Thursday 16 January 2014

Green Movement

Thousands of Iranians took to the lanes in 2009 as part of the Green Movement to revolt an unsure presidential election. The government crackdown that pursued comprised some women being locked up, tortured and raped. This report shares some of their stories. It is a co-production with The Center for Investigative Reporting.

The Green Movement refers to chains of actions after the 2009 Iranian presidential election, in which protesters insisted the removal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office. Green was initially used as the symbol of Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign, but after the election it became the icon of unity and hope for those asking for annulment of what they regarded as a fraudulent election. 

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi are identified as political leaders of the Green Movement. Hossein-Ali Montazeri was also declared as spiritual leader of the movement. Witnesses to Green Movement protests frequently claim that protests of this size have not been seen in Iran since the Iranian Revolution.