The Iranian regime continues to tighten the noose around reformists: Iranian police issued a stern warning today, their second in three days, that only anti-U.S. protests will be tolerated on the 13th of Aban (tomorrow).
The regime also handed down a four-year jail sentence for Hossein Rassam, a British embassy employee arrested after the election, and closed down another opposition newspaper, Sarmayeh. No details on why the paper was closed, though it has reportedly been critical of Ahmadinejad's economic policies.
More than 100 newspapers have been closed down over the last few years -- does anyone know how many of those have been shuttered since June?
Amidst all of the discouraging news, here's a slightly amazing story forwarded to me over the weekend by a contact on Twitter.
Meet Mahmoud Vahidnia, a math student from Tehran's prestigious Sharif University of Technology. Vahidnia attended a speech delivered by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. When Khamenei finished, he asked if the audience had any questions; Vahidnia stood up and said, "Yes, I have some words with you."
He then spent the next 20 minutes criticizing Khamenei -- to his face, remember. He critiqued the "untruthful" state media, called Khamenei an "idol," and asked why nobody in Iran is allowed to criticize him.
Vahidnia was interrupted several times by Basij members in the audience. Khamenei didn't really address his questions, instead calling Vahnidia's charges dishonest.
Vahidnia was reportedly detained shortly after the event.
Khamenei, interestingly, is making no effort to hide what happened. The incident was reported in Iranian media, and the photo we used above comes from Khamenei's official Web site.
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Categories: Iran, Iranian Elections (2009), Politics, Regional News
Tags: 13th of Aban, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, censorship, Iranian elections, Mahmoud Vahidnia
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