Supporters for Iranian civil rights protesters in New York City hold “Democracy for Iran” posters on June 20, 2009.
Iranian Friends: “This a civil rights movement, don’t turn it into a revolution.” Only one will succeed.
— twitter.com/changcommaalex
Foreign journalists banned — world news relying on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook
[DST]
June 21, 2009 video showing protesters chanting “Don’t be scared, don’t be scare. We are all together … Death to the Dictator.”
Basij automatic weapon fire down the street; protesters carrying shooting victims away.
Protester shot by Basij
Basije taking people from homes.
Iran protest in Metro on Train.
More on YouTube.com/citizentube …
Tweets as sources of Iranian Revolution 2009/Civil Rights Protest …
twitter.com/StopAhmadi2
twitter.com/cbn2
twitter.com/changcommaalex
twitter.com/persiankiwi
Twitter search results on Iran protests topic …
#iranelection
LIFE’s Iranian
LIFE photojournalist missing … (from LIFE.com)
Defined …
Basij (Bassij, Baseej, Baseej-e Mostaz’afin) a volunteer-based Iranian paramilitary force founded by the order of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on November 1979. The Basij are subordinate to, and receive their orders from, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Sometimes spelled or misspelled Basijes. Currently Basij serve as an auxiliary force engaged in activities such as law enforcement, emergency management, the providing of social service, organizing of public religious ceremonies, and more controversially morals policing and the suppression of dissident gatherings. Basij consists of males “either too crippled or old for regular military service — aboutf 90,000 regular soldiers and 300,000 reservists.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard (Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution) The IRG is separate from, and parallel to, the other arm of the Iran’s military, which is called Artesh (another Persian word for army). The IRG is a combined arms force with its own ground forces, navy, air force, intelligence, and special forces.
The force’s main role is in national security, responsible for internal and border security, as well as law enforcement. It is also responsible for Iran’s missile forces. The operations of the IRGC are geared towards asymmetric warfare and less traditional duties. These include the control of smuggling, control of the Strait of Hormuz, and resistance operations. Thus, the role of the IRG will complement the more traditional role of the regular Iranian military with the two forces operating separately and focusing on different operational roles.
The British International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS.org) Military Balance 2007 says the IRGC has 125,000+ personnel and controls the Basij on mobilisation, and estimates the IRGC Ground and Air Forces are 100,000 strong and is ‘very lightly manned’ in peacetime. It estimates there are up to 20 infantry divisions, some independent brigades, and one airborne brigade.[
The elite Ghods Force, sometimes described as being the successor to the Shah’s Imperial Guards, is estimated to be 2000-5000 in number
More Iranian info …
irantube.com
NEDA shooting — woman shot on street in upper chest [GRAPHIC] …