TEHRAN, Iran – Last Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of the “Green Revolution” in Iran, the protest movement that formed in reaction to the outcome of the Iranian presidential elections, with many Iranians believing that the opposition candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, was the legitimate winner over incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The massive protests were met by a violent government crackdown which killed dozens of people and led to the imprisonment of many others.

Iranian authorities, most prominently Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blamed last year’s massive protests on Western powers, accusing them of orchestrating the protests as part of an attempt to topple the Iranian regime.

While opposition leaders made plans to organize major protests to mark the anniversary, they called off the plans, “to protect the lives and property of people,” when the government both denied their protest permit and vowed to suppress any protests. Mousavi told his supporters that the “best means” to voice their discontent is to expand the social networks and websites: The same sources that originally propelled the movement and gave it the nickname, the “Twitter Revolution.”

The one-year anniversary was met with a relatively calm response in Iran, with small protests, sporadic clashes, and reports of ninety one  protesters arrested, including a political ally of Mousavi’s, Davoud Roshani, and a labour union activist, Reza Shahabi.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry reportedly sent text messages to random citizens that were clearly designed to intimidate them. Bloomberg Businessweek cited the website Rahesabz as reporting that the messages said: “Dear citizen, you have been deceived by the foreign media and are cooperating with them. If repeated, you will be dealt with according to the Islamic punishment law.”

The international community takes notice

GENEVA, Switzerland – While the response to the June 13th anniversary inside Iran was limited, the international community seized the opportunity to condemn the extensive human rights abuses in Iran. On June 11, 2010, criticism was levelled against Iran when the Human Rights Councils conducted its Universal Periodic Review of Iran. Countries such as the United States, Britain, and Norway accused Iran of violating human rights, freedom of speech and expressions, and denying access to the Council’s special rapporteurs—specialists who are given mandates to report on various human rights issues.

The Iranian delegation responded that they welcomed visits by the special rapporteurs in “due course”; however, no special rapporteur has been given access to Iran since 2005. Some of Iran’s allies and neighbors in the Council, such as Kuwait, Pakistan, Venezuela, and Cuba, praised and defended Tehran’s human rights record in the same Council meeting.

On 17 June, 2010, Iran also became a contentious topic in the Human Rights Council when Norway, on behalf of fifty-four countries, gave a statement marking the anniversary of Iran’s election crackdown, criticizing Iran’s human rights record, especially since last year’s election, including, “the violent suppression of dissent, detention and executions without due process of law, severe discrimination against women and minorities including people of the Bah’ai faith, and restrictions on freedom of expression and religion.”

Iran responded to the crticism by issuing a procedural challenge, claiming that country-specific statements are not allowed under the particular topic, the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action. With the support of several other countries on the Council, the Council was delayed by several hours as the Council sought to avoid a contentious vote on the issue.

World leaders, including United States President Barack Obama, and NGOs such as Amnesty International also used the June 13th anniversary as an opportunity to criticize the human rights record of Iran, and to call for the World community to support the Iranian people in the fight for freedom. In a statement, President Obama said, “It is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make it clear that we are on the side of those who seek freedom, justice and dignity, as surely as hope and history are.” He also said the election will be “remembered for how the Iranian government brutally suppressed dissent and murdered the innocent, including a young woman left to die in the street.”

For more information, please see:

Tehran Times – 91 Detained in Tehran on Presidential Poll Anniversary: Police – 17 June 2010

Washington Times – Editorial: Iran’s Twitter Revolution – 16 June 2009

Wall Street Journal – On Vote Anniversary, Iran Is Quiet Amid Heavy Security – 14 June 2010

Al Jazeera – Iran Marks Poll Anniversary – 13 June 2010

Bloomberg Businessweek – Iran Authorities Say 91 People Detained on Election Anniversary – 13 June 2010

BBC – Tehran Clashes Reported on Iran Vote Anniversary – 12 June 2010

Inter Press Service – Iran Pressured to Open Doors to U.N. Rights Investigators – 11 June 2010

AFP – Obama Urges Support for Iranian ‘Freedom’ – 10 June 2010

AP – US Urges Iran to Fulfill Human Rights Pledges – 10 June 2010

N.Y. Times – Iran Defends Rights Record as Opposition Cancels Rally – 10 June 2010