Excerpts from various current threads at Free Iran News Forum:
EXPATS IN L.A. URGE BOYCOTT
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=857083
LOS ANGELES Jun 17, 2005 — Iranian exiles are campaigning against Friday's presidential elections in their homeland, urging would-be voters in the Islamic republic and abroad to boycott what they call a sham poll.
In Los Angeles, one of 36 U.S. cities where voting was scheduled to take place, a half dozen television and radio stations that for years have criticized the regime are beaming their message into Iran by satellite and Internet. ...
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IRAN: FAMILIES OF POLITICAL PRISONERS CONTINUE PROTESTS
http://www.regimechangeiran.com/
Adnkronos International:Iranian police have manhandled the wife and brother of jailed journalist and dissident, Akbar Ganji, during the ninth straight day of protest by family members of political prisoners in front of the notorious Evin prison in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Despite having the written permission to meet with her husband, Ganji's wife, Massoumeh Shafii was not allowed to enter the prison on Thursday. ...
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IRANIAN STUDENTS DESCRIBE POLLS
Iran's election feed back - Iranian student reporting
Various | June 18th, 05 | Self
http://www.regimechangeiran.com/
Posted on 06/17/2005 4:42:00 PM PDT by Khashayar
Reza from Tehran: This is 10 am in northern part of Tehran. There is no body in the site and I hope officials would announce the number of voters truly.
Hasan from Qom: IRIB (TV & RADIO) is just showing certain places where people go to vote. Most polls are empty here in our city.
Amir from Kashmar (east of Iran): No body is around, especially in the morning.
Sam from Tehran: I did vote to save my country from likes of Rafsanjani. I voted for Mr. Moin
Mehdi from Shiraz: I have counted 10-12 people in this poll in our area. Most of them were forced to vote.
Majid from Tehran: I voted for Imam Zaman to come and save us from the regime.
Fardin from Switzerland: Regime thugs attacked those of us who were protesting against the regime in front of one of the polling stations. ...
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SUSPECTED DISSIDENTS ARRESTED IN UK
Four linked to Iran terror plot arrested in UK
Jun 17, 2005
The Guardian
http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_7645.shtml
Four terrorist suspects arrested by armed police in dawn swoops in north London yesterday are believed to be linked to a dissident group plotting against the Iranian government, according to police and anti-terrorist officials.
The men, aged 31, 37, 58 and 63, were being questioned last night at the high security police station at Paddington Green....
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OPEN LETTER FROM DR. RAMIN ETEBAR
Dear Mr. President
What I am about to report is a sad day in the American history that requires your immediate action to protect the
the US constitution specifically the First Amendment.
A group of Iranian Americans composed of TV journalists and political activist who had gathered in front of the
Commerce Plaza Hotel (Los Angeles suburb) to protest and report the conduction of the sham Iranian presidential elections
were assaulted by the hotel security on the command of IRI thugs in US.
According to Ms. Dokhi Abdi; a political activist and Iranian satellite TV reporter and commentator in Los Angeles, upon the
arrival of the group to the Commerce Plaza Hotel where the elections for the Iranian presidential election was being conducted, the group of 12 activists and journalists were intercepted by the hotel security and a valid Iranian passport was demanded from them in order to allow entry to the hotel. Soon after several Iranians who were in charge of the event in the hotel were called to the scene; upon their determination that this group of 12 were Iranian dissidents as well as Iranian Americans who are against the IRI (Islamic Republic of Iran) the hotel security attacked the dissidents and journalists.
According to Ms. Abdi, the hotel security attacked Nasrin Mohammadi whose two of her brothers are political prisoners in Iran to confiscate her video camera as a result of this she fell from a platform. Ms. Firozeh Ghafarpour (another TV journalists and political activist) started to protest this; she was then viciously attacked with pepper spray. At this point Ms. Dokhi Abdi told the security that she was a reporter and that she was there to report the event, upon stating this she was attacked and she was sprayed in the mouth. Several other individuals were beaten and hand cuffed. As I write this the victims are being treated in a local hospital emergency room.
Mr. President, I, as an Iranian American, as a republican, as one of your constituents, as one of your campaign volunteers, as a political and human rights activist I severely protest this incident. How is this possible to require a valid Iranian passport to gain entry into an American hotel in US soil? How is this possible to allow violation of our First amendment Bill of Rights to freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble? This is an act of terror! What is the American law enforcement agencies are going to do about this? What is the US Department of State is going to do about the Iranian interest section (Under the Embassy of Pakistan) who is organizing these acts of terror?
Mr. President, actions speak louder than words! What are you going to do about this?
Sincerely yours,
Ramin Etebar, M.D.
Las Vegas, Nevada
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IRANIANS PROTEST "ELECTIONS" IN CANADA
Iran News Jun 17th, 2005 - 18:31:52
Page One > Iran News
http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_7642.shtml
Iranians protest election day in Canada
Jun 17, 2005
Sayeh Hassan and Ruzbeh Hosseini - Persian Journal
Today, a large number of Iranians gathered in front of the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa, Canada to support the boycott of the 9th presidential elections in Iran. ...
The highlight of the event was a hostage taking by Embassy personnel of a well known film maker named Masoud Raouf. After obtaining the required permission from Embassy personnel and the RCMP, he went into the Embassy to take footage of the election for a documentary. Once inside, the Islamic Regime's agents started to harass him. When Mr. Masoud pleaded to have the RCMP intervene, the IRI agents refused and three of them attacked Mr. Raouf and beat him violently about the nose, genitalia, and other parts of his body. To bring attention to his situation Mr. Raouf smashed and broke an Embassy window. This caused the protesting Iranians to storm the Embassy grounds and make thunderous demands for the release of Mr. Raouf who had then become a hostage. Slogans such as "Free Masoud, Free Masoud" could be heard blocks away and it took forty-five minutes for police to calm the crowd and move them away from the Embassy door. The protesters resolved to continue their protest until Mr. Raouf was released. After another hour he was finally released and gave a small speech regarding what had taken place inside.
A disturbing common theme is the willingness of the regime's thugs to use violence against fellow Iranians on foreign soil. Keep watching this space for updates.
