The Washington Independent » @PersianKiwi

Your @PersianKiwi Reportweets of the Day

Spencer Ackerman — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:14:38 +0000

Two new ones from the tireless Iranian dissenter worth highlighting. First:

Hospital sources – at least 1000 people injured so far by Gov in the streets against Sea of Green

Second:

confirmed source – All major cities in Iran now reporting saound of Allah Akbar – Death to the

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@PersianKiwi Liveblogs Moussavi

Spencer Ackerman — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:08:23 +0000

The Huffington Post’s unstoppable Nico Pitney culls together some of the tweets that @PersianKiwi sent out on Mir Hussein Moussavi’s address to today’s huge demonstration in Tehran. Not really sure why Nico doesn’t Cite @PersianKiwi specifically, but whatever. Here’s what a liveblogged Moussavi reads like:

· I have come due to concerns of current political and social conditions – to defend the rights of the nation
· I have come to improve Irans International relations
· I have come to tell the world and return to Iran our pride, our dignity, our future
· I have come to bring to Iran a FUTURE of FREEDOM, of HOPE, of fulfilment
· I have come to represent the poor the helpless the hungry
· I have come to be ACCOUNTABLE to you my people and to this world
· Iran must participate in FAIR elections, it is a matter of national importance
· I have come to you because of the corruption in Iran
· 25% inflation means IGNORANCE – THIEVING – CORRUPTION – where is the wealth of my nation?
· What have you done with $300 BILLION in last 4 years – where is the wealth of the nation?
· The next Gov of Iran will be chosen by the people
· Why do all our young want to leave this country?
· I know of no creation who places HIMSELF ahead of 20 million of the nation
· We are Muslims – what is happening in Iran Government is a sin
· This Gov is not what Imam Khomeini wanted for Iran – #Irane lection I will change all this – This is the SEA of GREEN

Notice that one about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad not being what “Imam Khomeini wanted for Iran.” Moussavi’s hacking at all sources of Ahmadinejad’s legitimacy.

@PersianKiwi, Live at the Tehran Demonstration

Spencer Ackerman — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:06:22 +0000

@PersianKiwi, the world’s most vital journalist — Mike Crowley should stop hating – tweets about today’s big Tehran demonstration:

Everybody is peaceful and quiet – everybody is wearing black – the number of people is unbelievable – SEA OF GREEN

S/he says s/he’s going to report back More...

Iranian Tweeter Reports Escalation of Violence

Spencer Ackerman — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:09:05 +0000

From @PersianKiwi just now, a terrifying escalation in the Iranian regime’s efforts to suppress the protests:

Baseej shooting in Azadi sq – army standing by and watching for now. #Iranelection

PersianKiwi adds that the shooting was an “unprovoked attack” and s/he sees “first hand” at least one person dead.

‘We Are Accessing Open Proxies’

Spencer Ackerman — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:01:28 +0000

The Iranian regime is able to shut down access to e-mail (by limiting bandwidth), SMS and Facebook. Lots of protesters and would-be protesters are unable to make phone calls or otherwise communicate with each other, thereby limiting the ability of the opposition movement to gather strength. But the regime is unable to shut down Twitter, and so some of the most amazing accounts of what’s happening in Iran come through Iranian Twitter feeds. How? A protester called @PersianKiwi explains about an hour ago:

we are accessing twitter from open proxies. they are closing them as fast as we can find them.

and:

I have massive incoming mail from twitter. cannot possibly reply. our internet conection is 27kb.

@PersianKiwi sent that from the Web, by the way. I’ll check this out for later in the day, but it’s fascinating that the regime is unable to block this powerful social-media tool.

And as the media is getting increasingly booted from Iran — a reporter friend who just left Tehran emailed last night that the regime is blaming the street demonstrations on foreign journalists and is arresting some — @PersianKiwi is live-Tweeting a demonstration from Tehran’s Engelhab Square: Can hear helicopters, cannot see them… my last ISP downed. have redialed new ISP, slow process. streets are packed with people. seems peaceful… the city is very busy. seems like everone is out but most shops are closed, business all quiet. not much normal traffic… call in from Enghelab Sq. Baseej [pro-regime paramilitary] outnumbered, just watching people march… am being told that there are injured students stuck in Tehan dorms. surrounded by baseej…. hearing rumours that Mousavi and Khatami are in azadi square now, unconfirmed…