The situation with Iran continues to become more dangerous by the day. Nine months after the disputed election that brought Ahmadinejad to power, on 12 June 2009, opposition demonstrators are still on the streets. During summer, progressive forces have demonstrated against alleged fraud in Ahmadinejad’s re-election. But the tone of the rallies has changed as the demonstrations became more and more violently crushed. Today, Iran rejected calls to free all political prisoners and accept an international investigation into violence after last June's contested presidential elections, an official U.N. report alleged.

Pictures of Ayatollah Khamenei, more powerful than the President, have been flattened by demonstrators, which is considered a serious insult in Iran. The opposition has shifted to wider calls against the entire Islamic system, including the Supreme Leader of Iran, and not only Ahmadinejad. This is an important turn-over for the opposition. Because if the Islamic regime falls down, it could dragged the whole region down, and offer the possibility for people to free themselves from Islamic regimes.

Mass protests and violent clashes between demonstrators and governmental forces happened last week in Teheran, Isfahan and Shiraz for the 31^st anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. Five foreigners, including a French national, a Japanese reporter and two Russians, were detained during rallies marking the 1979 Islamic revolution on February 11, a prosecutor said on Wednesday.

Since June 2009, police and militia (Basij) violence had increased exponentially: Basij attacked Universities and students' dorms at night, shut down dozens of people during demonstrations and tortured and raped hundreds of prisoners. The Iranian regime hanged two people last week for being considered as “enemies of God”: it brings to 10 the number of political activists facing the death penalty. They were arrested following deadly clashes in late December between opposition protesters and security forces.

Progressive’s forces in Iran need a worldwide support. The first step must be to force Interpol to remove its alerts on a number of Iranian political dissidents, who have been accused of terrorism by Ahmadinejad’s government. A spokeswoman for the campaign Stop Terrorism said: “At the request of Iranian authorities, Interpol has labelled a number of leading members and supporters of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran - Hekmatist as criminals and terrorists, and has published their pictures and personal information on their website.” By taking sides with Iran, Interpol is making the life of Iranian opposition insecure and dangerous.

Ayatollah Khamenei said in August 2009 that “The enemies must know that the protests, which are caricature of the pre-revolutionary ones, cannot undermine the system.” Nevertheless, the heroic progressive forces of the country, mostly students, women and workers, are still on the streets. 

(by Nathalie Duran)