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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Amnesty Int'l doesn't like crackdown in Iran
2009-06-20
From the J-Post article below.
Amnesty International on Friday condemned Iran's threat of crackdown on reformist protesters. In a statement on Friday, the London-based human rights organization said Khamenei's speech "indicates the authorities' readiness to launch violent crackdowns if people continue to protest which may cause a widespread loss of life."

"We are extremely disturbed at statements made by Ayatollah Khamenei which seem to give the green light to security forces to violently handle protesters exercising their right to demonstrate and express their views," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, deputy director of Amnesty's Middle East program. "If large numbers of people take to the street in protests in the next couple of days, we fear that they will face arbitrary arrest and excessive use of force, as has happened in recent days, particularly as permission for a demonstration to be held in Teheran on Saturday has been denied."

Amnesty said that instead of warning security forces, including the volunteer Basij militia, to act with restraint and in accordance with the law, Khamenei threatened the Iranian people by saying that if they continued to take to the streets, the consequences would lie with them.

"For a Head of State to put the onus of security on peaceful demonstrators and not on the security forces is a gross dereliction of duty and a license for abuse," Sahraoui added.
Posted by:Steve White

#4  Notice AI didn't ask Teh One do anything about it.
Posted by: Pappy   2009-06-20 14:55  

#3  AI didn't find a way to blame it on the USA or Israel?

Color me astounded.
Posted by: OldSpook   2009-06-20 10:29  

#2  Wait a minute: Is AI suggesting an Islamic Holyman... would incite violence... against peaceful people... during a Friday prayer ceremony?

Oh, heaven forefend!
Posted by: regular joe   2009-06-20 08:11  

#1  "If large numbers of people take to the street in protests in the next couple of days, we fear that they will face arbitrary arrest and excessive use of force, as has happened in recent days, particularly as permission for a demonstration to be held in Teheran on Saturday has been denied."

The 'real' message.... break local laws and our prediction is you'll suffer the consequences. There, we told ya so.

Posted by: Besoeker   2009-06-20 07:23  

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