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This is a Coup - Recognize it!

Nima Barazandeh | 15.06.2009 01:13 | Anti-militarism | Repression | Social Struggles | World

After the electoral fraud and widespread crack down of the opposition in Iran, Iranians abroad have been protesting outside Iranian embassies ever since. London winessed a demonstration of this kind every day since the election date. On Monday 15th of June Iranian students living and studying across the UK are expected to go to london to show their support for their fellow country men and women who are protesting on the streets in many Iranian cities. The below is a Statement of a group of Iranian stutents in the UK who are urging the British public to show their solidarity to the Iranian people by encouraging the British media to reflect the whole story in Iran, as well as encouraging the British govornment to pursue a legal and freere-election in Iran through diplomatic relations.

This is a coup d'état – recognize it!

Coup d'état: “a sudden and great change in the government carried out violently or illegally by the ruling power” (Oxford English Dictionary)

Following the widespread electoral fraud in the Iranian Presidential Election waves of protests have risen across Iran. However, these peaceful demonstrations have been brutally attacked by the Revolutionary Guards. Moreover, hours before the announcement of the final results of the election, high profile political figures from the reformist parties have been either arrested or have been put under house-arrest. Not only major reformist media have been closed down, the coup government has also cracked down all independent journalists; as a result, a great number of news and networking websites have been banned, newspaper offices have been attacked and journalists have been warned and threatened about what they report.
Tehran streets are still witnessing violent clashes between the Revolutionary Guard forces and the unarmed demonstrators – tear gases have been fired on people, police batons are used in an excessively brutal manner, in addition reformist student unions, political parties and ordinary people have been widely denied their constitutional right to peaceful demonstration and gatherings. This is an illegal overthrown of the rightful president of Iran, Mir Hossein Mousavi, through fraud, violent suppression of people and protestors, and a worrying wave of illegal arrests. This is a Coup d'état.
We have gathered here to renounce the biased and cautious attitude of the British government and media towards the events in Iran. While the free and independent press are being increasingly cracked down in Iran, we demand:

• Official British Government stance not to recognize the election result and the coup government of Ahmadinejad – push through diplomatic processes for running a new fair election in Iran.
• Appropriate coverage of the events in Iran by the British Media, The British Media has been unfortunately too catious in respect to reflecting the events in Iran, Ahmadinejad has been announced as the president, while the coup has not been recognised.

We invite all those who want to show their solidarity with the Iranian people, to pressurize the British Governments and the British Media to take appropriate actions regarding the abovementioned demands.

Nima Barazandeh
- e-mail: nimaria@gmail.com

Comments

Display the following 9 comments

  1. small problem — anon through right
  2. Another view — Nobody much
  3. Iran is a thorny issue — Jon
  4. In your imagination — common sense
  5. Our enemy's enemy is not always our friend. — Common sense?
  6. regarding Azeri support for Ahmadinejad — common sense
  7. JON — Nima Barazandeh
  8. COMMON Sense — Nima Barazandeh
  9. In your imagination — Nima Barazandeh