Iranians opposed to the regime of the Islamic Republic are adapting their tactics to violent crackdowns on large-scale street protests, while charges of mass torture and murder are leveled against the government. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC) has acknowledged that it is now leading the charge against the pro-democracy movement.
'Barbaric Torture'
According to a statement by the radical Islamic-Marxist People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), many protesters arrested by the Iranian security forces have undergone "barbaric torture and some have been killed in the process." The group claimed that the IRGC and the paramilitary Basij forces are running a secret bloc of the Evin prison in Tehran, where torture and murder are daily occurrences. The PMOI is opposed to the Islamic Republic and officially favors democratic rule of law.
At this stage, a little over three weeks after mass protests against the regime in Iran were sparked by apparently fraudulent presidential elections, the government is largely successful in preventing opposition groups from organizing further large protests in Tehran.
In a maneuver designed to outflank the IRGC and Basij forces, the pro-democracy opposition has been organizing smaller protests in cities throughout Iran. As an Iranian activist told Israel National News last week, the tactic is intended to force the regime to spread its forces thin, making them less effective in suppressing protest. However, another attempt at a mass protest is to be made on Thursday, July 9.
'Radio Israel, Start Talking About the Oil!'
Taking the protest strategy to a more sophisticated level, opposition forces in Iran are also organizing economic boycotts of government-controlled goods and services. "We are learning from them and their strategy and readjusting our strategy," an Iranian activist source said. A boycott "is the most effective tool we can have to paralyze them."
One sector identified as key to the succes of the opposition movement, according to Iranian activists, is the local oil industry. "We are not able to make inroads to oil workers, since the mullahs have built a very strong infrastructure to make sure it does not go on strike," according to the pro-democracy activist.
"If we can shut down the oil flow, we will shut down their oxygen. They are spending a great deal of money paying their agents, basij, Hamas, etc. We need to hit them where it hurts - their pocketbook," the activist said. Earlier last week, unidentified saboteurs managed to shut down a major pipeline in Lurestan.
"I wish Radio Israel - which has been of tremendous help - could start talking about the oil workers and their important role, just to scare the mullahs, if nothing else," the activist told Israel National News.
Revolutionary Guard Takes Over
On Sunday, Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the IRGC, announced that his forces have taken over national security. Perhaps signalling an intention to intensify the crackdown on Iranian pro-democracy activists, Jafari said there was no middle ground between loyalty to the regime and loyalty to the opposition.
Tasked with "controlling the situation, [the IRGC] took the initiative to quell spiraling unrest," the commander said.
The IRGC takeover, Jafari emphasized, meant "a revival of the [Islamic] revolution." In this new stage, he said, "All of us must fully comprehend its dimensions."