JMS+375+Group+7

= 2009 Iranian Revolution: The Green Revolution & Twitter Revolution = Group 7



Introduction by: Andrew Burer
As the world enters in to this new, viral technological age where communication is as wide and fast-spreading as ever before, many nations across the world have witnessed transformational changes in the way they govern. As a result, oppressive nations are no longer able to operate with same kind of tyranny that once dominated their politics and coercively ruled their people. Recently, the last few years have bared witness to the kind of brutality these governments will resolve to in times of political unrest. More importantly, however, these years have also displayed a certain will by the people that resembles many of the world’s greatest and most important historical “revolutions” against governmental tyranny. The people of Iran are one such example that has fought the fight against oppressive regimes. In 2009, in protest of the recent presidential elections, Iranians took to the streets across the country in what would become one of the most important and influential uprisings in recent memory. “The Green Revolution” or “Twitter Revolution” as it later became known as, shed light on what the new power of viral communication can do. Outlets such as Twitter and YouTube became vital mediums in which people could coordinate amongst themselves and communicate with the outside world. Despite efforts made the by the government to silence these new channels, the people of Iran were able to captivate a nation and the rest of the world by organizing protests numbered in the thousands and by broadcasting footage watched by millions. What they didn’t realize, however, was the enormous affect this revolution would have on other people who still lived under oppressive governments; “The Green Revolution” or “Twitter Revolution” would become the first of many uprisings rooted in social media.

A History of Rebellion by: Ashley Sanchez
The turmoil that Iranians faced during the “Green Revolution” of 2009 was nothing new to Iran. The country has a violent history spotted with anti-government movements. Before 2009, the Islamic Revolution of 1979 was the biggest rebellion to shake the country.  From the 1950’s to the 1970’s, immense amounts of political unrest took place which ultimately lead to the 1979 revolution. " It was in part a conservative backlash against the Westernizing and secularizing efforts of the Western-backed Shah and a liberal backlash to social and other shortcomings of the ancient regime" (fsmitha.com). Throughout the 1960s, the shah, Muhammad Reza Pahlevi, began to exercise increasing control over the government after disbanding parliment. Programs of agricultural and economic modernization were pursued but this left very few benefits for the ordinary citizen. Opposition to the shah was widespread, fueled mainly by conservative Shiite Muslims, who wanted the nation governed by Islamic law (novaonline.nvcc.edu). In 1978, the Shah's American supported regime became increasingly oppressive and riots developed into a state of civil war. In early part of 1979, Iranian's widespread opposition forced the shah to leave the country. The westernization of Iran was upturned when Lehavi’s monarchy was replaced with an Islamic Republic presided over by Ayatollah Ruholla Kohmeini﻿ (novaonline.nvcc.edu).

On November 4, 1979, the U.S. felt the affects of the revolution when the shah was allowed entry into the country for medical care. As a result, militant Iranians stormed the U.S. embassy in Teheran, taking 66 Americans hostage. The militants demanded that the shah be turned over to face trial and return the money he was accused of taking with him abroad. Fifty-three hostages were held until an agreement was negotiated that freed the hostages on January 20, 1981. Unable to persuade Iran to release them earlier, a military rescue mission was attempted, but failed and eight American servicemen were killed (novoaline.nvcc.edu).

 The main effects of the 1979 revolution were an increase of Middle-Eastern opposition to the western world and governmental promotion of Islam with the elimination of American influence over the government. The amount of political repression imposed by the Islamic Republic is still debated even though v iolations of human rights by the theocratic regime are worse and more severe than during the monarchy. Others are happy with the government due to the improved educational opportunities and heath care for lower class citizens. The creation of the Islamic Republic did not lead to many changes from the monarchy in terms of political freedom and governmental honesty and efficiency. Political conflict still remains in the country, but now hostility toward the shah is directed against the Mullahs (fsmith.com). As a result of the 2009 election's outcome, many call it "the end of the Islamic Republic" (abcnews.com); later sparking the "Green Revolution", in which the Former Islamic president, Mir-hossein's Mossavi's supporters rioted against the election's outcome.

The Role of Technology by: Britta Erickson
In the past few years the global use of social media has skyrocketed. With an abundance of camera phones and other personal media devices(many with internet capability), people all over the world can easily share up to the minute news with the digital world. Since the beginning of 2011, we have witnessed many social media fueled revolutions occurring in the Middle East. Tunisia and Egypt appeared to spark the unrest and many countries have followed suit. Social media obviously played a very important role in organization and the global media coverage of the uprisings. The true credit for these social media activist techniques lie with the protestors in Iran.

