From: Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 3:42 AM Subject: ... Iranians shocked at TV 'confessions'
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f4f1f5e6-7fc3-11de-85dc-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1 Iranians shocked at TV 'confessions' By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran Published: August 3 2009 03:00 | Last updated: August 3 2009 03:00 The images shocked many Iranians. Senior politicians, some of whom only recently held high office, paraded on television and forced to "confess" their role in what the regime has called a "velvet coup". Although Iran has a record of airing confessions from political prisoners in the 30-year history of the Islamic republic, its population has not witnessed such senior figures - including a former vice-president - being humiliated so publicly. It was the first time some of them - those held in solitary confinement - have been seen since they were arrested in the immediate aftermath of the disputed June 12 election. The 57-page indictment for the 100 defendants - the first to face trial since the clampdown on the postelection street protests - read more like a political statement. The conservative prosecutor general charged senior reformists with trying to overthrow the Islamic regime through a "velvet coup", modelled on the colourful revolutions in eastern Europe and central Asia. It is alleged that they received financial and political support from western governments to do this. According to some of those who "confessed", former presidents Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, and Mir-Hossein Moussavi, the presidential candidate who claims the June 12 election was stolen from him, helped the so-called coup through raising the issue of massive vote-rigging and staging street protests. "If the Islamic republic has reached a point where its figures at this level are involved in a coup in cooperation with westerners, then you have to be really sorry for Iran," said Hossein Marashi, a close ally of Mr Rafsanjani. One of the prisoners, Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, a former vice-president, in his "confessions" on Saturday's trial accused Mr Rafsanjani of trying to "take revenge" on the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei through the post-election unrest and regretted that Mr Khatami went along with the plot. The fundamentalist media were quick yesterday to call for the trial of senior reformist leaders, notably Mr Khatami and Mr Moussavi. Mr Marashi shrugged off such threats as the "last curtain in their juggling show", which he said "could not continue" because the society would not buy such allegations. "This is all done by a radical group who wish to rule at any price," he added. The trial, and its timing just five days before president Mahmoud AhmadiNejad is due to be inaugurated, underlines the extent of the cracks in the regime's power structures which have been exposed by the June 12 poll. Some suggest it could be part of the regime's efforts to buy legitimacy for the government of Mr Ahmadi-Nejad, whose next four-year term is going to start officially this week. Copyright <http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/copyright> The Financial Times Limited 2009 *** exposing the hidden truth for further educational research only *** CAVEAT LECTOR *** In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. NOTE: Some links may require cut and paste into your Internet Browser. Please check <http://tinyurl.com/33c9yr> http://tinyurl.com/33c9yr for more real news posts and support the truth! (sorry but don't have time to email all posts) free book download: <http://www.lulu.com/content/165077> http://www.lulu.com/content/165077 *** Revealing the hidden Truth For Educational & Further Research Purposes only. *** NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency (NSA) may have read emails without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do this without any judicial or legislative oversight. You have no recourse, nor protection.......... IF anyone other than the addressee of this e-mail is reading it, you are in violation of the 1st & 4th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. Patriot Act 5 & H.R. 1955 Disclaimer Notice: This post & all my past & future posts represent parody & satire & are all intended for entertainment and amusement only. To be removed from the weekly list, please reply with the subject line "REMOVE" --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "total_truth_sciences" group. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/total_truth_sciences -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
