By Steve Clemons

NPR’s Mark Memmott reports on leading human rights attorneys and activists

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry has a very sensible piece in the New York Times today. Kerry gets the strategic issues between the US and Iran — but he also understands that what is happening in the streets of Tehran matters.

According to my friend and colleague, Afshin Molavi, Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s decision to call for a massive “mourning” day honoring those who have died during the election protests sends a powerful political message to Iran’s citizens linking back to the Iranian Revolution 30 years ago.

This is a guest note written by an anonymous student in Tehran. Sent to The Washington Note at 3:50 am on 17 June 2009. So long as the “process” is underway with the Guardian Council I don’t foresee things spinning way out of control. What happened in Azadi, the shootings, wasn’t systematic.

The spllt among the mullahs is serious and with all due respect to those who want to start nuclear negotiations tomorrow, this election in Iran is not over. Just back from Los Angeles and now in DC. More tomorrow.

This is a guest note from an anonymous student in Iran.

There are now nine dead, according to BBC Persia reports, and dozens injured. I am getting notes that police are raiding homes and apartments and not just arresting people but engaged in wanton destruction of property. Mousavi doubts a positive nod from the Guardian Council. Hundreds of thousands demonstrated against the election declaration.

These dispatches were written over the last several days. They do not include references to the most recent events and violence. There are others on the way that deal with what has been happening since the announcement by Iran’s Ministry of Interior that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won the presidency outright.

Iran’s now illegitimate President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just made the bizarre statement in the last hour that ongoing street protests really show that Iran is a democracy. I guess he hasn’t been to the ones where people are being beaten by police with clubs.

First read the passionate, informed blogging insider accounts from Khatami adviser Mohammad Ali Abtahi. Here’s a taste: There was a lot of difference between yesterday and last night. Yesterday Iran was joyful because of changing the fate. Every body participated in. But last night was a shocking and bitter night.