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Renewed protests in Iran

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There were new protests in Iran’s capital Tehran today. Demonstrators gathered despite an official ban on public gatherings. Witnesses say protesters were dispersed and beaten by government forces. Anchor Lisa Mullins gets the story from Los Angeles Times reporter Borzhou Daragahi, who’s in Beirut.
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LISA MULLINS: I’m Lisa Mullins, and this is The World. Authorities in two key countries are confronting continuing unrest. In China, the government has deployed thousands of troops in the western city of Urumqi. It’s an effort to prevent more ethnic violence there between Uighurs, and Han Chinese. We’ll hear more on that story from our correspondent in Urumqi in a few minutes. First though, to IRAN, where government forces again cracked down on pro-reform activist today. Demonstrators had gathered in Tehran in defiance of an official ban on gatherings. Witnesses say government troops beat the protesters and fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd. There are also reports that several people were arrested. This unrest comes almost a month after Iran’s disputed presidential election triggered massive demonstrations. Los Angeles Times reporter Borzou Daragahi is following the events in Tehran from his base in Beirut, Lebanon. He says Iranian opposition organizers have been giving protesters suggestions on how to keep their gatherings peaceful.

BORZOU DARAGAHI: They include not confronting the security forces, not throwing rocks at them, not lighting fires, and carrying no weapon heavier than a rose to offer to the security forces if they try to attack them. And they’ve also been told to wear darker colors to show their serious intent, to not wear makeup, or flashy jewelry, and to chant religious slogans. This is all an attempt on the part of the protest organizers to sap the will of the security forces. They’ve understood that this is gonna be a marathon, not a sprint, and they have to convince the security forces of their moral superiority, and this is a strategy to do that.

LISA MULLINS: To what extent is it working? I mean, do the protesters, even though in some cases the numbers of demonstrators seem to be dwindling, do they seem to be getting the upper hand on the government of Tehran?

BORZOU DARAGAHI: Most people understand this is gonna take a long time, and people are understanding this. This goes back, they are adopting classic techniques from Mahatma Gandhi. And if you look at the discussion groups as they put this strategy together, you can see ways of using a non-violent protest to sap the strength of those security forces.

LISA MULLINS: So what signs are you looking for right now to understand the internal power struggle that seems to be taking place inside the Iranian government?

BORZOU DARAGAHI: Well, so far the supreme leader, Ali Khamene, who is the leader of the hard liners. He has been very strident in not giving an inch to the protestors, and to giving an inch to the opposition movement. He still has a lot of levers at his disposal, including the security force, the pro-government militias, the revolutionary guard, as well as the State control broadcast network. There are no independent broadcasters in Iran. And he also commands and has the respect of the senior clergy in the holy city of Qom, and he has their loyalty still, even though some of them are silent, most of the ones who still count, who still control the per strings of the clerical establishment are still loyal to him. So he still has a lot of arrows in his quiver.

LISA MULLINS: Could you tell us, Barzou, where all of this leaves the Obama Administration? And to what extent its warnings of the past are being heated now?

BORZOU DARAGAHI: Well I think that the Obama Administration is being wise in terms of not appearing to take sides in this dispute. So far, what Obama has done is said it’s really interesting what’s going on in Iran, there seems to be some kind of democratic opening. And then when there was a violent crackdown, he expressed a very humane sentiment saying that, you know, we are appalled by what we see here. And I thought that was well considered, if his goal is to give support to the demonstrators, and not give license to the government to crack down on them.

One of the things that the demonstrators, the protestors, opposition figures say would really help, is if the so called non-aligned nations, the Indias, Nigerias, the Indonesias, Malaysias, Turkeys, of the world would isolate Iran, would give them the cold shoulder and that would put some pressure on them.

LISA MULLINS: Alright. Borzou Daragahi, thank you very much for your help.

BORZOU DARAGAHI: It’s been a pleasure, thank you.

LISA MULLINS: Los Angeles Time reporter, Borzou Daragahi, in Beirut, tracking events in Iran.

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