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Yesterday, demonstrations were held to mark the tenth anniversary of the attack on student dormitories in Tehran and Tabriz. The significance of the date is explained in a recent article on Tehran Bureau:

On that day in 1999 students protesting the closing of the reformist newspaper Salaam were attacked in their dormitories in Tehan and Tabriz. Six days of protests ensued, which began with several hundred students and blossomed into thousands of people from all walks of life supporting the demonstrations. They were the biggest display of anti-regime sentiment in the Islamic Republic’s then twenty-year history, and they were put down by the regime with a mandate by the threatened leadership to stop the unrest “at any cost.” Sounds familiar.

The difference between then and now is that ten years of small victories and heavy setbacks for reformers have left them disillusioned, but also hardened and more fearless. I have been in Iran on the 18th of Tir several times over the past eight years, and have seen firsthand that security is always heightened that day. The regime knows that in its love for anniversaries, they’ve created a volatile beast that may need taming. It’s interesting to note that I’ve also twice witnessed the same security increases on the anniversary of September 11.

On July 9, Iranians all over the world demonstrated in support of those in Iran and to mark the anniversary of those attacks. In The Hague, there were speeches and music and the release of balloons. In Tehran people risked their physical safety to go out onto the streets despite warnings that they would be attacked.

A source has just sent us photos and audio from that day. Photos below: Read the rest of this entry »