Ashura protests

Last updated

Ashura protests
Part of 2009 Iranian presidential election protests
3ashoraie sabz.jpg
Ashura protest in Keshavarz Boulevard, Tehran, Iran.
Date27 December 2009 (Day of Ashura)
Location
Various cities in Iran
Caused byProtesting the results of the national presidential election
GoalsHaremism to Imam Hussein and the Ahlul-Bayt (AS) and attempts to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran and the removal of Mahmoud Ali Nejad from the president
Methods Protest
Parties
Rectangular green flag.svg Supporters of the Iranian Green Movement
Flag of Iran.svg Iranian government
Casualties and losses
37 Civilian people + Seyed Ali Mousavi

The Ashura protests were a series of protests which occurred on 27 December 2009 in Iran against the outcome of the June 2009 Iranian presidential election, which demonstrators claim was rigged. The demonstrations were part of the 2009 Iranian election protests and were the largest since June. In December 2009, the protests saw an escalation in violence. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

In response to this protest, pro-government protesters held a rally in a "show of force" three days later on 30 December (9 Dey) to condemn Green Movement protesters. [4]

Background

Irregularities during the 2009 Iranian presidential election caused resentment among many Iranians. While post-election protests were mostly peaceful, some violence erupted, leading to clashes between security forces and protesters, while some outspoken political dissenters were detained. [5]

However, dissenters continued to speak out against the government, leading to further protests in December 2009. On 19 December 2009, the Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who had become a "spiritual leader" of the opposition, died. Montazeri's funeral, held on 21 December in the city of Qom, was attended by a large gathering of people [1] and clashes ensued between security forces and mourners, [6] leading on to further demonstrations in Qom and Isfahan. [6] On 26 December, a paramilitary Basij force subordinate to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard stormed a mosque in Tehran where scholar and former President Mohammad Khatami was speaking. [1] [7] This was followed by continued clashes in Tehran in which Jaras, a news media of the critics, estimated eight to ten people had died. [1]

Prior to Ashura, Mohsen Kadivar said he could not "rule out the possibility" of state intervention in the planned protests. [8]

Events

Protests

On 27 December, demonstrations in several cities continued into the holy day of Ashura the climax of Muharram, the month of mourning. Protesters in Tehran gathered "From Imam Hussain Square to Freedom Square", "from east to west along Revolution Street", and it was on this day that "the political and religious symbology of Iran's Islamic regime was turned on its head". [9] The protesters made another symbolic move- a "symbolic journey from a square named after its most revered hero toward a monument dedicated to freedom, along a street called Revolution." [9]

Seyed Ali Mousavi, the 35-year-old nephew of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, was among those killed in the violence. [6] [9] Later, it was reported that his body had disappeared, precluding the possibility of a quick burial, while state sources indicated that an autopsy was being performed. [6] Mousavi was buried on 30 December. [10]

Similar protests took place in other Iranian cities including Isfahan, Najafabad, Shiraz, Mashhad, Arak, Tabriz, Babol, Ardabil and Orumieh. [7] [11] Four people were reportedly killed in Tabriz, in north western Iran on 27 December, and one in Shiraz in the south of Iran. [12] [11] Access for international news media has been severely restricted by the Iranian government. [6]

State controlled media initially denied any deaths, though it was indicated on 28 December that 15 had died, including ten "well-known anti-revolutionary terrorists". [1] According to the official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran's Safety Services said that "Nine residential buildings, 9 vehicles, 7 shops, 2 banks and 3 power stations were set on fire [by anti-government protesters]."[ citation needed ] On 30 December, counter-rallies staged and organized by the government at various cities, including Tehran, Qom, Arak, Shiraz and Isfahan called for the death of the protesters, with government workers receiving the day off work in order to attend the demonstrations. [10]

Violence

Lolagar mosque in Tehran was set into fire by the "rioters", according to the State TV of Iran leading to death of "few" people in mosque. [13] Security forces allegedly opened fire on the day of Ashura, the Shiite holy day "symbolically about justice", a day on which any kind of violence is forbidden. [14] [8] Security forces initially denied reports of deaths and the police chief, Azizollah Rajabzadeh, stated that the police had not been armed, however, state television later acknowledged fatalities. [12] [15] Although official sources in Iran denied involvement of security forces in killing of protesters, at least one amateur video shows, the security truck which was deliberately running over the protesters. [16] Other evidence says that security forces were armed with guns and shot at protesters, including one amateur video showing a plainclothes security force directly shooting at protesters. [17]

Vandalism was reported by the Iranian government, with Tehran's Safety Services saying that "Nine residential buildings, 9 vehicles, 7 shops, 2 banks and 3 power stations were set on fire."[ citation needed ]