In the spring of 2009, the Iranian people rejected the results of their recent elections and protested. Similar to recent protests, the Iranian government and pro-government supporters turned the situation violent. Many innocent people were attacked and lost their lives. But the most remarkable thing about this revolution was the involvement of social media.

Inside the country, Twitter, a social media giant, helped rally and organize protesters. People at the scene tweeted live updates of what they witnessed and raised global awareness about the events taking place. Twitter lists were started and filled with updates which allowed people following the event to be well informed and to share the information with the rest of the world ([|Washington Times, 2009]). Some of the most disturbing but powerful tweets were pictures of the violence. “Reports of deaths tweeted out, and within minutes, a gruesome picture circulated of a man lying face-up in the street, blood covering his face and pooled around his head,”([|Washington Times, 2009]). Although these images are difficult to look at, they retain importance because they brought world wide awareness to the Iranian situation. Sometimes the media downplays the violence in foreign countries, but it is impossible to do so when such imagery surfaces from the scene. media type="youtube" key="7Hu84MihcOU" height="349" width="425" align="left" Outside of the country, the website that is credited with unveiling the revolution was YouTube. Similar to what people did with Twitter, YouTube was used to post videos of the violence, bloodshed, and destruction. International news organizations, such as the BBC, used video from the site to illustrate the unrest for viewers worldwide. One example of this is the story of the tragic death of Neda Agha-Soltan. During one of the protests, Neda was stuck in traffic near the event. She need some air so she stepped outside of her car. Pro-government militia targeted her and opened fire. Tragically she was shot in the chest and died shortly after ([|BBC News, 2009]). [|A video of this event was captured] and posted on youtube. This was one of hundreds of videos that were posted showing similar violence. Another video that surfaced was of the aftermath of an attack on a dormitory at Tehran University. In [|this video], the destruction was documented and shows how computers and the library were deliberately destroyed. The destruction of the computers is significant because it shows that the pro-government militia knew that social media was hindering their cause and needed to be stopped. media type="youtube" key="kSNizjlHWVo" width="425" height="350" align="right"

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Because of how popular social media and the Internet were in Iran at the time, it was impossible for the government to censor or even shut them down ([|Morozov, 2009]). This revolution in 2009 was one of the first examples of how powerful social media can be in crisis situations. It is able to inform a large number of people almost instantaneously and shine a spotlight on tragic events and the inhumane treatment of societies. Twitter, YouTube, and other social media organizations are helping hold people and governments accountable for their actions and making the world smaller and more relatable. Thanks to social media, the Iranian revolution was publicized and gained global recognition.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">When Did it Start? by: Kelly Kauffman
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The protests of 2009 began with the June 12th election between president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and primary opponent Mir-Hossein Moussavi, former prime minister of Iran. Ahmadinejad was declared the winner, with 63 percent of the votes, which led the supporters of Moussavi to protest against the results, subsequently becoming the largest protest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ( [|CNN]). They protested against these results because they thought the they were manipulated because Moussavi was believed to have had a lead over Ahmadinejad. The protests later became known as "The Green Revolution" as the protesters wore green, the color of Moussavi, to show their solidarity for him, including Iran's national soccer team ( [|CNN]).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> As the protests increased, the riot police and other security forces used drastic measures to try and extinguish them by beating and shooting the demonstrators. Much of this violence was caught on video, uploaded to YouTube, and showed Iranian police forces shooting into the crowds of protesters. By August 2009, Iran's judiciary spokesman, Mr. Jamshidi, admitted some 4,000 people were detained in June's post-election street protests ( [|BBC News]). There has been no official death count following the June election but in December 2009, it had been estimated by members of the Green Revolution that more than 70 supporters were killed because of the escalating violence from the riot police and security forces ( [|BBC News]). On June 16th, Iran's government continued their efforts to stop the protests by declaring a ban on foreign media reporting from the streets of Tehran, forcing journalists to stay in their hotel rooms as thousands protested outside. In addition, the Iranian government continued their use of censorship on the Internet by limiting access to websites such as YouTube and Facebook. Right after the election, YouTube reported that "traffic to the site from within Iran was down about 90 percent" and Facebook reported "traffic from Iran was down by more than half since the election" ( [|New York Times]). However, this did not completely deter the Iranian protesters as they used proxy servers to access the internet and websites such as YouTube and Facebook. The presidential election sparked the protests of 2009, but they are also the beginning of many other protests that continue on through 2010 and 2011, including the most recent protests in February.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="TRfWGggV77Y" width="432" height="346" align="left"

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">by: Jaclyn Ramos
Overcoming unrest in Iran continues to be an ongoing battle for citizens. Protesters have gathered together for official rallies on many holidays such as Quds Day, the anniversary of the seizure of US embassy, National Student Day, and Ashura voicing their demands for change (BBC). There is still a growing division between the government and Iranian citizens as President Ahmadinejad remains in power in Iran. Hundreds of people including pro-opposition journalists and reporters have been arrested during the protests today and in 2009. Also, many people have lost their lives due to brutal government crackdowns of demonstrations and protests.

