ABSTRACT
Shock and exhilaration characterized the first responses of many to the uprising that started in Tehran after the Islamic regime declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner of the 12 June 2009 presidential election. Demonstrations sprang up across the Iranian capital in the days following the election and spread to other major cities, including Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Mashhad. The regime scrambled to contain the street protests and attempted to silence the opposition through mass arrests, detentions, and, in many cases, torture and murder. The world watched Iran with fascination and amazement.