Arrests

Among the hundreds of people arrested in the aftermath of the Ashura demonstrations area are prominent lawyers, journalists, clerics and politicians, as well as family members of prominent human rights activists and reformist politicians. [6] Some notable people arrested in the aftermath of the protests include:

Analysis

According to Ibrahim Moussawi, associate professor of Lebanese University and head of Hizbullah's media relations, the incident damaged "public relations" of the Green Movement with Iranian citizenry more than all events as the acts of the protesters on that day including "applauding, whistling, and engaging in other cheerful displays," was "widely" seen as violation of a "red line" and targeting Husayn ibn Ali and Ashura commemoration itself. [32] Various society groups including "marej-'e taqlid, the society of Iranian doctors, university student groups, the Iranian Parliament, Oil Industry Workers, the Iranian Women's Culture and Education Society, the Society of Iranian Teachers, the Iranian Professors Society, provincial governors and municipalities and bazaars" expressed their condemnation and many of them publicly asked for the "prosecution of the opposition leaders". [32]

Trials

Many people are set to stand trial for taking part in the protests. At least one person arrested in connection with the protest, a university lecturer Abdolreza Ghanbari living in Pakdasht, has been accused of "moharebeh," (an Islamic term meaning "warring against God") and sentenced to death. [33] [34]

International reaction

The governments of Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States are among those who have condemned the violence. [6] US President Barack Obama openly criticized the Iranian government's violent crackdown on the protests in a speech and declared "The decision of Iran's leaders to govern through fear and tyranny will not continue." [6]

Venezuela condemned what it called Western governments' interference in Iran's internal affairs. [35]

Slogans

Since the protest coincided with Ashura, the commemoration observed by Shi'as for the death of Imam Hussein, the third imam of Shia's who was killed by the order of Umayyad Caliph Yazid I, protesters deliberately blended their political message with the Ashura's religious one in this protest. They alternated anti-government slogans with ancient cries of mourning for Imam Hussein. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Iranian Green Movement or Green Wave of Iran, also referred to as the Persian Awakening or Persian Spring by the western media, refers to a political movement that arose after the June 12, 2009 Iranian presidential election and lasted until early 2010, in which protesters demanded the removal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office. Green was initially used as the symbol of Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign, but after the election it became the symbol of unity and hope for those asking for annulment of what they regarded as a fraudulent election. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi are recognized as political leaders of the Green Movement. Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri was also mentioned as spiritual leader of the movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirin Ebadi</span> Persian-Londoner lawyer, human rights activist (born 1947)

Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian Nobel laureate, lawyer, writer, teacher and a former judge and founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. In 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her pioneering efforts for democracy and women's, children's, and refugee rights. She was the first Muslim woman and the first Iranian to receive the award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hussein-Ali Montazeri</span> Iranian Shia theologian and activist (1922–2009)

Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri was an Iranian Shia Islamic theologian, Islamic democracy advocate, writer, and human rights activist. He was one of the leaders of the Iranian Revolution and one of the highest-ranking authorities in Shīʿite Islam. He was once the designated successor to the revolution's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini; they had a falling-out in 1989 over government policies that Montazeri claimed infringed on people's freedom and denied them their rights, especially after the 1988 mass execution of political prisoners. Montazeri spent his later years in Qom and remained politically influential in Iran but was placed in house arrest in 1997 for questioning "the unaccountable rule exercised by the supreme leader", Ali Khamenei, who succeeded Khomeini. He was known as the most knowledgeable senior Islamic scholar in Iran, a grand marja of Shia Islam, and was said to be one of Khamenei's teachers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iranian reformists</span> Progressive political faction in Iran

The Reformists are a political faction in Iran. Iran's "reform era" is sometimes said to have lasted from 1997 to 2005—the length of President Mohammad Khatami's two terms in office. The Council for Coordinating the Reforms Front is the main umbrella organization and coalition within the movement; however, there are reformist groups not aligned with the council, such as the Reformists Front. Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist, was elected president following the 2024 Iranian presidential election, and was subsequently confirmed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on 28 July.

The Iranian student protests of July 1999 were, before the 2009 Iranian election protests, the most widespread and violent public protests to occur in Iran since the early years of the Iranian Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mehdi Karroubi</span> Iranian Shia cleric and reformist politician

Mehdi Karroubi is an Iranian Shia cleric and reformist politician leading the National Trust Party. Following 2009–2010 Iranian election protests, Karroubi was put under house arrest in February 2011. As of 2021, he is still confined to his house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mir-Hossein Mousavi</span> Iranian politician (born 1942)

Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh is an Iranian socialist politician, artist, architect and opposition figure who served as the 45th and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a reformist candidate for the 2009 presidential election and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election unrest. Mousavi served as the president of the Iranian Academy of Arts until 2009, when conservative authorities removed him. Although Mousavi had always considered himself a reformist and believed in promoting change within the 1979 constitution, on 3 February 2023, in response to the Mahsa Amini protests, he announced his opposition to the Islamic Republic and asked for a widespread referendum to fully change the constitution and make a fundamental change in Iran's political system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 Mecca incident</span> Clash between Shia pilgrims and Saudi Arabian security forces

