Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The IRI's conundrum

They have put far too many "religious" high-profile individuals in jail; have clearly tortured them; have forced them "confess" that they are spies and etc!

Now:
  • if they free them, they will eventually talk and tell what happened to them in jail!
  • if they kill them (which seems to be an option on the table) they have signed their own death sentence!
The game of chess is getting more intriguing.

A couple of hours ago, Karoubi, the more outspoken opponent of Ahmadinejad, has released the name of one of his "witnesses" that had spoken to Karoubi about the pressure his family was put under to issue a statement to the "fact" that Taranhe Mousavi was their sister in-law who lived in Canada!

Taraneh Mousavi was one of the very first victims of torture, who was hospitalized with severe rape-injury and later died. Basically, the IRI is refusing to accept that a woman by name of Taraneh Mousavi has ever existed--as they have brought officials from the central registry office to state that in the whole of Iran, there are only three people with this name! But according to Karoubi's source, the IRI has been coercing the victim's family to shut up, while coercing another family to say the "taraneh mousavi in question" is their healthy daughter in law who lives in Canada!)

The story becomes interesting, though, when Karoubi writes an open letter to a conservative news paper, revealing that his source (i.e. the brother in-law of the alive Canadian Taraneh Mousavi) is also a relative of Hosein Ta'eb, the notorious head of the Basij!

Is karoubi "Flushing House"?

Or, has Ta'eb or someone set a trap for Karoubi, to catch him providing false evidence, and to put him in jail and "administer" 80 lashes to him, as called for by conservatives?

I fear this because Karoubi's latest open letter is a response to a letter published in Jaam-E Jam[Persian] (a conservative newspaper) written by the witness source "brother-in-law". He had expressed dismay that Karoubi had not told his story correctly!

In response, Karoubi wrote something like: "thanks for coming forward because I was trying to conceal your identity and this is why I didn't tell all that you said to me! By the way, I just figured out you are a relative of the thug in chief of basij, Hosein Taeb"--of course he didn't say it so UNdiplomatically! But you get my figure, right? By the way, his letter is not on the Jam-e Jam web site anymore!!

I am hearing that AGAIN the riot commandos and the Basiji forces are getting in full gear. Anticipation is growing that they have the arrest of Mousavi and Karoubi on tomorrow's dish. Khamenei is acting as a total fool! Although, after some of the high priests of Quom have criticized his son's unconstitutional and unwarranted involvement in the affairs of the country, he seem to be acting as if more in command. But, it is obvious he is in a checkmate position. Maybe, little choice is left for him than to put up his final act as a Gorilla [Persian]!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

love your writing , condenced and informative , easy to read and reality based

German said...

Dear Naj,

Thank you very much for the particulars presented and analysed here. Having followed your and Pedestrian's blog and your discussions for some weeks it would be paltering with the truth to state that I am not that optimistic any longer, as indeed I had been during and directly after the election. In addition, there is not much a foreigner like me can do about it.
Thus I have posted a comment today on PressTV under their article "Top general insists on Iran post-vote trials":

"definition:
In any republican, democratic system the military is accountable to parliament, the law-makers or legislators, or rather the government elected by the majority of the citizens. If it is normal that the military top brass pressure society and its institutions continuously with demands as to the way how society is to be governed, how courts of justice are to decide, how politicians are to think, the definition for that is simply “military government”, no matter who officially rules the country."

Thank you so much for your voice of reason in this turmoil of lethal insanity.

Best wishes
from
German

Naj said...

German, what's your fix on "PressTV" ? :))

Gesigora said...

That's one of the brain-washing machines and "his master's voice" of "1984"-Iran decipherable for everyone. (If I weere persian-literate, I would [at the time being] every now and then express myself there].

Thanks so much again for your hard toil lots of people are (globally) profiting from.

All the best from everything good

German

David said...

At some point after the election Mousavi said he was ready to be martyred. If he and Karoubi are arrested they may eventually be executed. I think Khamenei is lashing out in an increasingly paranoid manner. Or, is he just a puppet of the military now? Either way, the situation is escalating. Will the Iranian people fight for their rights, or will they accept a fascist dictatorship? I don't think the people can win in a physical fight. They don't have the guns. However, if there was a huge general strike, it might paralyze the government and the military. There is no easy way to defeat fascism. I think WWII pretty conclusively proved that.

Naj said...

David;

Things are not THAT bleak!

And no, Mousavi and Karoubi will NOT be executed! Already today, Keyhan Newspaper (which calls for execution of anyone who says no to Khamenei) is ordered shut! Ahmadinejad's controversial _forced-to-be-sacked" deputy is suspended for financial misconduct! The notorious Judge Mortazavi, Tehran's prosecutor is to be removed. The parliament speaker is opposing Ahmadinejad; the parliament's deputy speaker is warning that 5 of Ahmadinejad ministers will not obtain parliament's vote of confidence; the propaganda against Karoubi has STOPPED, so he really flushed house and cashed political capital.

