Today on CNN Newsroom
Women's Rights in Iran
Mir Hossein Moussavi promised to restore women's rights as he campaigned to be Iran's next president.
That promise was not lost on Rudi Bakhtiar - even though her family suffered great losses under Moussavi when he was Prime Minister.
Bakhtiar is a former HLN and FOX News anchor. She's now with the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans. She joined us Saturday morning in the CNN Newsroom.
Join TJ Holmes and Betty Nguyen Sunday in the CNN Newsroom, 5am ET/2am PT.
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Iranian Civil Rights Movement
From writer/producer Elberta McKnight:
Millions of Iranians believe the government there rigged this month’s presidential election. Scores of citizens are so convinced that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory is fake, they put their lives on the line Saturday… demonstrating in the streets of Tehran.
For many, the suspicion has a discomforting familiarity: The anger and feelings of betrayal started decades ago.
Hamid Dabashi is the author of "Iran: A People Interrupted." He is Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York and a native of Iran. On Saturday, he spoke with our Betty Nguyen:
Join Betty Nguyen and TJ Holmes tomorrow morning in the CNN Newsroom, beginning 5am ET/2am PT.
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Your comments on what's happening in Iran
Iran's Ayatollah warned of a crackdown if protests planned today in Tehran were held. By all indications, that crackdown is happening. With international media coverage virtually blocked, CNN is relying on amateur images through social networking sites and eyewitness reports to tell and show us what's happening in Iran. Today, people trying to get to protest sites have been met by armed security forces. There are reports of tear gas and water cannons being used against protestors. In additional, one person was killed and eight injured in a blast at the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini, according to Iran's state-run Press TV.
What do you think of the situation in Iran surrounding the contested election results? Post your comments here and we may use them live on air today in the CNN Newsroom with Fredricka Whitfield, 12p ET to 5p ET.
World Refugee Day
According to the UNHCR's annual "2008 Global Trends" report, the number of people displaced worldwide stood at 42 million at the end of last year.
World Refugee Day brings attention and focus to these people who are forcibly displaced by natural disasters, armed conflict and persecution.
Although the number of uprooted people across the world dropped slightly last year, displacement in the conflict zones in Sri Lanka and Pakistan and the ongoing crisis in Somalia this year have “already more than offset the decline,” the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says.
To learn more about World Refugee Day, and the numerous organizations working to ease the plight of refugees, please visit our Impact Your World page.
Ahead in the CNN Newsroom...
Iran's supreme leader issued a warning Friday to protesters who have filled streets since last week's presidential vote: Maintain self-restraint or face a stiff reaction from authorities.
On his Facebook page, opposition leader Mir Houssein Moussavi said he would publish a list of locations for demonstrators to gather in the coming days, and asked supporters to spread the word.
We understand two opposition rallies are scheduled for 7:30am ET - one for Moussavi, another organized by former Pres. Khatami and including Mehdi Karoubi, one of the opposition candidates in last week's election.
We're starting an hour early to bring you complete coverage of the situation in Iran. Join Betty Nguyen and TJ Holmes in the CNN Newsroom, beginning 5am ET/2am PT.
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