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Uprising in Northern Iran?

Not the most reliable sources, but...

http://www.iranmania.com/News/Articl...rent%20Affairs

http://www.activistchat.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1424

http://mensnewsdaily.com/archive/new...31404-iran.htm

Edit:

Apologies.

For those who haven't been following Iranian politics, here is a primer.

Quote:

Using a quote to block up backstory, I wrote this on the spot, so don't trust the accuracy

Way back when, an Islamic Revolution took over Iran, defeating the US-backed incubants.

They believed that Islamic law, properly interprited, was the one true way for Muslems to live. The goal was to export this revolution.

To this end, they set up a massive education system, and encouraged everyone to have as many kids as possible, in order to strengthen the Islamic Revolution.

Things didn't quite work out.

The government in Iran is split between the clergy and an elected parliament. The clergy has veto power over the parliament. For the last while, reformers have had control of the parliament, which has caused non-trivial annoyances for the ruling clergy.

The massive baby boom they encouraged people to have, and educate, does not trust the clergy, and has been voting for reformists. The Iranian economy is in the crapper, btw.

In the recent elections, the Clergy systematically disqualified Reformist candidates all over the nation. Calls where made to boycott the elections, and fears of a 2nd revolution where in the air.

That's the back story.

The story here is that in some Northern province, a revolt or a protest has overwealmed the Republican Guard local police station and burned the representative of the Clergy's house to the ground. They currently control a non-trivial portion of the city where this is occurring.

The reports I managed to find are from not the most reliable sources, and are pretty brief, so even most of the above is extrapolated.

Does anyone know anything more? This is Big. Not quite "Berlin wall coming down" big, but big.

Please post content and comment, not just links :)

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Uprising in Iran, Hardliner Candidate Resigns

March 14, 2004
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MND NEWSWIRE
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According to sketchy reports, an uprising has occurred in the northern Iranian city of Fereydunkenar.

Demonstrations are reported to have begun on March 13, in the small town in the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran.

The demonstrators attacked and were able to liberate a building used by the Islamic Republic's security forces.

By midday, the uprising had begun to spread to the city of Babolsar, where demonstrators were confronted by Mazandaran's provincial security forces. At this hour, the town of Fereydunkenar appears divided between the rebels and the security forces.

Eyewitnesses have reported that approximately 5000 people were demonstrating when regime forces opened fire on the crowd. At least 5 people have been killed and scores injured with bullet wounds.

In the wake of the attack, the crowd briefly gained control of a police station and released previously arrested demonstrators. Reports also indicate that the home and office of a local Mullah had been torched.

The erruption occurred as a result of three suspicious confiscated ballot boxes that led to the hardline victory in the recent elections. Ironically the hardliner candidate had announced that he did not need the people's vote to get elected. The candidate, Moghdad Najaf Nejhad, has reportedly resigned in the wake of the uprising.
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Report filed by Mike LaSalle