The 2009 Iranian protests have had an immense impact on an international level. These protests sparked not only citizens of Iran, but other countries as well to stand up to their corrupt governments. This can be seen in the current uprisings and anti-government demonstrations in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Libya and many other Middle Eastern countries. In these countries, media is controlled by the ruler or government in power. As a result, these governments have aimed to ban or censor many media outlets for their citizens in attempt to hinder demonstrations and gatherings as well as to limit information and awareness being spread globally through social media. Today, protests continue in the Middle East and will not cease until the people see change in their current political structures and systems. The 2010-2011 protests throughout the Middle East and North Africa have reignited protests in Iran following the removal of President Mubarack in Egypt and President Ben Ali in Tunisia.

Through the use of the internet and social media, there is a greater global consciousness of the current unrest in the Middle East. Twitter has “emboldened the protesters, reinforced their conviction that they are not alone and engaged populations outside Iran in an emotional, immediate way that was never possible before” (Time). People in the Middle East continue to use social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to communicate not only with each other but with the rest of the world as well. Facebook has been particularly useful in organizing demonstrations and banding together citizens; whereas, YouTube and Twitter have helped keep the rest of the world informed and aware of the current situations and unrest in the Middle East. The Green Movement has banded together Iranians all over the world, and the people of Iran will not rest until they achieve democracy, freedom, and greater human rights.



<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The Iranian Protests of 2009 and the Middle East Today **by: Virginia Pena**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As we have seen with the current uprisings in the Middle East and the revolution in Egypt, there is a kind of ripple effect that exists among their societies. During the "Green Revolution" of 2009, an end was not successfully reached by the people of Iran. Instead, the reform actions they made were silenced by violent actions taken by the government (Guardian UK). Although the citizens were only demanding a proper and fair election, their voices were silenced by the ruling government and military. As a result, the tension in Iran continues to exist and may have been what spread to other parts of the Middle East.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although the conditions in Iran were extremely brutal and tougher than those experienced by Egyptian citizens, what occurred in Iran shed light and possibility for Egypt. Protesters in Egypt were able to see that their revolution would not be impossible. By organizing and using the technological resources currently available and previously used by Iranians in the Green/ Twitter movement, Egyptians were able to create the change we are witnessing now. According to an NPR article, Wael Ghonim, the Google executive and Egyptian protest leader said, "I tell all Iranians that you should learn from Egyptians because we learned from you guys, that at the end of the day with the power of people, we can do whatever we want to do. If we unite our goals, if we believe, then all our dreams can come true (NPR)."

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By examining the 2009 protest in Iran, the country's actions have a lot of parallels with what we are currently witnessing in Egypt and the rest of the Middle East. Although Iran's revolution did not produce full success, the similarities between Iran in 2009 and the Middle East now are so much that the Green Revolution can be perceived as leading the way with creating change in the Middle East.



<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">**Conclusion by: Colin Nordal**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As social media continues to boom and become more integrated into our daily routines, it also spreads to other aspects of life. Social media grew from fun, opinionated college social networks into outlets for political and societal discontent. "The Green Revolution" provides a clear example of the integration of social media outlets into organized political protests. The effect connected millions of viewers and interested individuals across the world in a new way. Personal experiences of tyranny and oppression viewed first hand through tweets, video, pictures and updates exposed injustices from protesters on the ground. These previously unattainable sources of updates drew global attention to "The Green Revolution." Social media allowed the protestors cries to be heard worldwide and helped build support across cultural boundaries. This both inspired other oppressed peoples and drew sympathy and support from unlikely channels. Social media changed the political game and helped relinquished some power back into the hands of the people. The speed of the new technology and the integration of social media into public organization became inevitable given common will and proper motivation. Divided we fall; united we stand. Social media and technology are the new means of public unity and it presents its strength in cases such as the Iranian "Green Revolution."



<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">References
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 * 16) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Read more: []