Monday, June 12, 2006

Islamic Regime's thugs attack and assault attendants of the peaceful Women's March

Iran Press News: Translation by Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi. Reports here and here also.
It is estimated that approximately 5000 women and supporting men showed up to the General Women's March at Haft'eh Teer Square in Tehran today. The march which was meant to be a peaceful protest against the misogynist rule of the Islamic Republic was slated for 5 to 6 pm Tehran time (9 to 10 am eastern standard time in the U.S.). The participants carried placards, signs and banners protesting the medieval regulations imposed on women and continued to chant slogans supporting women's, children's and human rights.

Among those present at the march were academics, well-known human and women's rights activists, student leaders, members of the greater Tehran bus drivers union etc. who showed up and were arrested. Among those arrested are: beloved poetess and suffragette, 80-year old Ms. Simin Behbahani who is always front and center, journalist Jila Bani-Yaghoub, Delaram Ali and Maryam Khorasani who are both children's and women's rights activist, Dr. Moussavi-Khoiniha who is the director of the Advar fostering of unity, Atefeh Youssefi, director of the student movement of the Sharif Industrial University and finally, Shorhreh Keshavarz and Azam Elhami who are also both children's and women's activists from the Alaameh University's school of social sciences , In the early moments of the demonstration it is reported that 70 people were arrested but according to eye-witnesses, the regime's forces carted mini-buses and vans full, of mainly women protestors, who were driven away to unknown locations.

Many of the regime's guards and agents were dressed in plain-clothes and passed themselves off as demonstrators until they began to attack and beat the protestors. They had batons, tear and pepper gases as well as all kinds of other chemical agents that make people sick and disables their breathing and vision which was continuously launched into the crowd. The regime's new tactic in their so-called attempt at a "kinder, gentler" way of treating protestors is to send out armed, green-clad female thugs and have them beat women demonstrators. The green outfits (as seen in photos) with nun-like hijabs connect in one piece to the rest of the shapeless shroud.

Oddly a group of the activists who were known as the members of the central committee of organizers of the march, both women AND men, were arrested before they even left their houses to attend the demonstrations; some had received threatening phone calls starting a couple of days ago already.