night i cannot log onto Yahoo or MSN Messengers, bye.amir.

Posted
18-Jun-2009 12:59
by: Xica_da_Silva

Posts: 30
Registered: 01/12/07

11

Andrew Sullivan has a blog with lots of information including videos of events in Iran:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/

amir, please stay safe.

Posted
18-Jun-2009 16:18
by: rumtreiber

Posts: 6
Registered: 14/07/08

12

I left Iran yesterday and I can confirm that the internet is heavily blocked. Major email providers (gmail/yahoo/hotmail, etc.) are blocked (POP, IMAP, SMTP, HTTP, HTTPS). So are facebook, twitter itself and major news outlets like CNN. This can be bypassed with Tor or proxy servers depending on the protocol. Cell phone (Irancell) was on and off. My phone didn't work on election day and the day after, which I spent exploring the Iranian judicial system in an election unrelated incident. The phone kept displaying "Emergency calls only". I had to rely on my sat phone.

The largest town I spent time in post election was Zanjan. Quiet, but riot police was in the street in a show of force. There probably wasn't enough momentum to get the courage of numbers there. All the pre-election green was gone and people seemed strangely disinterested in the current situation. I bypassed Tabriz, heading straight for the border.

Posted
21-Jun-2009 03:47
by: Xica_da_Silva

Posts: 30
Registered: 01/12/07

13

Please forgive me for posting this graphic scene, but I feel the world must witness the utter depravity and brutality of this Iranian regime. A courageous young girl, peacefully protesting, was shot by these barbaric thugs; may her sacrifice not be in vain, may the Iranian people remain unified, may her soul rest in heaven tonight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZSBMdamfto

Posted
22-Jun-2009 03:51
by: chekhov

Posts: 154
Registered: 23/01/04

14

live feed minute-by-minute from tehran (sunday 21 june)
http://shooresh1917.blogspot.com/

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