Purpose of trip to Iran

Sometimes an unexpected and extraordinary event occurred during the research trip can change meaning of your travel and stand on the first place.

My trip to Tehran on November 28, 2011 was the second visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran related to my independent research. The first visit made at the beginning of a year, in February with studying the problems arising between Iran and Azerbaijan, the social-political situation of this country and the state of basic human rights of Iranian Azeri people was stopped by the unexpected reasons. I had to finish this mission.

Moreover before my second trip the prominent Azerbaijani writer- publicist Rafig Tagi was killed in Baku. Rafig Tagi received several knife injuries on 19 November in one of the dark streets of Baku and he died a few days later. Instantly, after this unsolved murder doubts of most people directed to Iran. The reasons of this claim were more than enough. Firstly, Iranian higher religious figures gave a death fatwa (religious punishment) against writer due to his article on severe criticizing Islam, published in 2006. Secondly Iranian Ayatollah (the highest ranked religious figure) congratulated world Muslims to the death of the writer. Thirdly, in his last publication, publicist criticized harsh regime of Iranian government. By the way, I thought to reveal hidden sides of Iranian version of that death.


Tehran. Incident begins with genius Ferdovsi.

On November 29, 2011, at 19:00 o’clock, I went to the square named after Ferdovsi, the genius philosopher, at the distance of 100 meters from Tehran’s “Dorsa” hotel where I stayed. I had a meeting with my friends. It was getting dark. There appeared police forces in the square with special uniforms and helmets arranged around. Some of them were carrying rubber bludgeons and others short rifles. I became sceptical of a civil protest and because it would be expedient for my travel observations of socio-political researches. But friends informed me about some disorders arising in front of the British Embassy that is located in Ferdovsi Avenue near the square. Thinking about the last British sanctions against Iran and Iran’s parliament’s expel of British ambassador, I left them and directed my steps towards the embassy.

Passing approximately 400 meters, I saw numerous ambulances, fire-engines, police cars and many police officers with helmet and motorcycles arranged around the place of the event. The avenue was closed down and the police directed cars towards side streets. In ahead there were seen a noisy crowd in front of the blue ironware gate.

The British Embassy under the siege.

When I approached, there were 20-25 people on the stone pillar and fences joining the closed blue gate carrying and waving flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran and some other black flags with the slogans written in Persian. They were crying and advancing slogans in Persian and I could distinguish only some words as “Ingilis”, “Iran” and “Allahu Akbar”. I realized that it was the entrance gate of the British Embassy.

In front of the entrance gate there was a range of police forces with helmet. And in the street area in front of embassy, commanders of police forces and the high ranked security agency authorities in civil were walking around. The mentioned authority’s area was separated by policemen. I went toward that area of authorities confidently as the police forces didn’t impede me. Probably, they considered me as their own civil wearing security may be because of my appearance or, dressing.

And there were lots of meeting participants in the opposite side of the street staying around and on the unfinished construction. They were crying and advancing slogans to the address of the embassy; they were isolated by police forces. But in general, the police and security agency’s employees were exceeding the meeting participants in number.

In front of the embassy on the street there were spread a lot of papers and rags that drew my attention first of all. I thought that they would be leaflets spread out by the protest participants. But taking a closer look they appeared in different colour and sizes like accounting and other official documents. After all, I recognized that firstly the gates were opened, through which the attackers had been allowed to burst into the embassy’s territory and had ransacked the building, taken the official documents and thrown them onto the street. Afterwards the special police forces had forced them to leave the embassy and closed the gate. But, the strange thing was that the official forces using force against crowd of embassy attackers, showed no interest in 20-25 protest participants who had climbed over the wall of the gate.

Strange situation. Agreed Scene.

It was a very strange scene. I felt myself in a night movie shooting place. In the capital city of a country with very severe regime as Iran, the embassy of a serious country like Great Britain was attacked. But there were no feeling of tension between the police and the attackers that stayed to each other. I stayed near the police commanders and security agencies in front of embassy’s gate observing each episode of the process. They were calm, satisfied and confident. As if, they didn’t feel any responsibility for a disgrace played around the foreign diplomatic object. And sometimes, they made a serious official appearance and gave instructions to the lower ranked officers.

But the young meeting participants on the gate and in opposite side they were seen very unwilling. Sometimes they, making a fighting appearance cried and then gave nudge to each other and laughed. The interesting fact was that this group of young protesters was directed by an ulamah (senior mullah) with a long robe and turban, who was thin and lively energetic. And from time to time, he left the protestors, trough the police forces entered “our” commander’s territory and discussed with authorities seriously.

