More public protests are being raised against the abuse of
prisoners, and not just from Western-oriented liberals.
Reports the Associated Press:
Iran's Prosecutor General Ghorban Ali Dorri Najafabadi called
for those responsible for mistreating detainees to be punished,
saying that the protesters weren't even meant to be taken to
Kahrizak prison, which has been at the center of abuse claims.
"Unfortunately, negligence and carelessness by some officials
caused the Kahrizak incident, which is not defendable," he told
the state news agency. "During early days, it is possible there
were mistakes and mistreatment due to overcrowding in the
prison."
His comments were followed up by police chief Gen. Ismail
Ahmadi Moghaddam who acknowledged protesters were beaten by
their jailers at the same facility and its head has since been
arrested along with three guards there and the prison closed
down.
The existing regime has lost its legitimacy, which puts it at
increasing risk from challenges not just by reformers but
also by more pragmatic elements of the Islamic
leadership. Demographics alone--Iran's population, like
that in many nations in the Middle East, is very young--will push
Tehran towards political change. Hopefully the next
Iranian revolution will result in a more open
society, democratic politics, and peaceful foreign policy.
About the Author
Doug Bandow is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and the Senior Fellow in International Religious Persecution at the Institute on Religion and Public Policy. A former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is author of Beyond Good Intentions: A Biblical View of Politics (Crossway).
