You Say You Want A Revolution?

Iran held "elections" this past weekend. Initially, Mir Hossein Mousavi claimed a huge victory. However, less than 24-hours later, the Ayatollah claimed that President Ahmadinejad had kept the presidency by a 2-1 margin. This sparked outrage in the country's capital of Tehran, with massive protests. While the US has kept quiet on the issue of the election's legitimacy, the people of Iran and the other three candidates are not. In order to stop this, the country slowed and, in some cases, cut=off internet access to the country, cut off power, and limited television channels. Foreign journalists have been told to leave the country as soon as possible, and both Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollah stand behind the results.

It is encouraging to see the people of Iran taking part in their country. Western stereotypes claim that Iranians are brainwashed, or simply do not care what happens to them. This weekend has shown quite the opposite. The people are tired of Ahmadinejad's "morality police" and his bankrupting the country.

This protesting comes at a price. Reports came out yesterday that police had beat a protester to death. The government rolled tanks into Tehran, and today brings even more deaths at the hands of the police. For an election that was open and fair, the government is very paranoid about the voice of the people, and are doing everything that they can to silence them. It is feared that unless the US steps in, this uprising may be silenced, or fade out. However, with Mosavi and others refusing to accept the election's results, it seems that may not happen after all. The people of Iran are helping themselves, and showing the world that they are not standing by while their country distances itself from the world.

Several websites are keeping tabs on the situation through first-person accounts, tweets, and news sources. the NIAC blog is a great source of news and up-to-the-minute information, as is the Tehran Bureau. The New York Times also has a great blog here with lots of insider information.