On 31 July 1987, during the Hajj in Mecca, a clash between Shia pilgrim demonstrators and the Saudi Arabian security forces resulted in the death of more than 400 people. The event has been variously described as a "riot" or a "massacre". It developed from increasing tensions between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Since 1981, Iranian pilgrims have held a political demonstration against Israel and the United States every year at Hajj, but in 1987, a cordon of Saudi police and the Saudi Arabian National Guard sealed part of the planned demonstration route, resulting in a confrontation between them and the pilgrims. This escalated into a violent clash, followed by a deadly stampede.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmad Khatami</span> Iranian cleric and politician

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami is a senior and prominent Iranian Muslim cleric, member of Guardian Council and a senior member of the Assembly of Experts. In December 2005, Ali Khamenei appointed him as Tehran’s substitute Friday prayer leader. He is also a conservative and principlist politician.

The chain murders of Iran were a series of 1988–98 murders and disappearances of certain Iranian dissident intellectuals who had been critical of the Islamic Republic system. The murders and disappearances were carried out by Iranian government internal operatives, and they were referred to as "chain murders" because they appeared to be linked to each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1963 demonstrations in Iran</span> 1963 public backlash in Pahlavi-dynasty Iran following the arrest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

The demonstrations of June 5 and 6, also called the events of June 1963 or the 15 Khordad uprising, were protests in Iran against the arrest of Ruhollah Khomeini after his denouncement of Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Israel. The Shah's regime was taken by surprise by the massive public demonstrations of support, and although these were crushed within days by the police and military, the events established the importance and power of (Shia) religious opposition to the Shah, and Imam Khomeini as a major political and religious leader. Fifteen years later, Imam Khomeini was to lead the Iranian Revolution which overthrew the Shah and the Pahlavi dynasty and established the Islamic Republic of Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Iranian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Iran on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election with 62% of the votes cast, and that Mir-Hossein Mousavi had received 34% of the votes cast. There were large irregularities in the results and people were surprised by them, which resulted in protests of millions of Iranians, across every Iranian city and around the world and the emergence of the opposition Iranian Green Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emadeddin Baghi</span> Iranian journalist

Emadeddin Baghi is an Iranian Journalist, human rights activist, prisoners' rights advocate, investigative journalist, theologian and writer. He is the founder and head of the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners' Rights and the Society of Right to Life Guardians in Iran, and the author of twenty books, six of which have been banned in Iran. Baghi was imprisoned in connection with his writings on the Chain Murders of Iran, which occurred in Autumn 1998, and imprisoned again in late 2007 for another year on charges of "acting against national security." According to his family and lawyers, Baghi has been summoned to court 23 times since his release in 2003. He has also had his passport confiscated, his newspaper closed, and suspended prison sentences passed against his wife and daughter. Baghi was rearrested on 28 December 2009 on charges related to an interview with Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri. Baghi was released and then again rearrested on 5 December 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Iranian presidential election protests</span> Protests against the 2009 re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

After incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared victory in the 2009 Iranian presidential election, protests broke out in major cities across Iran in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. The protests continued until 2010, and were titled the Iranian Green Movement by their proponents, reflecting Mousavi's campaign theme, and Persian Awakening, Persian Spring or Green Revolution.

Following the 2009 Iranian presidential election, protests against alleged electoral fraud and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in Tehran and other major cities in Iran and around the world starting after the disputed presidential election on 2009 June 12 and continued even after the inauguration of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad as President of Iran on 5 August 2009. This is a timeline of the events which occurred during those protests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">December 30, 2009, Iranian pro-government rallies</span> Iranian rallies

On 30 December 2009, pro-government rallies, also known as the "Dey 9 epic", took place in various Iranian cities, including Tehran, Shiraz, Arak, Qom and Isfahan. The rallies were hold in response to the Ashura protests, where protesters on that day did acts including "applauding, whistling, and engaging in other cheerful displays," which was viewed as violation of a "red line" and targeting Husayn ibn Ali and Ashura commemoration itself. The demonstrations and counter-demonstrations were connected to the disputed 2009 Iranian presidential election.

The 2011–2012 protests in Iran were a series of demonstrations in Iran which began on 14 February 2011, called "The Day of Rage". The protests followed the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests and were influenced by other concurrent protests in the region.

The 2011 Khuzestan protests, known among protesters as the Ahvaz Day of Rage, relates to violent protests, which erupted on 15 April 2011 in Khuzestan province, to mark an anniversary of the 2005 Ahvaz unrest, and as a response to the regional Arab Spring. The protests lasted for 4 days and resulted in 12 to 15 protesters killed and many wounded and arrested. 1 security officer was killed as well, and another wounded. Crackdown on Arab political opposition in the area continued since with arrests and executions.

