Word: basij
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...last four years of repressive rule under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been jarring, following, as they did, eight years of social reforms under Mohammed Khatami. The Basij militia turned into the country's religious police, patrolling the streets at night to catch those returning from private house parties, where drugs, alcohol, dancing and Western music - forbidden under Islamic law - could be found. Such harassment, including jail time and hefty fines, has become a part of daily life. The Basij also stepped up enforcement of the ban against dating, the restrictions on public dress (berating women for letting their hijab reveal...
...particular, the gang of security chiefs, or the "New Right" - including just-ousted Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei, commander of the Basij paramilitary Hasan Taeb, and head of the Revolutionary Guards Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari - may seek to further militarize the already repressive regime. One fundamentalist group linked to the Basij paramilitary force has gone public with plans to wrestle power from Ahmadinejad by advancing its own "desired Cabinet lineup." The spokesman, Lotfali Bakhtiari, said in an interview published in the newspaper Khabar, "Our organization intends to become the government's think tank. We want to introduce...
...fight against the clerical establishment." The same day, Press TV, a state-sponsored broadcast station, reported that "an underground network providing foreign media outlets with photos and footage of the post-election unrest has been identified and arrested in Iran." Despite such threats and the existence of undercover Basij within the crowds, witnesses said that protesters were defiantly snapping videos and pictures with cell-phone cameras during Thursday's demonstrations...
...witness said rocks were thrown by protesters as they defied orders by the security forces to disperse. Several were arrested, including the political activists Saeed Shariati and Shayesteh Amiri and filmmaker Jafar Panahi, according to news reports and opposition websites, although this could not be independently confirmed. Meanwhile, Basij agents were seen videotaping the crowds. Many feared the recordings would be used to identify and arrest protesters. (See TIME's video of Iranian protests in Paris...
...security officers in riot gear forced Mousavi to leave before he could begin the prayer service at Agha-Soltan's grave. The Basij and Revolutionary Guards then shot off tear gas and began beating protesters with batons, witnesses said. The cemetery grounds were sealed off shortly thereafter...