Days of Fire and Blood*

Recent days in Iran could be divided in 3 parts: days before election, the election day itself and the days and month after election.

People this year experienced few free days of expressing their views, even clothing codes which had been very restricted for wearing Manto, scarf, skirt, shoes (in winter) for women and hair, shirt ... for men.
The candidates’ live debates in TV, a rare TV program, made all election issues hot.
Night before election streets were full of people most young till 2, 3, midnight.

And many times this presence, talking of their own candidate resulted clashes among supporters. Of course most of them was between Ahmadinejad’s supporters one side and other candidates, most Musavi Supporters on the other side.

Those few days people during rallies gathering of their candidates talked and expressed what they hate and wanted to be changed; the lies, the bad economical situation…
Police had order to just watch; of course sometimes in some or all parts of the city they beat people and it’s said most of the time Ahmadinejad’s supporter were in peace and other faced police reaction.
Flee from police trying to get in other’s houses reminded people of Iran, the nights and days of 1978 Revolution.

During those days so many mottos, SMS full of jokes and motto were subjects of the people talks and colored the people lives.

Motto like: “lie is forbidden” using a driving sign, “we don’t need a potato Government” holding potatoes, pointing the potato distribution by government among poor or old people, “being polite is better for a man than his wealth”, a proverb used by Musavi in reply to Ahmadinejad’s words and manners during TV debates, and so many other interesting, clever mottos.

The digital revolution also began. Reformists, supporter and candidate’s camps used the digital technology to inform people of their views, words as they didn’t have enough media comparing to so many right wing newspapers.
Facebook, youtube, twitter was among the tools they published their views. Facebook was filtered and after some days it was unfiltered by president Ahmadinejad’s direct order, concerning different national and international criticism.
Few reformist newspapers were permitted to be published which before and after election all of them were banned and only some of the reformist and semi reformist previous publication yet are published which it’s not freely. They face severe supervision.

The few free days before election finished, people ready to vote, hoping perhaps they can change situation, like what happened 12 and 8 years ago by voting to Mohammad Khatami.

The second phase of the recent days division began; the election. People in long queue were to vote; even those didn’t vote 4 years ago or so many times during these 30 years.
Government issued visa for many foreign journalists and after election they got it was a mistake. The media let the world know what was going on in Iran.

Election days finished raising many issues. Government showed didn’t like the voting would be long enough so people in queue vote, all.

And the 3rd phase began so soon which surprised people and expert.
The day after election was a special day. People heard what happened during night and right wing newspapers in their morning copy the final result. They were printed long time before counting finished. Even before it begins and it made people suspicious.
The result expressing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the winner with 24milion votes and the number of votes of 3 other candidates were like a joke.
People were silent, it looked like a dead city and the protests began.
People in Tehran went to the street which the Interior ministry responsible body for election and counting votes, is located.
This time police didn’t have the order to just watch.
They beat people. The secret police, bassijiies all faced people.
Candidates issued statements and protested. They talked of what happened, the facts and…
The statistics and the way they grow showed a fraud, some one sent news on real numbers and statistics. People sent emails and it was said an engineer from interior ministry who informed people of what happened and of real numbers has been killed in a so-called suspicious accident.
Again the days of blood and fire began.
People after many years, after what happened 10 years ago in Tehran, to university students and others in July known as “events of 18 Tir” and many even haven’t been informed, went to the streets and shouted “where is my vote”. This year 18 Tir is July 9th.
And they get a reply; shooting, beating, arrest.

People hoped authorities will be wise enough not to do such a clear fraud. But the events showed they don’t like to loose the power, to let people feel some kinds of freedom.
Again any body tried to use the internet to inform worlds of what happened here, the internet revolution.
Foreign media were ordered not to cover the rallies…
This was people movement that made it happen; the news flow.
The authorities again began to accuse those who protest as the foreigner’s and westerns agent; the old habit which is said when ever any one in Iran or in any dictatorship regimes protest.
People were arrested even if they were passing the streets which was a rally there. The rallies were held in silence, peace but it was not bearable for few people who are in power and never wishes to loose the power, the money, the….
Some have been killed , their family couldn’t even mourn for them. They were ordered to be silent. They paid money to get back the body of their innocent children, father, sister, brother… and some are said with out organs like, heart, kidney…
If it has happened, it seems government needed the organs..!! and some times or better to say most of the times during such event and when there is no free flow of information rumors raises and some times the truth could be talked as rumor, even.

The arrested people are under severe torture; mentally and physically. Those who were in reformists camps, in high ranking, are tortured to confess the western agents seeking a color revolution like what happened in Georgia, Ukraine.
Others, people in rallies are taught to be scared of any future protest. The students have been attacked in their university residential, by unknown people. Of course not unknown for people in Iran; they’re hardliners, Basijies…

It is said those who attacked people have been paid around US $200, per day. The police many times were only watching. And militias (Basijiies) were responsible to control everything and beat the people or shoot them.
A teenage boy who’ve been arrested along with some of his friend has said to his relatives that he and his friend have been raped, too. He said he was lucky that was raped 4 times, but his friends were raped by 5 different people. Men being raped in a county which is against homosexuals and it’s forbidden by Islamic rules.
People tried different ways. Shouting “Allah o Akbar”(God is great) is one of them which yet in some cities and some part of Tehran is heard during night, at 9 to 10 pm. It’s the way people during 1978 revolution times used to protests.
And yet people are trying to express their views, they want to go to streets on Thursday aftrnoon, 9th of July.
To say they don’t accept the result confirmed by Guardian council, body selected most of them by leader and of course many of them supporter and allies of Ahmadinejad.
People yet are finding facts of fraud and big cheat; like voting ballots around the country in different buildings which should be in Interior ministry now, not any other place.
Even the recounting of some ballots gave some facts to people. 2 days before the recounting and announcing its result, the minister of information said one of the fraud example could be the unfolded voting papers and when some photos and films of recounting procedure were published, showed many, many unfolded papers, same handwriting on so many of them…

The 3rd phase, the phase of protest and defending the essential rights will be continued or perhaps it could be called a new phase. A phase of severe dictatorship... more than what has been experienced… whatever it would be, the world should know and don’t forget what has happened in Iran, is a big, clear fraud and lie.

• The title refers to the name of a photo book of 1978 revolution events which was published after the revolution and in some periods, like the 80s, was forbidden!

[NOTE: Image 008 shows a ballot vote of city council election among the ballots of recent presidential elections! it's rare and strange. the city council has been held 2years ago.

image018 shows the handwriting of votes for mr'ahmadinejad is the same in many votes.

other images show voting votes unfolded. it was said by ministry of information, which is responsible for finding spys,plots against country, controling security issues in Iran..., the unfolded papers are for example a fact of fraud and cheat.and 2days after that the pics of recounting some ballots showed so many unfolded papers. other images are showing such votes. they couldn't be people's votes. who vote without even unfold?!]