Word: basij
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...deal if the regime is brought down and thus have to calibrate their dissent. More important, an unarmed popular movement can topple an authoritarian regime only if the security forces switch sides or stay neutral. But Iran's key security forces - the élite Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Basij militia - are bastions of support for Ahmadinejad. And they have used hardly a fraction of their repressive power. Also, while the opposition draws far larger crowds, there are still millions of Iranians strongly backing Ahmadinejad. So even if the government is unable to destroy the opposition, it's unlikely that...
...thugs at the forefront of the effort to crush protests against Iran's election result have been the Basij militia, which has waded into opposition crowds with flailing batons. This 2005 piece by TIME's Azadeh Moaveni explains the origins of the group, which comprises thousands of young men organized into neighborhood militias. "The militia, whose name means mobilization in Persian, was created by Ayatullah Khomeini in the 1980s to recruit young men to fight against Iraq. But a decade later, they took on the role of an official morality police, becoming better known for raiding parties than for raiding...
...IranRiggedElect: Basij shooting in Tehran, ppl chanting "Don't be scared, we're all together." #iranelection...
...NextRevolution @oklahomared friend shot in upper thigh by basij militia on motorbike 2 dead tehran.. thank you death to the dictator #iranelection...
...Mohtashamipour has also claimed that the government moved polling booths to schools and mosques with strong Basij bases and that entire ballot boxes could disappear or their votes be canceled. One text message circulating during the week instructed Mousavi supporters to vote in schools rather than mosques. The following day, another widely distributed message read, "The SMS you received about voting in schools was circulated by the opposing camp. They want to nullify ballot boxes based in schools, the majority of which will now carry Mousavi's name. Please send...