FAschism is NOT a new phenomenon in Iran; but we are very well equipped to rein it in! Imagine if all these mullahs had NOT spoken up; had NOT stood up to Khamenei. Things in Iran NEVER go as one predicts; it's a wonderful land of surprises!

Things in Iran are not as bleak as you may wish to think :) ... ahmadinejad WILL be forced to work for Iran, better than Perhaps mousavi COULD! At the end of the day, WE, will benefit from our massive vote AGAINST ahmadinejad. He may be the president, but we HAVE won, and he WILL work for us; if only to expose more of the IRI's inconsistencies and push forward our quest for democracy!

Naj said...

David,

Seriously people do NOT WANT to stand against the military! We DO NEED our military!

Also, people do not want a bold regime change. We are quite happy with shaming the IRI into confusion; but we don't want it crumble! And all those who wish that total crumbling of the regime are either disillusioned, or romantics!

But WE CAN, like South Africa did, force the IRI to acknowledge its wrongdoings to people for the past 30 years! THAT is my goal at least! APOLOGY!

Nu'man said...

@David, Only the Brits would draw an analogy with Fascism:

"There is no easy way to defeat fascism. I think WWII pretty conclusively proved that."

Actually, there is an easy way - you get the Americans and Russians to do the bulk of the fighting, especialy the Russians.

Yes, the regime in Iran is nasty but like one of Naj's friends said, only when the poor join the demonstrators wil their be more potential for change.

Naj said...

Nu'man,

If you continue your paranoid line of "brits are responsible for world misery"; I will block you!

If you have something meaningful to say, please do; but I really get annoyed with new-comers who act like a broken tape recorder; addressing my friends of many years with stupid accusations.

Take your Arab complexes elsewhere, will you?

This is not a publicly funded news agency; my blog is my home and I reserve the right to kick out guests who are party-poopers!

Best
Naj

Nu'man said...

It's not paranoia and I don't think I suffer from it at all. Britain has and is a major player in the Middle East since it tricked itself into the region.

I don't know why you need to be enter the realm of pap-psychology with the notion "Arab complexes". You've read what I've written and everything I say is backed up with empirical evidence.

For example if I were to say that Britain is proud of it's tradition of pillaging and looting other people's countries. I would firstly back this utterance up by pointing to the fact that a statue of the of one of the British Empire's greatest looters and rapists, Sir Clive, is bang outside the foreign office building in central London.

As for the 'tape recorder' jibe that could easily be said of you.

Best,

Nu'man

P.S. Isn't blocking people from speaking one of the things you can't stand about the Iranian regime?

Naj said...

Numan,

I am sure the brits have done plenty of evil; and continue to do so. But I refuse to hold them responsible and feel victimized. If I, or Iranians let themselves be abused and played in the hands of foreigners, then shame on them.

And if the brits are so clever to turn the tides to their own favor; then GOOD FOR THEM!

As for preventing people from speaking; you are very welcome to say whatever you like in your own blog.

My blog is my little "exhibition" room and I set its rules. Have you ever noticed in galleries people being asked to keep quiet; to not flash their cameras to not ruin the experience for others?

I would be interested to learn about all you like to say about britain in your blog; where you can publish all articles that guardian rejects.

Blogsphere is FREE and really easy to upkeep.

David said...

Naj, it sounds like some good news has happened. Do you know who has ordered the Keyhan Newspaper shut? Who is removing Mortazavi (I have heard of that bastard for several years)? Are these things being done against the wishes of Khamenei? If so, I am curious who has that much power? Is Khamenei being pressured behind the scenes to behave more moderately? Sorry for so many questions, but I don't understand what is going on.

I certainly have no wish for things to be bleak in Iran. I very much wish things will get better with more freedom and democracy!

Naj said...

David,

Things in Iran are not run, at least on the surface, by khamenei's wish. He interjects the last word in critical situations, like he did by confirmation of Ahmadinejad; or closure of the prison.

We have a justice system in place, which has its own hierarchy, independent of the government and independent of the military.

A defammation suit was launched against Keyhan, and a judge ordered its ban. But the orders of a judge have to be carried by the prosecutor's office-i.e. Mortazavi. It seems his removal is imminent. It is the new head of the judiciary (another Larijani Brother) who will replace him.

In Iran, there is no ONE body who has so much power; it's really not like that. There are several power-houses who are in opposition to one another constantly, even if they will not bring thei fights to the public.

Ultimately, the POWER in Iran is in the hands of teh people. Without people, these creatures become irrelevant. The Iranian way of dealing with despots is to wound the monsters in their vital organs, and then let the infection take its own course--while people withdraw to life, finding something creative or inspiring to do. Expect a new wave of exquisite art and literature come out of Iran in the next 10 years.