The 2003 Iranian student protests was a series of nationwide rallies and student protests in Iran against president Mohammad Khatami and demanded more liberal democratic reforms and justice over the deaths in the Iran student protests, July 1999.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ulrike Putz (29 December 2009). "Violence in Tehran; Iranian Demonstrators Put Regime on the Defensive". Der Spiegel . Retrieved 29 December 2009.
  2. ↑ "Ashura 101". Frontline . PBS . Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  3. ↑ "Ashura videos [Graphic]". Frontline. PBS. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  4. ↑ Karami, Arash (30 December 2014). "Iran marks anniversary of anti-Green Movement protests". Al-Monitor . Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  5. ↑ "Opposition leaders detained in Iran". Amnesty International (19 June 2009).
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Iran opposition figures arrested after protests". BBC. 28 December 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Erdbrink, Thomas (27 December 2009). "Anti-government protests turn deadly in Tehran". The Washington Post . Retrieved 27 December 2009.[ dead link ]
  8. 1 2 Kadivar, Ayatollah Mohsen (28 December 2009). "Iran Ayatollah: 'I Am Convinced that the Regime Will Collapse'". Der Spiegel– via ABC News.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Staff (28 December 2009). "On a Holy Day, Protest and Carnage in Tehran". Time . Archived from the original on 31 December 2009.
  10. 1 2 Dareini, Ali Akbar (30 December 2009). "Iran hardliners call for killing rivals at rallies". The Seattle Times . Associated Press. Archived from the original on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Worth, Robert F. & Fathi, Nazila (27 December 2009). "Police Are Said to Have Killed 10 in Iran Protests". The New York Times . Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  12. 1 2 "Iran protesters killed, including Mousavi's nephew". BBC News. 27 December 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
  13. ↑ "Editorial: People killed in mosque fire during unrest-Iran TV". Reuters . Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  14. ↑ Sciutto, Jim (28 December 2009). "Protester: 'Killing Muslims on Ashura Is Like Crucifying Christians on Christmas.'". ABC News . Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  15. ↑ "Iranian official: Arrest anti-government demonstrators". CNN. 28 December 2009.
  16. ↑ Barker, Anne (2 January 2010). "Mousavi prepared to die for his cause". ABC News. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  17. ↑ "Iran: Video shows gunman opening fire on demonstrators, who fight back". Los Angeles Times . 2 January 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  18. 1 2 3 "Dissident Iran Rises". The Wall Street Journal . 30 December 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Sahimi, Muhammad (28 December 2009). "A Second Coup?". Frontline. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  20. ↑ Erdbrink, Thomas; Branigin, William (29 December 2009). "Iranian security forces raid opposition offices, arrest key dissidents". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  21. 1 2 "Iran cracks down on dissidents after deadly protests". Brisbane Times . 29 December 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  22. ↑ Fletcher, Martin (30 December 2009). "Iranian regime rounds up relatives of opposition leaders in bid to stop protests". The Times . London. Retrieved 30 December 2009.[ dead link ]
  23. ↑ Daragahi, Borzou (29 December 2009). "Students, militia clash on Tehran university campus". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  24. ↑ "Iran detains Nobel laureate's sister". CNN. 29 December 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
  25. 1 2 "Release Emadeddin Baghi and All Arbitrarily Arrested Iranians". Payvand Iran News. 30 December 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  26. ↑ "Sister of Iran's Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi Arrested". Radio Free Europe. 30 December 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  27. ↑ "Syrian reporter held in Iran to be freed by Thursday". WashingtonTV. 30 December 2009. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  28. ↑ "Press group condemns recent arrests of journalists in Iran". WashingtonTV. 30 December 2009. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  29. 1 2 "Iranian dissenters reportedly arrested". CNN. 29 December 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  30. ↑ Death sentence fears for Dutch-Iranian woman, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 24 August 2010, retrieved 25 August 2010
  31. ↑ Iran hangs Iranian-Dutch woman Sahra Bahrami, BBC News, 29 January 2011, retrieved 30 January 2011
  32. 1 2 Moussawi, Ibrahim (2012). Shi'ism and the Democratisation Process in Iran: With a Focus on Wilayat al-Faqih. Saqi. p. 157. ISBN   9780863568312.
  33. ↑ "Iran: Stop the execution of Abdolreza Ghanbari". LabourStart. 2012. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012.
  34. ↑ "Iran to try 16 people soon over December unrest-report". Reuters. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  35. ↑ "Venezuela blames U.S. for destabilizing Iran". Xinhua News Agency. 31 December 2009. Archived from the original on 18 January 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.