It seemed, the ulemah put forwards serious demands before the leaders of police authorities. Finally, an agreement was reached between them. The police forces arranged in front of the protestors moved away. These young protestors approached to the embassy entrance and climbed over the reinforced concrete construction separating the street from the pavement. Waving black flags in their hands, they started to cry together with the protestors, who were on the Iron Gate. Probably this act was an integral part of the regulated scenario.

It was strongly prohibited to shoot the entire scene. Only person, who was in a special uniform, was allowed to do so. He was assisted by two persons. Probably, he was an employee of a security agency, as some part of his pistol was seen from the holster. And I could make a few shoots with my mobile telephone covertly and with difficulty.

The artificial-dramatic final scene

It was already 21 o’clock. Finally, they had felt that I was a stranger. A person in civil uniform approached me and said something in Persian. I understood only the word “emeliyat” (operation). Realising that I didn’t understand the Persian language he moved off and instantly two persons in civil approached me and asked questions. One of them to whom I spoke was Azerbaijani Turk. They examined my passport. Realizing that I was from Baku, Azerbaijan, they informed the high ranked officers, told thongs over and returned the passport to be free. I thought if I was European there could be arisen many muddle problems. They obstinately required me to leave the territory because there are going to be held an operation soon, and I did it.

The operation was started! The police regiments standing in the Firdovsi square and other places in the distance waiting for this operation thronged towards the embassy. Suddenly they had created a scene as though they were attacking against the meeting participants. And the protestors posed to cry and run away. The police pursued them slightly. The scene was comic and inexplicable. Finally the place in front of the embassy was deserted. And the protesters on the wall of the gate descended. The meeting leaders, especially the ulemah also left the place greeting police commanders. They should have been satisfied with the “operation”.

Then, the real operation started. The police forces had attacked around the territory, the pavements as if they were doing a task. They have thrown on the absolutely irrelative and innocent people passing the street, returning from the job. They have detained two young people carrying a motorcycle trough a fence intending to pass the opposite site as the road was closed down. When they objected, the police officers beat them to blood in front of me and sent to the hospital. Though, they have overtaken these young people who were intending to attack the British embassy. Then the Iranian news agencies declared that two young people were overtaken and taken to the hospital. Very strange: at 22:00 o’clock, when the meeting was already finished and who were taken motorcycle?!

The political and diplomatic shame

22:00. There remained only security forces in front of the embassy. I was observing from the little distance. But I felt that I was under the control and being pursued…

The Iranian government is very anxious and angry nowadays. As if, they expect danger from any side and at any time. They understand that within the last years they have spoiled relations with all sides in the world because of their extreme religious experimental policy and ideology. They are in a deep stress as the system built by them has been already sunk and they have not reached their ideological targets and besides the ring of the international insulation was narrowing day by day. They are exposed to strong influence of the “Arab Spring” and especially the situation in Syria. They know that they caused many profound problems for themselves and for Iranian people. And these all are now felt by Iran ordinary people…

I still stayed calm observing. A young man in sportive uniform approached me, introduced himself as a police with a little smiling and started to speak in English. He indicated me a person, who was standing among stocking men. And asked: “Do you see my chief?” I Said: “yes, I do”. He said that his chef wanted me to left this territory. Smiling also, I said: “No problem, I’m leaving if I bother”. I returned to the hotel. There already was nothing to observe more. All things were clear for me.

I entered to the Internet in the hotel and saw that all news sites of the world are commenting anxiously to the incident arisen in Tehran. I understood that the scene I observed was only the end of the incident and I didn’t observe the most visible moments. I felt sorry and then I thought but I was a witness of the most important moment of the process! It was the rear moment of the event where the agreement between attackers and security forces was clearly seen and that all these were planned by Iranian state power.


However…

Certainly, I wouldn’t desire to interfere in such a serious diplomatic conflict between the England and Iran governments as an independent researcher of the third country while my trip was made for quietly different purposes. And I understand that this article may hinder me making travel to Iran once again. However, it is impossible to be a live witness of a primitive game organized in a state level, which caused astonishment and rage of entire civil democratic world and not to react.

Baku-Tehran-Gum-Baku
November 28-December 02, 2011

The article has been published in Azerbaijan language: www.qafqazinfo.az , www.mia.az , http://www.bizimyol.az