Iran Interior Ministry Letter

A disturbing letter from the Iran Interior Ministry may have surfaced, but until its authenticity is verified, it might not actually be official.

The letter's content is as follows:

Salaam Aleikum

Regarding your concerns for the 10th presidential elections and due to your orders for Mr Ahmadinejad to be elected President, in this sensitive time, all matters have been organized in such a way that the results of the election will be in line with the revolution and the Islamic system. The following result will be declared to the people and all planning should be put in force to prevent any possible action from the opposition, and all party leaders and election candidates are under intense surveillance.Therefore, for your information only, I am telling you the actual results as follows:

• A total of 42,036,078 votes were cast.
• Mirhoussein Mousavi: 19,075,623
• Mehdi Karroubi: 13,387,104
• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: 5,968,417
• Mohsen Resaee: 3,754,218
• No valid vote: 38,716

Signed on behalf of the minister:

X

As an interesting note, the total on these numbers is 42,224,078—exceeding the total count given by exactly 188,000. This kind of a mathematical error would indicate problems with the count to begin with. However, as a letter which transmits the number 188,000 it might be perfect.

Mohammad Asgari, the IT network security supervisor for Iran’s interior ministry, was reported to have leaked results that showed the elections were rigged, and that Mousavi had won “almost 19 million votes” (direct quote), and that he should be president. Asgari was killed in Tehran 5 days after the election.

Sources within Iran are saying that it’s most certainly a fake: for example: almost all official documents begin not with Salaam Aleikum (“God’s peace be upon you”), but with Besmeh Taali (“In the name of the Most High”), a way of invoking God’s name without putting it at risk of being destroyed.The tone of the letter is also described as being informal in nature, which would be at odds with an official report. This is not to say that an official document of this nature could not exist; but there are enough questions being raised about this document’s authenticity that it will be difficult to assess. We want to believe, but is it safe to?

As this develops, more information will be forthcoming. Although Mousavi is not a friend of the United States, the people here in the US are more concerned with keeping the process of democracy going than we are with which leader wins the election. We support democracy in Iran!

NOTE: Special thanks to those on Twitter who have messaged me in private, as well as those who have relayed information through other channels. I’m adding a Twitter widget to the right.

Iran’s Political Turmoil

In a vote, where the will of the people is supposed to prevail, the system of voting is essential to the processes which keep the will of the people in power. Stealing, rigging, or otherwise cheating elections might get someone some temporary power, but in the end the people will have their voices heard.

In the past couple of days, the result of the elections in Iran has been enlightening. But of import is not what’s happening now—which will certainly resolve itself, for good or ill—but in the crackdown on freedoms of speech which occurred prior to the elections. They started by blocking Facebook, only to reinstate it within hours. Then they tried to block SMS messaging (which everyone who texts on their phone should be familiar with). They tried to block (or possibly jam) BBC Persia. People don’t like to be stifled; once they realize that they can be heard, they get a taste for free speech. It’s a bit like offering purified water: everything else is a pale comparison once you taste it.

Democracy itself is the reason for the Iranian turmoil. While we cannot possibly know what Iran is going through without being there, the pictures which have been leaked seem to paint a fairly clear picture of political unrest. The will of the people will be decided. These people appear ready for change. We shall see.

Politicians and activists were arrested. The Basij militia (loyal to the incumbent) fired into a crowd, striking one man in the neck. Protesters attacked a group of militia and set their motorcycles aflame. Eight protesters were killed on June 15th. Molotov cocktails burn in the streets. University dormitories have been raided. The press has been prohibited from leaving their offices, in particular the foreign press. And through it all, civil liberties are suspended or chilled.

This is starting to look more like a civil war than it is anything else. Let’s all pray that it doesn’t come to that.

UPDATE: Special thanks @ernestina@Twitter for the photos:

Protesters are turning out for peaceful protest in the tens of thousands!

Leaders in Iran BUSTED Photoshopping