Tuesday, June 30, 2009

9 reasons why the 'presidential election' in Iran is a sham!


1. A government from the Middle Ages which still executes individuals for 'enmity against god' or 'morality crimes', 'acts incompatible with chastity', stones people to death for having sex and has executed over 100,000 people in two decades cannot at the same time profess 'democracy in Iran is transparent and for everyone, compared with Western democracy that has overt and covert limitations,' This has been said by Khamenei, whose title is the Supreme Spiritual Leader no less!

2. Any political party opposed to the government is banned and their members either killed, in exile or clandestinely active with great risk to themselves. Article 26 of the constitution states: 'The formation of parties, societies, political or professional associations …is permitted provided they do not violate the principles of independence, freedom, national unity, the criteria of Islam, or the basis of the Islamic republic.' This goes to show how superficial labels of reformist, moderate, conservative and so on are in Iranian politics. All those running support and will maintain repression and theocracy.

3. In Iran, there is no freedom of association and organisation that is necessary for a fair election. Article 27 of the constitution states that 'public gatherings and marches may be freely held, provided … that they are not detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam.' This is pretty difficult when you consider the anti-Islamic backlash and strong anti-government sentiments amongst the majority of people.

4. In Iran, there is no freedom of the press and expression. Article 24 of the constitution clearly stipulates: 'publications and the press have freedom of expression except when it is detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam or the rights of the public.' The regime keeps closing down press affiliated with itself so you can imagine what it does to independent and free-thinking press and expression.

5. A lot has been said about the fact that only a few of the many candidates were approved to run in today's presidential election by the Guardian Council whose members are directly or indirectly selected by Khamenei. This doesn't mean that many of those disqualified are any better. Some of them are stalwarts of the government.

6. The list of those who was selected, though, reads like a most wanted list! All are former or present government officials responsible for and linked to serious human rights violations during their various governmental positions. Here's a short bio of them:

* Mehdi Karroubi, Member of the State Expediency Council, former Majlis Speaker from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004. Secretary General and founding member of Militant Clerics Society one of the most reactionary organisations in Iran. He also headed the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and the Martyrs Foundation, two state institutions which control much of the country's assets.

* Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He has been a top commander of the notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in particular responsible for murder of thousands of opponents during the dark days of mass killings in the early 80s. A recently revealed document has shown his involvement in planning an attempt on the life of author Salman Rushdie. He is a member of the central council of the Society of the Devotees of the Islamic Revolution.

* Mohsen Rezai, Secretary of State Expediency Council; one of the founders and former Commander of Iran's notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps from 1981 to 1997. He is personally responsible for murdering many socialist and opponents of the Islamic Republic. He is wanted by Interpol for planning and undertaking acts of terrorism abroad.

* Hossein Mousavi, has been prime minister and head of government for several years. He organised and carried out massacres and suppression of protests of the population in the 80s, in which hundreds of thousands were arrested and thousands executed. In his time in office a row of inhumane and barbaric laws against women, the opposition and critics of the regime were introduced and used.

7. Some say that if all those who want are allowed to run, this could be considered a real election. It can't - because only those 'distinguished men possessing trustworthiness and piety; and a convinced belief in the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the official religion of the country' can be elected according to Article 115 of the Islamic Republic of Iran's constitution. This effectively excludes the vast majority of the population.

8. Of course that means women are automatically and categorically excluded from running in the election. Again, Article 20 of the constitution states: '…both men and women, equally enjoy the protection of the law and enjoy all human, political, economic, social, and cultural rights' but only in conformity with Islamic criteria.' But again, if women were allowed to run, they would only implement the same misogyny inherent in the system.

9. The person who will be 'elected' today will have to swear that he 'will guard the official religion of the country, the order of the Islamic Republic and the Constitution of the country' and dedicate himself to the 'the honour of the country, the propagation of religion and morality.' The person selected in this farce is going to uphold the very barbarity that the people in Iran are gearing to overthrow.


16 comments:

HussaiN said...

awsome article but :(

PaoloDepa said...

Very clarifying for unaware observators like me... keep up the good work!!

Andrea said...

saeed compliments: is a excellent comment...

"Mousavi, this is the time to act, you must lead and take the next step," wrote a user to 'Twitter' provocatively asking the opposition leader: "When you decide to really fight? We are angry at how we're managing the leadership of movement. "

Elisabeth said...

Incredible........

Anonymous said...

Marg bar diktator!

Anonymous said...

My sister spoke to you from NBC. Thank you for fantastic post.

Anonymous said...

Looks like whoever wrote this has an obvious bigotry toward the religion of Islam.

If people were to be left to their own whims, they would become like pigs aimlessly wandering adrift. God sent Prophets for a reason - to guide the misguided.

We live in a Godless era, but soon God will create a God-fearing nation worldwide. People in the west are all starting to convert to Islam...while the Muslims in the east are acting pathetic and running after the dunya.

These are all the signs of the end of time.

May God help us all.
Peace,
Sharon Armstrong

Anonymous said...

I believe the suggestion is not that a country guided by Islamic principles is wrong, but rather that any government that explicitly restricts who can govern based on their personal beliefs is flawed. It allows the establishment (in this case, Khamenei and the Guardian Council) to screen out candidates that would challenge their hold on power. Determining if someone is a genuine follower of a religion is very subjective after all; even the most pious Muslim could be made out to be a fraud with enough propaganda and spin.

And speaking of bigotry... "If people were to be left to their own whims, they would become like pigs aimlessly wandering adrift." This is a very demeaning attitude towards those who do not follow a particular faith.

gheseh2000 said...

Wonderful article, thank you said, for bringing out the truth. I myself don't mind Karroubi or Mosavi take the leading roll of getting people to rise against this regime. Maybe that's the way they should pay for their old crimes. But as long as no one ever forgets it's and it will be people's will and power that makes the difference. I really hope Iranians get together and fight for democracy.
Thank you Saeed, And please be careful we need you to stay with us!

Anonymous said...

nice to hear that people in iran have not forgotten the crimes committed by the IRI, whether it is ahmadi or moussavi!
na bad mikhaim na badtar, na moussavi na rahbar
power to the brave people of iran

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