Who Will Pay?
By Rhodo Zeb. Filed in International Justice |Tags: just.wrong
This is a crime that will have far-ranging repercussions. The Iranian theocracy is proving to be murderous and despotic; without law, without conscience.
Anyone who ends up on the wrong side of those with power are summarily arrested, and I would warrant that any subsequent judicial process would be but a sham. There is no law in Iran other than the law of naked power, at least not right now.
Currently the security forces hold the upper hand:
Protesters and riot police clashed in the streets around Iran’s parliament Wednesday as hundreds of people converged on a Tehran square in defiance of government orders to halt demonstrations demanding a new presidential election, witnesses said.Security forces appeared to vastly outnumber the demonstrators, and they beat protesters gathered on Baharestan Square with batons and fired tear gas canisters and rounds of ammunition into the air, witnesses told The Associated Press. They said some demonstrators fought back while others fled to another Tehran plaza, Sepah Square, about a mile (2 kilometers) to the north.
A helicopter could be seen hovering over central Tehran, where a witness told the AP that the area was swarming with hundreds of riot police who were trying to prevent people from gathering even briefly. Thousands more security officers filled the surrounding streets, said the witness, who declined to give his name for fear of government reprisals.
How long do you think they can keep a lid on things by imposing a de facto martial law on Tehran and other cities? Does anyone actually believe that this mandated break in the action will deter those brave souls?
In fact, the government should expect an even more organized and prepared movement than they saw last week. I would put odds on it.
What I noticed as I dug into the Iranian situation was how many from within the power structure had already been arrested, even prior to the election. Every article mentioned a cleric or former high government official as being arrested or otherwise marginalized. Might I suggest this is not a pleasant environment?
Oh, did you think I was concerned about the lack of legal protections for the people in the streets? No, no, the real problem is that there are no legal restrictions preventing the government from arresting anyone they want, including former Prime Ministers and the like, their children, and pretty much anyone else they want. That is a real problem, and leads to a very unstable system.
I get the sense that there has been a slow-moving crackdown against any liberalization going on already for some time, and this has galvanized the (an) opposition. The harsh tactics of the authoritarian regime has begun to affect more and more families. And one day, maybe quite soon, the members of this marginalized group will become the majority.
And then everything will change, and the people who jail will be themselves jailed.
Every death will move more to the Green side. Neda’s death is just a bit more effective than most. Every photo brings the inevitable closer.
From Mousavi:
I decided to run to tell you what our Imam had said about reactionary interpretations [of Islam]; to declare that lawlessness leads to dictatorship; to remind everyone that respect for human rights does not weaken the [political] system, but strengthens it. I decided to run to declare that people expect of their servants [government officials] honesty and truthfulness, and that many of our problems have been created by lies [that the servants have said]. I decided to run to declare that backwardness, poverty, corruption, and injustice are not our fate.
Sunday, July 5th 2009 at 21:54 |
I’m not so sure that the government’s not going to be able to get away with this. The test is in how they treat Musavi, and from what we have seen so far by the time they come after him most of his supporters will be in jail. The military has stood aside, and that would appear to be that . . .
Monday, July 6th 2009 at 23:01 |
Patience. This is not over by any stretch of the imagination.