I don't think you will be able to understand the power structure in Iran unless you have lived through it; and unless you have learned hundreds of years of its history. What is happening in Iran CANNOT be taken out of at least a thousand years of historical, religious, philosophical and political context. And on top of all that, there is modern geopolitics.

Unless Iran's massive literature and history is translated for the world, it will remain an enigma. It is an enigma even to some of the beast learned of Iranians.

Naj said...

clarification:

the head of the judiciary will replace mortazavi; means it is the head of judiciary who makes the decision about mortazavi's replacement.

Nu'man said...

yeah, yeah I got the gist me thinks. I understand that there is freedom of speech to certain limits for everyone. it sounds like you've eaten too much from the subsidised table of the BBC.

German said...

Dear Naj,

thanks again for your intriguing, multifarious and of course informative weblog – to say the least. – In addition, reading the comments of your contributors – a fascinating dialogue of the most diverse opinions – is absolutely enjoyable. Your blog – an important part of a truthful picture of the civilized, intelligent, well-behaved and likeable majority of the citizens of Iran, the better Iran, unfortunately at the moment sadly silenced and nearly asphyxiated by a minority of insane halfwits with uncivilized manners – as anyone equipped with functioning eyes and ears has been able to observe recently and still is able to observe, of course, now!

Is reality not often like a book with thousands of tales, stories, essays, analyses told/written in the form of many different topics, chapters, genres and pictures, in innumerably different languages, designed in multifarious styles ?
Some topics, genres and languages are difficult to digest or understand, some (many) are even extremely harmful or lethal, some topics, pictures, sketches and languages are fascinating, because or in spite of being difficult and intricate.
Does not very often the judgment of the quality of the respective chapter, picture, genre etc. depend on the reader's prior experience or her/his expectation or taste or cultural, educational, lingustic, historical background ?

An example from my sphere of life:
Does not every German (in his right mind) in particular and everyone living in Europe in general have the obligation and duty to be absolutely thankful to the USA and Great Britain, because they were the only (democratic, civilized) powers in the world, able and capable of rescuing and saving Europe and possibly the world from the factual destruction of everything humane, the embodiment of evil and insanity, Nazi-Germany and its bloodstained and bloodthirsty inhabitant (not so long ago: the generation of my parents) ?

As to the USA things of course appear in a different costume to someone hailing from Vietnam.

On the other hand:
Haven’t the problems torturing so to speak everyone in the postwar Middle East (Israel/Palestine) been created by the Nazi-German brownshirts, Nazi-Germany’s citizens and Nazi-government persecuting and murdering any(one endowed with) reason and any(one of) non-teutonic-germanic ethnicity? Aren’t these problems occupying a large part of the world and devouring the major part of its energy?
Weren’t these enemies of any humanity, these messengers of death, this realm of unimaginable darkness – the government of [Nazi-]Germany - elected by the majority of Germany’s citizens and empowered by most of the then existing political parties [exception: Communists and Socialdemocrats] to form the dictatorship of the “Thousand –year Reich” ?

What are we to make of that? If I only knew !!!

Hoping not to have got over-extremely on your nerves
Wishing you the best of everything good

remains

German

Shepesh said...

Regarding Taraneh Mousavi I have come across some information which you may find interesting. I am not sure how reliable it is but the link is below. It is Interim report of Majlis Independent Truth finding committee (Larijani’s committee, not the National Security Coucil’s).

HTTP://IRANIAN.COM/MAIN/NEWS/2009/08/27/INSIDER-INDEPENDENT-TRUTH-FINDING-REPORT

It claims that Taeb raped Taraneh Mousavi (Policemen testified). Alledges Taeb’s brother in law is related to a Taraneh Mousavi who lives in Canada. When Taeb was screening the list of detainees, he saw her name and immediately ordered her delivery.Then he realized that the girl was not his relative. Guards say that they had to leave the room, and heard her screaming and asking for help while Taeb yelled and beat her. After 30 minutes or so, Taeb had her removed from his room and told guards to send her to “Special Treatment Room”. Guards realized that she was beaten and raped, her clothes torn. The Special Room is where they have their specialists rape people. Taeb also issued her Death fatwa, ordering special team to kill her when they’re done.


Also there is a video created by Iran Tehran IRIB to claim that the Taraneh Mousavi which allegedly has been murdered is well and living in Canada. But really they are showing a family a different person’s picture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKqQn2L_oDI&feature=related

Naj said...

Shepesh,

Taeb has been involved; but I won't stretch it to calling him a rapist!

Please keep in mind that a lot of hatred surfaces as slander; and it goes both ways. I have heard stories of indiscretion from Mortazavi; not from Taeb.

rape carries DEATH sentence and I am sure the head of the basij (taeb) will not treat himself to a death sentence just because he feel like it.