To be quite frank, politics are rarely meant to be digestible, however Jon Stewart proved that you can get an audience heated up about an issue. At least that is what happened to me. I am still learning about Middle Eastern politics, but after seeing the movie “Rosewater”, I really wanted to learn about Iran’s political system. This blog will capture everything about Iran’s 2009 presidential election that Jon Stewart failed to provide in his first political movie.
Imagine the streets of Iran’s capital filled with protestors fighting for justice and riot police officers using batons and tear gas against opposition demonstrators who claimed that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had stolen the presidential election. It was reported that around 30…show more content… On June 20, 2009, citizen journalism captured the on-camera slaying of Neda Agha-Soltan, a young college graduate who went with a friend to participate in one of the protests. When she stepped out of her car, she was struck in the chest with a single bullet, killing her. The images of Neda's death traveled to thousands of cell phones, and computers sent the story to millions of viewers. Her death became a symbol of Iranian government oppression.
Protest continued and so has the suppression from the government. There were people questioning the election not just from the streets but also in the Iranian Parliament. However, on June 29, 2009, Iran's electoral board completed the partial recount and declared Ahmadinejad the winner. The protests, however, continued throughout June and into July 2009. On August 3, 2009, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei formally endorsed Ahmadinejad as president. Iranian political figures, including former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani avoided the ceremony. Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi also kept his distance from the
