Tehran, Iran, Aug. 03 – On Tuesday, July 26, plainclothes agents from the intelligence directorate of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps took 18 detained Kurdish men from the restive towns of Baneh and Marivan to a barren location and, after a violent rough-up, forced them to strip naked and walk back to their towns.

The Revolutionary Guards were trying to intimidate young people in this restive area of western Iran into silence after days of anti-government protests that have spread to several towns and cities. But the brutality and humiliation inflicted on the Kurds have only inflamed an already tense situation.

The day after the 18 men were beaten and stranded, angry Kurds seeking revenge attacked police patrols in the region killing five agents of Iran’s State Security Forces.

Tensions have increased dramatically in the area since the events of July 26 and there have been several other violent attacks on agents of the SSF in recent days.

In a bid to contain the situation, the local authorities claimed this week that the perpetrators of the crime were Kurdish dissidents posing as Revolutionary Guards, who wanted to “incite people against the Islamic Republic”. As could be expected, the belated attempt to calm down the anger of local Kurds has not been successful and anti-government protests are continuing in different parts of the region.

Let me see if I get this straight, Terrorize the People and if that does NOT work, blame it on Sinister Western Influence.

Iran police fire on Kurdish protesters from chopper Wed. 3 Aug 2005

Tehran, Iran, Aug. 03 – Iran’s State Security forces opened lethal fire on protesters in the western town of Saqqez from a military helicopter on Wednesday, eye-witnesses reported.

Anti-government protesters set fire to the town’s principal prayer hall and vehicles belonging to the police on Wednesday morning. Various government buildings including the governor’s office were also attacked and the commander of State Security Forces was beaten by protesters. A government agency, Bonyad Panzdah Khordad, was completely ransacked.

Witnesses reported that women took part in great numbers during today’s clashes with the security forces. One witness described how several women attacked policemen who had detained a teenage boy and freed him.

In Hahlou Square, protesters chanted “Down with Khamenei”, referring to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In an attempt to contain the unrest, agents of the SSF opened fire on protesters. There were reports of several people being killed by SSF gunfire. By early afternoon, at least 30 people had been arrested.

Today’s unrest in Saqqez started at Oqab Square just before noon as hundreds of protesters attacked a local Bassij post with sticks and stones. The Bassij are paramilitary Islamic vigilantes loyal to the Supreme Leader.

The latest clashes come in the wake of a series of protests that have swept Kurdish towns and cities in Iran for the past weeks. Dozens of protesters have been injured or arrested by government troops in several towns.

11 die in northwest Iran clashes Wed. 3 Aug 2005

– Heavy clashes which broke out between protesters and State Security Forces on Wednesday in the Kurdish town of Saqqez, northwest Iran, have claimed 11 lives, according to Kurdish sources.

Witnesses reported that agents of the SSF fired lethal rounds on protesters from helicopters in the air.

Kurdish groups have announced the names of four of the dead as Mohammad Shariati, head of a local school; Farzad Mohammadi, Student; Abbass Ramazanzadeh, 55 years old, and Shakeri.

Iran’s state-run media and officials have confirmed extensive clashes in the western regions of the country. The state-run news agency ILNA reported on Wednesday that provincial governors of Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan, deputy chiefs of security in the Interior and Intelligence Ministries, deputy commander of Iran’s State Security Forces, and Majlis deputies from the area met to discuss ways of dealing with the worsening situation.

Kazem Jalali, a member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told ILNA that participants in the meeting had determined that there should be “a higher level of security” imposed on the area to prevent unrest in Oshnavieh and Mahabad from spreading to other areas.

The state-owned Sharq newspaper reported on Wednesday that a group of Majlis deputies from Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan provinces had demanded that the Interior Minister “adopt measures to prevent the killing of innocent people in Mahabad, Sardasht and Piranshahr”. Their letter was read out during the Majlis session.

Anti-government protesters in Saqqez set fire to the town’s principal prayer hall and vehicles belonging to the police on Wednesday morning. Various government buildings including the governor’s office were also attacked and the commander of State Security Forces was beaten by protesters. A government agency, Bonyad Panzdah Khordad, was completely ransacked.

Witnesses reported that women took part in great numbers during today’s clashes with the security forces. One witness described how several women attacked policemen who had detained a teenage boy and freed him.

The latest clashes come in the wake of a series of protests that have swept Kurdish towns and cities in Iran for the past weeks. Dozens of protesters have been injured or arrested by government troops in several towns.



The Next time you hear someone say, "But what if Iraq turns into another Iran, Ask them if they KNOW anything about what is actually going OB in Iran.

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