Iranian Election Protests

The protests in Iran have gotten very brutal. The protesters have been faced with harsh police tactics, everything from being hit with clubs to helicopters dropping something that has been described as foul smelling and that burns the eyes. Citizens are being arrested in there homes and journalists are being detained. Yet despite all of this danger they continue to try to get there voices heard. Many are using the social media to get there stories out. Even CNN is relying on twitter and facebook messages and videos to tell there story to the rest of the world.

And locally there families and friends are showing their support by protesting throughout the States in various cities. One of the places with the largest Iranian population is Los Angeles and thousands have turned out over the weekend to show support. Luckily here we don't face the same dangers that those in Iran have faced.



One story of the brutality the protesters have faced is the tragic story of Neda. From what has been reported she was 27 and protesting with her father. Video was captured of her as she died after being shot. I won't post that video here but below is a great photo compilation of the protests in Iran.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release June 20, 2009


Statement from the President on Iran

The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.

Martin Luther King once said - "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples’ belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness.

Let's hope something good will eventually come from all of the turmoil in Iran as a respected colleague of mine said.