What is Iran's Green Movement?
Iran's Green Movement, or Green Revolution as it was called at the time, is a popular protest movement that took form following the 2009 Iranian presidential elections. After the disputed elections, in which popular reformist candidate Mir Hussein Mousavi was narrowly defeated by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, protesters took to the streets alleging voter fraud. Fueled by Iran's extreme youth (as of 2009, nearly 60 percent of Iran's population was under the age of 30), the movement evolved to demand higher degrees of government transparency, the reconsideration of the absolute power vested in the Ayatollah, and the development of a foreign policy centered on conducting constructive relationships with all states. The initial protests, and particularly the harsh government response to them, brought worldwide attention to the country and region, and in many ways served to fuel the Arab Spring in 2011.
Video footage of election protestors in 2009. The protestors are attacked with batons by motorcycle police. The Iranian government is often criticized for it's handling of protests against the government.
How does it relate to Iran's media system?
The post-election Green Revolution (and subsequently the Arab Spring) was somewhat of a landmark moment in the world's understanding of the power of social media as a news vehicle, organizational tool, and unifier of people. Facebook, and especially Twitter, were used as tools to organize protestors and warn them of police locations. While the real-time use of these mediums by protestors is said by some to have been overstated, there is no denying the vital role they also played in alerting the rest of the world (especially the west) to the movement.
More than that, though, the Green Movement is representative of the transitional state of Iranian society. Iran's youthful, technologically advanced, and developed population are at a crossroads with their authoritarian government, and this social struggle is felt across all facets of Iranian society, including its media system.
More than that, though, the Green Movement is representative of the transitional state of Iranian society. Iran's youthful, technologically advanced, and developed population are at a crossroads with their authoritarian government, and this social struggle is felt across all facets of Iranian society, including its media system.
CNN report on the role of Twitter in the post-election protests of 2009, and their coverage by the American media.
Aftermath
Though the Iranian government's response to the 2009 protests drew criticism from throughout the world, it did not ultimately concede to any of the movement's immediate demands. Unlike some of the less stable governments of it's Middle Eastern neighbors, the Iranian government also withstood widespread demonstrations during the 2011 Arab Spring, which it put down in similarly harsh fashion. According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, opposition leaders Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and their respective wives remain under arbitrary house arrest.
Indeed, there has been significant and widespread government backlash since the Green Revolution to ensure that it does not happen again. It has had an elastic effect on many censorship policies and many of the issues that remained before the violent protests continue to plague Iran. The movement has struggled to organize and unify since losing it's leadership, and the popular reformist candidate, Mohammad Khatemi, is a significant underdog in the upcoming elections in June.
Indeed, there has been significant and widespread government backlash since the Green Revolution to ensure that it does not happen again. It has had an elastic effect on many censorship policies and many of the issues that remained before the violent protests continue to plague Iran. The movement has struggled to organize and unify since losing it's leadership, and the popular reformist candidate, Mohammad Khatemi, is a significant underdog in the upcoming elections in June.
Amnesty International's urgent action notice regarding the house arrests of Mir Hussein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, Mehdi Karroubi, and Fatemeh Karroubi.