Slightly Unhinged

From Avaaz.org:

Last week, millions of Iranians took to the streets to peacefully protest election-rigging. The resulting crackdown by the regime and security forces has left scores dead and hundreds locked up. Now a blackout is descending across Iran, internet and other forms of media are being limited and cyber-surveillance threatens to stop all Iranians communicating freely.

We can’t let that happen. Unless Iranians are able to share information freely over the coming weeks, their voices may be silenced for good.  Let’s help break the blackout — people in Iran are asking us to re-open secure and anonymous communication channels for them, particularly anonymous web proxy services. One small donation of €10 can fund enough bandwidth for Iranians to send hundreds of secure emails. The next two weeks will be crucial – please donate now:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/iran_stop_the_blackout/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK

PS. Here’s the email I received for more info:

Dear friends,

The brutal crackdown on Iran’s streets is starting to succeed. Last week millions joined in peaceful silent marches — but lethal shooting, beatings and mass arrests have driven the protesters underground, where the internet and media blackout threatens to stop them communicating.[1]

We can’t let that happen. Iran’s ruling clerical circles are in crisis talks right now — even many senior conservatives are criticising militia violence and apparent election-rigging, and calling for rights of free assembly and open debate to be respected.[2] But with election inquiries and the security forces still tightly controlled by Ahmadinejad’s allies, hope hangs in the balance. Unless Iranians are able to share information freely and safely over the coming weeks, their voices may be silenced for good.

Many websites are now blocked and the regime is monitoring ordinary internet and phone channels. So Iranians have started to rely on secure and anonymous proxy services to communicate — but they’re shutting down due to overload, and running out of funds.[3]

It’s clear how we can help: Let’s donate now to break the blackout and reopen vital channels of communication so that Iranians can share information and communicate freely during this vital period — act now at this link:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/iran_break_the_blackout/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK

One small donation of €10 can fund enough bandwidth for Iranians to send hundreds of secure emails. If 5,000 or more of us can donate, we can scale up these services massively — with more servers, bandwidth and advanced technical support.

The next two weeks are crucial. As Iran’s secret policemen cast their net far and wide, secure channels of communication are also critical to avoiding the crackdown. Scores have been killed and hundreds of human rights advocates, journalists, bloggers and peaceful protesters imprisoned. Although many more remain free, without safe ways to communicate they will be isolated or hunted down.

When the crackdown came in Tibet and Burma before, Avaaz members donated in our thousands to preserve the people’s basic human right to free communication and information. Overcoming censorship to make contact with each other and the world is crucial at these moments. Sharing information about the protests still flaring up around the provinces of Iran from Kurdish areas to the holy city of Qom, or uploading YouTube videos and first-hand reports of bravery and brutality to Iran’s million-plus weblogs and networks like Twitter, could make a huge difference.[4] If the regime believe they can silence such reports, the crackdown will only worsen.

Legitimacy matters in Iran. From inspirational videos of million-strong marches to shocking evidence of militia violence, the truth will come out if Iranians can communicate freely with each other.[5] The clerical councils engaged in closed-door crisis talks are paying great attention to the voices being raised in their society. Let’s make sure Iran’s voices are not silenced – help break the blackout before it’s too late:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/iran_break_the_blackout/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK

With hope and determination,

Paul, Ricken, Milena, Graziela, Paula, Luis, Brett, Iain, Rajeev and the whole Avaaz team

Sources:

1. Updates on the crackdown:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090625/ts_nm/us_iran_election_210

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2009/jun/25/iran-crisis

2. On the debate in the regime, Majlis Speaker Larijani criticises Guardian Council, IRIB, calls for open debate:
http://www.presstv.com/detail/98645.htm?sectionid=351020101

Conservative Tehran mayor Qalibaf calls for legalisation of rallies:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=98941&sectionid=351020101

Assembly of Experts considers forcing a run-off election:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-06-25/a-deal-to-save-iran/

3. Many of our contacts in Iran are reporting that they have been using these services but that they are running out of bandwidth fast. Also see:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/06/18/iran.dodging.crackdown/
http://www.internetfreedom.org/Use_of_Censorship_Circumvention_Services_Soars_in_Iran

4. See for example:

http://www.qlineorientalist.com/IranRises/general-strike-in-kurdistan/

http://www.youtube.com/user/citizentube

http://twitter.com/#search?q=#iranelection

5. Regardless of the actual result of the election, the importance of basic rights to assembly and open debate, which could also help shine a light on what occurred, has been emphasised in an open letter of support to the demonstrators. Its signatories include the anti-imperialist writer Noam Chomsky: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-277500