全球许多城市集会支持伊朗反对派；伊朗人继续抗争；反对派候选人穆萨维面对专制集团的巨大压力；会出现另一场天安门屠杀吗？

VOA:全球许多城市集会支持伊朗反对派

抗议者在全球许多城市举行和平集会，表达他们对上星期五伊朗总统选举有争议的结果的关切。在那次选举中，政府宣布现任总统艾哈迈迪内贾德获胜。在纽约联合国总部举行的集会显示对伊朗反对派的支持。

*纽约草根运动支持伊朗民众*

星期三晚间，示威者在纽约联盟广场公园聚集，表达他们支持在过去几天在伊朗街头抗议的伊朗人。伊朗人抗议的是星期五选举的结果。伊朗官员说，总统艾哈迈迪内贾德以压倒优势击败三名挑战者，包括最接近的对手、改革派候选人穆萨维。

组织者在因特网上公布了星期三集会的呼吁。组织人阿米迪说，他通过社会网站Facebook和Twitter发出了集会的呼吁。大约300人响应了他的呼吁。阿米迪说，他的草根运动希望把信息送给伊朗人民，这个信息就是，他们支持伊朗人的斗争。

他说，“伊朗未经选举产生的领导人一次又一次的失败了。他们不能履行对公民的义务。伊朗人民现在正在为民主和改革而战斗。我只想说，纽约人民听到了你们的呼声。我们听到了你们的斗争。我们百分之百的支持你们。”

参加大会的支持者表示支持阿米迪的说法。一位女士说，“我们到这里来支持伊朗人民。至少我们要声援他们。我本人不能为伊朗人民做什么。他们在付出鲜血。我要声援他们。这就是我能做的。我希望我能做更多事情。”

除了在纽约的晚间集会以外，星期三在美国其他州也举行了集会。这些州包括宾夕法尼亚、加利福尼亚州、爱奥华州和俄勒冈州。

*澳大利亚和欧洲和平抗议*

同时，澳大利亚和欧洲等地也举行了支持伊朗反对派的集会。

在澳大利亚的墨尔本，大约300名伊朗人举行和平抗议，他们高举标语和横幅，呼吁结束在伊朗的街头暴力，重新清点选票。一位抗议者说，“我认为伊朗当局在选举中舞弊，操纵了选举结果。”

在德国首都柏林，伊朗反对派的代表在伊朗大使馆前集会，要求调查伊朗选举结果。抗议者巴拉迪说：“现在事情已经不只限于穆萨维，而是涉及自由选举权利了。”

在韩国首都首尔，一群伊朗人在韩国足球队和伊朗足球队比赛前举行集会。有几名伊朗球员，包括他们的队长，在比赛开始时手腕上带着绿色绸带。绿色是伊朗反对派领导人穆萨维的代表色。

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数万人参加伊朗反对派集会

在伊朗，成千上万支持败选的伊朗总统候选人穆萨维的人群星期三在德黑兰又举行集会，抗议上星期有争议的选举。目击者说，抗议人群中很多人带着绿色的手腕带和头带。这是穆萨维竞选活动的颜色。抗议者高举标语，但基本上保持沉默，以强调示威的和平性质。

改革派的穆萨维呼吁星期四再次举行示威，目的在于要当局废除选举结果。他把官方宣布的选举结果称作“可耻的骗局”。穆萨维在他的网站上发表声明，要求他的支持者星期四在清真寺集会，或举行和平游行，以悼念在选举后暴力中死去的人们。

伊朗革命卫队星期三进一步压制媒体，威胁要对制造“紧张”气氛的网站采取法律行动。争取新闻自由的组织记者无国界说，自从星期五举行选举以来，至少有11名伊朗记者被逮捕。这是伊朗当局镇压媒体的一部分举动。同时，维权组织说，最近几天有无数反对党成员被逮捕，其中包括被取缔的自由运动党秘书长亚兹迪。他据说是在德黑兰一家医院被逮捕的。 

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Tomorrow: Tiananmen in Tehran? Report: Khamenei issues ultimatum to Mousavi; Update: Mousavi says no?

posted at 5:27 pm on June 18, 2009 by Allahpundit
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First came the Debkafile rumor, then Michael Ledeen started hearing things, now Tehran Bureau has this ominous update. Sounds like Khamenei’s getting ready to call out the Guard.

