Iron wall around Mousavi's house

Of the signs of desperation we see coming from the Iranian regime, some are more absurd than others. Their latest record-setting performance in the category of absurdly vicious: stealing the body of a martyr, Saane' Zhaaleh, whom the regime's goons had shot dead, by the security forces and then claiming that the man they had killed was a Basij member killed by protesters (even though he was Kurdish and a Sunni, a student of theater literature at Art College, and an opponent of the government); then, not allowing his friends, family and classmates to participate in his funeral; then, when his brother reveals the truth, arresting the brother; then putting pressure on the whole family to go along with the whole absurd insult.

We are now getting news of some record setting in the category of absurdly futile: erecting an iron wall around Mousavi's house!

This is very instructive. Here is the mild mannered, hardly-ever speaking or saying much, impotent misleader or at best reluctant leader leading to nowhere, Mousavi, a political figure who is a former prime minister of this very system [during a very violent early period of the formation of this regime, during which literally thousands of political prisoners were summarily slaughtered in prisons], a very loyal son to the regime, and a person who, even after the government goons have killed, arrested, tortured and raped dissidents who actually support him, Mousavi, is still set on KEEPING the system and its constitution, "Not a word more, not one less!" And this is the treatment he gets!

Now, can you imagine what the system does to anybody who thinks in paradigms entirely removed from an absolutist theocracy?

The system ASSUMES everybody to be a slave to the state.

BUT ... That is exactly what the PEOPLE in Iran have realized, for some (very long) time now. And that is exactly why a great many of the slogans being shouted these days demand the destruction of the system, and nothing less!

Which is exactly why, in turn, there have been thousands of arrests nationwide since February 14 protests, as well as during the weeks leading to it; arrests and detentions and disappearances which continue apace to this day.

Nevertheless, the people's resistance too continues, and there are fresh demonstrations called for, to be held on February 20th. Student organizations are particularly active organizing for the coming protests.

In this context, it is indeed absurdly futile that the regime is spending so much effort isolating Mousavi and Karroubi, as if they are causing the movement, and as if the real causes are not the social misery daily reproduced by the system itself. Regime's leaders are sticking fingers in holes in the dam, while giant cracks are visibly fracturing the larger structure. A good part of the people's movement has moved well beyond reformists Mousavi and Karroubi, and is already planning for conditions in which everybody is really equal before the law, when people's rights are not rented to them based on how loyal they are to the state or based on how much they believe (or pretend to believe) in some particular obscurantist reading of a particular branch of Islam.

Regime's entire house of cards is falling apart, and they are erecting iron walls!

Long Live People's Movement for Social Justice and Freedom!

Building an Iron Wall around Mousavi's house
Kaleme / Saturday, February 19, 2011

Kaleme [a publication very close to Mousavi]: "They [security forces] are turning Mousavi and Rahnavard's house into a prison with very tall, iron walls." These are the observations of some staff members of the office of presidency, physicians and clients at the Matyr Shoorideh Hospital, which is located near Akhtar Alley, in which Mousavi's house is located.

Some of the upright staff working in the office of presidency, in a telephone contact with Kaleme, have informed us that at this moment [security] officials are working very rapidly in order to build a giant iron wall in front of Mousavi's house.

Apparently what's going on around Mousavi's house is what Ahmad Jannati [a reactionary cleric] said at the Friday prayers recently in Tehran, according to which, we must turn the houses of, as he called them, 'leaders of sedition' into prisons for them.

As Kaleme reports, in recent months, numerous limitations were created for the communications between Mousavi and [his wife] Rahnavard with the society, limitations that were intensified step by step. The circle of security restrictions around Mousavi began tightening from around the end of summer, and simultaneous with the attacks on Karroubi's house as well as on some of the maraaje' [Shiite sources of emulation]. These confrontations coincided at one point with a day when journalists were visiting Mousavi, and since has been applied to people from all layers and personalities attempting to visit him.

Six months ago, we entered a new phase of intensification of limitations against Mousavi and his wife, when a van was stationed in front of Mousavi's office [...]. This van was filled with security personnel who would prevent people and personalities from meeting and visiting Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard. At times, some of the visitors would even be detained temporarily, and after some hours of street interrogation, would be freed; others would be taken to detention centers, and only after signing written affidavits guaranteeing not to return [to Mousavi's office], would be freed.

Mousavi and Rahnavard's house arrest began officially after the February 14 protests started, and starting on February 16, all communications with the house have been cut off, and since then we have no news of their situation or of their health. Currently, Mousavi's guards have been relieved of their duties and security forces have taken their place.

Mousavi and Rahnavard's relatives have not been able to get any news regarding their situation, and the security personnel stationed around their house do not allow anybody to get near their place of residence.

After cutting off all communications means with Mousavi and Rahnavard, including telephone lines and the Internet, now with the building of an iron wall around Mousavi's house, their house arrest has entered a new phase, and it is not clear what other plans are being concocted for Mousavi and [Rhanavard] by judiciary and security/intelligence authorities.

[Original, in Persian: http://www.kaleme.com/1389/11/30/klm-48128/]

RELATED: See also this piece on Mir Hossein Mousavi's prime ministership period, during which a most horrendous mass killing of thousands of political prisoners took place:

http://www.iranian.com/main/blog/observing-iran/mir-hossein-mousavi-and-1988-massacre-political-prisoners