Iran Election Fallout, Ctd.

Andrew Sullivan's blog continues to be an indispensable source of information on what's happening in Iran. He has a massive number of readers, some of whom are sending eyewitness accounts or translating Farsi sources.

On the theory that the regime has "imported" cops:

If true, another sign of how desperate the regime is. A reader writes:

Just got off the phone with my dad. He leaves in northern Tehran, off Afrika Blvd.

He said that most iranians believe that a lot of the "commandos" on the bikes are Hezbollah arabs brought in to do to the citizens what a Persian cop would refuse to do. Accordingly when the protesters knock one of the biker thugs off they are being particularly brutal, believing that the rider is Arab.

Bank storefronts have been smashed all over northern Tehran. Mousavi, Khatami and Rafsanjani are allegedly meeting at Mousavi's house (who is under house arrest) and are planning their next move. People there are waiting for further instructions from Mousavi. In my dad's neighborhood BBC Persia and Voice of America have been knocked off the satellite but not in all parts. Sorry this is rambling I'm getting constant calls from Tehran. Will speak to my father again in two hours and will let you know anything new.

On students risking their lives.

In this country, we merely have to risk our apathy to vote. These students are risking their lives. They are the heroes of our time [...]

He also linked to this site, which links to English-language Twitter feeds. Some examples:

My Father has a truck load of ballot boxes that were to be burned in the back of his truck.

i eats some pills and wanna sleep and i scared that if they can find me ...i going...thx for your supports....

typing as fastest as I can in bth English&Farsi,Still we need outside help,I really don't want to be captured by Ansar

Once again I thank everyone in the world. No matter if Ahmadi stays or not, I'm proud to have clasped such supportive hands.

URGENT JUST IN, there r TANKS in front of the interior ministry of tehran in valiasr st. & fatemi CAREFUL

I can't find my friends on streets.

Rasht, glass splinters on the streets, riot police not hesitating to beat men, women and even kids

From Enghelab Sq friend just call me, Police & unknown forces beating everybody for no apparent reason!

Correction, no bus burned, but three cars.

dawn is breaking. can hear prayers from mosques.

cousin in tehran is traumatized by the club and baton beatings on tehran streets. eyewitness report of a girl beaten to death.

IRG's helicopter flying low on yousefabadad Amirabad Gisha right now creating a devastating sound and making windows shake

sources from Tehran: ppl are killed, ppl are in blood, tehran is hell.

We witnessed police spraying pepper gas into the eyes of peaceful female protesters

We are here in the dark, all kinds of rumors fly by; nothing is sure.

IRIB TV warned people seriously about going to tomorrow's rally, mobile network might be down for tomorrow's rally.

While there has been a lot of (legitimate) criticism on the failure of cable news networks to cover these events, Fareed Zakaria covered a lot of ground today, interviewing Christiane Amanpour and hosting a panel of experts.

Jamaican Security Minister Withdraws Remark

Last week, Dwight Nelson, Jamaica's Security Minister said that people killed by police are collateral damage in the country's war with criminals. According to the group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), in an address to Jamaica's Police Federation's Annual Conference, Nelson said the following:

"I pledge to you today that. I will use every effort to assemble a team of first-class legal officers to defend policemen when they are hauled before the court like common criminals," Nelson told the conference.

"This country must recognise and accept that we are fighting a war, and in any war there will be collateral damage. No policeman should be made to pay for this damage," Senator Nelson said.

"I am prepared to stand by you as you go out there to trample the underground network who have no compunction to dabble in criminal activities," he added. "I want to say to you today, I have the support of this Government, of which I am a part, in my unequivocal support of all policemen and women in the lawful execution of their duty. Inspite of the challenges we face as a nation, we must recognise that we have to provide you with the tools to get the job done."

JFJ condemned these remarks by saying:

"The rule of law demands that those who have acted outside the law are called to account," said JFJ. "Our problem in Jamaica is not that many policemen are "hauled before the courts like common criminals" as the minister is suggesting. Our problem is that our justice system fails to credibly investigate, charge and effectively prosecute those policemen against whom allegations of unlawful conduct are made. The result of these failures is impunity for unlawful police actions, increasing distrust of the police by citizens and increasing frustration by the citizens at the failure of the Government to protect them from unlawful actions by the police force."

Nelson apologized and withdrew the remark. He said that he did not mean that the government should back illegal acts by officers, but that police officers are justified in using deadly force against criminals.

For background, I recommend a couple of useful reports that I have come across or been a part of in my work.

"Killing Impunity: Fatal Police Shootings and Extrajudicial Executions in Jamaica, 2005-2007," by Jamaicans for Justice and the George Washington University Law School International Human Rights Clinic.

“'Let them kill each other': Public security in Jamaica’s inner cities," by Amnesty International. Amnesty International's latest human rights report, which just came out last week, mentioned police killings.