torsdag 18 juni 2009

Vetenskaplighet och internetanonymitet som vapen för demokratins försvar just nu

Det är mycket nedslående (absolut inget skämt avsett, snarare tvärtom) med situationen i Iran. Efter så lång tid, när ett hopp äntligen tänts, verkar det genast ha släckts igen. Och en sån regression är det värsta av allt, i synnerhet för en ung generation.

Å andra sidan skapar tider som dessa också hjältar, och saker som mitt hjärta längtat länge efter händer plötsligt.

The Pirate Bay heter just nu The Persian Bay, och länkar direkt till TOR och andra proxyanonymiseringstjänster som satts upp för att hjälpa iranier att diskutera oupptäckt på nätet, i ett läge när direktaccess till Facebook och andra sociala forum stängts ner inom landet. Det här kan komma att betyda massor för hur den här konflikten slutar. Och Arena står för en gångs skull tårögda över piraterna, när de nu omsätter det de är allra bäst för i verkligheten. Jag tyckte redan för flera år sen att pirat/integritetsrörelsen skulle börja med att ägna sig åt att hjälpa kineser att komma runt The Great Firewall Of China - och nu har världen äntligen vridit sig dit.

Och när det gäller en annan av mina favoriter, att kämpa med sanning och vetenskaplighet som vapen mot lögner, har Avaaz.org startat en blixtkampanj för att göra en "valplatsundersökning" med ett välrenommerat telefonuppringingsföretag - det kommer inte att ge exakta siffror, men det kan ändå avslöja med om de uppgivna siffrorna överhuvudtaget verkar i närheten av rimliga.

Det är troligt att det finns saker att hitta - det finns flera mystiska anomalier i röstfördelningen som pekar på att det finns substans bakom protesterna om valfusk, och inte bara frustration.

Och framför allt - resultatet kommer att finnas tillgänglig innan Väktarrådet kommer med sin bedömning om huruvida det hela gått rätt till eller inte - vilket kommer att inverka på vad de kan stå och säga utan att näsan växer synbart på dem.

Jag klistrar in hela nyhetsbrevet från Avaaz nedan, det är mäktig läsning med tankeklarhet och känsla i samklang, framför allt länkarna på slutet för att man ska kunna göra sig en egen uppfattning.

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Dear friends,

Millions of Iranians are taking to the streets in outrage at evidence that Thursday’s election was stolen – let’s support a rigorous exit poll to establish the truth of how they voted before it's too late:

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Iran is on a knife-edge, with millions of voters taking to the streets in outrage as evidence mounts that the government may have massively rigged and stolen Thursday's election. The regime has cracked down brutally on the protesters and is imposing a blackout on Iranian society -- shutting down domestic and international media, the internet and even text-messaging.

The voice of Iranians may have been silenced at the polling booth, now the regime is attempting to silence them everywhere else. Facing beatings and gunfire, the opposition is organising mass demonstrations and a general strike. We can’t afford to let the regime dismiss the voice of the people -- the truth must be heard.

Avaaz is urgently organising a rigorous “exit poll” of Iranian voters and a media effort to publicise it -- working with an international polling firm to do a telephone survey of Iranian citizens to ask how they voted. We urgently need 10,000 Avaaz members to pitch in a small amount each to raise $119,000 in the next 24 hours and give Iranians a powerful new way to be heard -- follow this link to view video from the streets of Tehran and support this exit poll to find out the truth:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/iran_vote_truth/

Public polling in Iran is heavily restricted, and no-one else is mobilizing fast enough to fund an international exit poll. It's urgent that we pitch in. A telephone poll won't be 100% accurate, but the difference between opposition and government claims is massive -- a rigorous poll can show which claim is remotely near the truth.

Unlike Western organizations, Avaaz's global network has a strong membership in Iran and across the Middle East. Backed by a respected polling firm, our effort will be harder to dismiss by Iranian conservatives. We'll send the poll results to the media and help our members in Iran to rapidly and virally spread the news despite the regime's blackout.

Messages have been flooding in from our Iranian members -- from Fariba: “20.000.000 people have lost their votes for peace and human rights. The government wants to use this votes for every thing but PEACE. Avaaz is a Persian word too and means voice -- hear our ‘avaaz’”. From Mahmoud: “The government has stolen the vote the people. The people in the street are beaten badly by the police. Now now now do not lose the time”. Stand with Iranians now and help their voices be heard:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/iran_vote_truth/

This election matters to us all. Iran is a major regional power, and the international community is seeking diplomatic engagement that holds a key to peace in the Middle East. But hawks and extremists on all sides want war instead: a conservative coup in Iran could destroy all our hopes.

The conservative Guardian Council, headed by a key Ahmadinejad ally, is reviewing the vote over the next 9 days -- our poll can be ready before they give their verdict, to counter any further rigging and the violent purge that could follow.

There is a real possibility that democracy will prevail. Ultimate power in Iran lies with Ayatollah Khamenei, who may have backed the rigging -- but he is hired and fired by the Assembly of Experts, chaired by ex-President Rafsanjani who has condemned vote-fixing. If Rafsanjani and allies can get enough votes on the Assembly this week, they can press to re-open the results, even to remove Khamenei from power. A scientific opinion poll could be a powerful piece of evidence.

In the next 72 hours, the Iranian people will try once again to be heard. Let’s help make sure their voices are not silenced -- follow this link to see their courage and donate now to help fund the exit poll:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/iran_vote_truth/

With hope,

Ricken, Graziela, Paul, Pascal, Alice, Brett, Paula, Milena, Raj, Raluca, Taren and the whole Avaaz team

Sources:

1. The Guardian: "Iran's regime cracks down on opposition and media", 16 June 2009
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/16/iran-protests-election-recount

2. Al-Jazeera: "Supreme Leader Under Pressure", 15 June 2009
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/06/2009616184556951795.html

3. "Evidence that the Iranian Presidential Election Was Stolen", Juan Cole, 13 June 2009
http://www.juancole.com/2009/06/stealing-iranian-election.html

4. More detailed analysis by a polling expert of "fishy numbers" in the results announced by the interior ministry:
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/06/iran-does-have-some-fishy-numbers.html

5. One of many active live-blogs:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com

6. #IranElections - live, unfiltered updates via Twitter from Iran and around the world
http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23iranelection