From source: “I have now received e-mails from totally trustworthy sources within Iran that many Sepaah commanders [Sepaah is IRGC] have been arrested, because they are opposed to what is going on and in particular to the plan for tomorrow.

“This had been talked about for the past few days, but my source confirmed it.” end quote

Clarification for plans for tomorrow: “Apparently, the plan is to create chaos and bloody confrontation between Basij and Karroubi and Mousavi demonstrators, in order to justify hard crack down and have Khamenei announce the end of “soft” confrontation in the Friday prayers.”

Related rumor here. There’s corroborating evidence (albeit anecdotal) that some Guard members might refuse to participate in a crackdown, too, thereby necessitating the sort of purge described by TB. From the LA Times, via Michael Totten:

Perhaps more perilous for authorities is the possibility that some soldiers, security officials and Revolutionary Guardsmen might refuse orders to fire on protesters, creating a dangerous rift within the security apparatuses.

“I would never do it,” said Hossein, a 23-year-old member of the security forces who said he and many of his friends at the military base where he serves support the marchers. “Maybe someone would, but I would never fire on any of these people myself.”

Khamenei’s conducting the prayers tomorrow at Tehran University, where five students were reportedly killed in a Basij brownshirt assault on the dorms. Is that meant as a gesture of provocation or reconciliation? Maybe both: Presumably he’ll start off by paying lip service to what a tragedy it is that kids have died, then none-too-subtly warn that more people will inevitably die in the “confusion” if they don’t get off the streets post haste. Three things I can’t figure out, though. (1) If Khamenei’s preparing for a bloodletting, why would he want his face out in public at Friday prayers before it begins? All that does is drive home the fact that he’s complicit in it. (2) The Guardian Council’s still supposed to meet with all four presidential candidates on Saturday to talk about the vote. Is a crackdown tomorrow meant to keep that from happening or is the crackdown actually set for Saturday, after the meeting, which is bound to prove unsatisfactory to Mousavi? (3) If it’s true, and it probably is, that Rafsanjani is rounding up support from top mullahs in Qom for him and Mousavi, why haven’t we heard anything from them yet? Surely they’d want to come out in favor of the protesters before a crackdown begins, to throw the full weight of their authority against the Guard in hopes that they’ll back down in fear of damnation. As it is, if the last thing Iranians see before a Tehran Tiananmen is launched is Khamenei intoning about religion at Friday prayers, they’re apt to the whole clerical system for reprisals. Good news for the west, not so good if you’re a mullah. Might want to speak up while you can.

Two vids from today’s monster rally as you ponder, one from CNN calling this possibly the largest protest in the history of the Islamic Republic and the other raw video of Mousavi’s appearance among the ecstatic crowd.

Update: Yep, sounds like tomorrow’s the moment of truth.

The moderate Iranian leader who says that he was robbed of victory in last week’s presidential election faces a fateful choice today: support the regime or be cast out.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, has told Mir Hossein Mousavi to stand beside him as he uses Friday prayers at Tehran University to call for national unity. An army of Basiji — Islamic volunteer militiamen — is also expected to be bussed in to support the Supreme Leader.

The demand was made at a meeting this week with representatives of all three candidates who claim that the poll was rigged, and it puts Mr Mousavi on the spot…

It was unclear last night what he would do or even whether the protests would die away if he backed down.

Update: The Standard notes that Mousavi’s Twitter feed has a message out urging supporters not to go to prayers tomorrow, which presumably means he won’t be there either. In the unlikely event that they take his advice, that’ll reduce the odds of confrontation. But if he boycotts the event too, it’s a direct slap at Khamenei’s authority. Which means this isn’t Mousavi versus Ahmadinejad anymore, it’s Mousavi versus the whole regime.