Ominous Sign as Tehran Government Cracks Down on Media

From bad to worse and it looks like compromise is no longer possible as the masses rally again. Either way the regime is guilty of Murder plain and simple-Content warning. More Via HA.

NT-Times--Placed on the defensive by the biggest demonstrations since the Islamic revolution in 1979, the authorities on Tuesday offered a concession to the sustained rage here, saying they would allow a limited recount of the vote — an offer that was resoundingly rejected.

But there were signs on Wednesday that the authorities were preparing to deepen a crackdown on the way news about the protest is being spread. On Tuesday, the government revoked press credentials for foreign journalists and ordered journalists not to report from the streets.And on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported, the powerful Revolutionary Guards went further, threatening restrictions on the digital online media that many Iranians use to communicate among themselves and to send news of their protests overseas.

This isn't the first time bloggers have been in the cross hairs, a couple months ago an Iranian blogger died in jail after being accused of criticizing the ayatollah. But have no fear the President is ready to help:

In Washington, President Obama said that it would be counterproductive for the United States “to be seen as meddling” in the disputed presidential election. He dismissed criticism that he had failed to speak out forcefully enough about the growing unrest in Iran.

“I have deep concerns about the election,” Mr. Obama told reporters at the White House. “I think that the world has deep concerns about the election.”

People have concerns about blood pressure. Anyway here is the reporting from
The Economist:

THE spasms of unrest that have spread through Iran since a presidential election last week are showing no signs of easing. A huge march in support of Mir Hosein Mousavi, the main opposition leader, led to violence and at least seven deaths on Monday June 15th. More rallies followed in Tehran, the capital, and farther afield on Tuesday and Wednesday. Supporters of Mr Mousavi and of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president, have since been out in force but—as far as can be discerned—the gatherings have been peaceful. Witnesses describe Mr Mousavi’s supporters walking in near silence on Tuesday.

Backers of Mr Mousavi seem to outnumber those of Mr Ahmadinejad, at least in Tehran, and observers say that many in the president’s crowds were brought from rural areas to the city by bus. Witnesses suggest that the opposition rallies in Tehran have not lost momentum and may yet be growing. Protests are also reported in other cities, including Tabriz, Mashad and Rasht. Plastic bullets were reportedly used on crowds of students at universities in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz.

Restrictions have been imposed on local and foreign journalists, and state-controlled television hardly mentions the turmoil on the streets. Two well-known local journalists were reportedly arrested on Wednesday. But youthful and tech-savvy Iranians have been using other means to describe the events rocking their country. Twitter, a micro-blogging website, is in much demand by protesters. America’s State Department reportedly urged the website to delay a planned upgrade that would have cut services to Iranians who are using it to communicate.