Accessibility links

Breaking News

'We Are Not Living In The Middle Ages'


Iran has severely restricted the ability of foreign media to report from Tehran, necessitating a greater reliance on the reports of citizen journalists and impassioned listeners. While every effort has been made to do so, RFE/RL cannot vouch for the accuracy or authenticity of user-generated content, which appears below in orange type.

E-mails and voicemails sent to Radio Farda on July 2:

I want to say, if we really have the freedom of speech, then do broadcast my voice, I want to say that the factors responsible for the conflicts in Iran are Radio Farda, BBC Farsi, and the Voice of America. I will be waiting to hear my voice at 5 p.m. tomorrow.
**

I am Ali from Mashhad addressing Mr. Khamenei. I was one of your devotees, but in recent years and recent days in particular, not only me but hundreds of others have turned their backs on you. I wonder how you would confront the people on Judgment Day, claiming your faith in this religion.

**

I want the Iranian nation to think and wonder about what they have witnessed in the past two weeks being nothing but threats, beatings, killings, disregard for the public's votes, serious suppression of humanity, deception, fabrication, corruption, fraud, violation of the law, and constant disregard from this regime. How long is this cruelty and brutality going to continue?

**

I am calling from Tehran, and want to convey my message to Mr. Hashemi [Rafsanjani]. Mr. Hashemi, I wish you could continue with your speech, which was enchanting and beautiful, but the part of the conversation where you talked about some mysterious factors being the cause of the clashes between the public and the government spoiled your image among the people. Mr. Hashemi, there are no mysterious factors but an Iranian nation that has woken up. We are a nation that has been suffering from the cruelty and brutality of Mr. Khamenei. And this is enough now.

**

Greetings,
I think for following up on the fraud and irregularities in recent elections, someone needs to talk about those 3 million votes that [Guardians Council spokesman] Mr. Kadkhodai talked about almost a week ago. After that they never mentioned it again, as 3 million is a huge number, how did it happen, 3 million in what percent of the boxes, in what provinces....
This has been forgotten and we should not let it go.

**

Greetings,
On my way to work, I switched on Radio Farda, a part of my daily routine. I realized the intensity of the situation and felt a great burden on me, clearly this was about the election results.
My profession would be the one reason for me to wish somebody other than Mr. Ahmadinejad and Rezai would get elected. This is because both of them have a "specific approach" about awarding huge contracts to the Khatam Anbia base and I am aware of the fact that with the reelection of Mr. Ahmadinejad, the same conditions will be available for the companies working under the complex of Sepah Pasdaran....
In conclusion the whole scenario results in another four years of tougher work conditions, especially for individuals like me who are dependent on the private sector for their earnings.
In the end I would take this opportunity to thank Radio Farda, and I am very glad at the systems of management and planning that could provide the right conditions at the right time and one information unit that changed one whole society.

**

I am Hussein, 20 years old from Shiraz. Yesterday I heard in the news on a provincial news channel for Fars, that the reported 10 percent of the ballet boxes were counted again. In one of the boxes Ahmadinejad leads with six votes, whereas Musavi and Karrubi were counted as lesser votes than that, and in some of the boxes the difference is around one to two votes . -------end of news
Even a single vote matters, how can they make a mistake even with one or two votes?
That one vote could be mine to Musavi, and above all this is only about 10 percent of the ballot boxes, what if they would have counted all of them?? Musavi would have taken the lead for sure.
I will never vote in the next election.

**

Intelligence forces and security forces, after attacking the pilgrims at the holy shrine of Hazrat Masumeh yesterday, arrested 30 women who were commemorating the anniversary of the martyrdom ceremony of Hazrat Ali Hadi, the 10th Shi'ite Imam. According to eyewitnesses, after surrounding the shrine of Hazrat Masumeh, the security forces started beating the children and women and arrested 30 of them. They also beat and arrested some clerics who tried to stop them.

**

We are not living in the Middle Ages -- no government can suppress its people today, by humiliating them, beating them, arresting them and killing them. If any government can still get away with all this, then what is the role of the international community and what would be the difference between today and 1,500 years ago?. Now Iranians have shown the world that they don't want a bunch of evil and corrupt leaders to rule them, what more could they do, as they have no help? The world has to support them.

**

These kind of acts are expected from such an inhuman and filthy government. A friend was telling me about his nephew, one of the few that returned home after the arrests, who was unable to speak for a couple of days and later told the horrible story of how a few Basijis would hold him while the other would urinate down his throat forcefully. Yes it is excruciating, but is only a small example of the evilness of this inhuman government.

**

I am Alireza from Bandar Abbas. I wanted to say that the Islamic republic doesn't consider them important or have any respect for women, which is proven by the killing of Neda Agha-Soltan, and I also believe that Neda is a symbol of freedom for Iran and for the whole world.
XS
SM
MD
LG