Dictatorship exists in Iran despite revolution: Mousavi

[demoleft]

Source: afp

AFP - Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi said Tuesday the 1979 Islamic revolution had failed to achieve its goals as the "roots of tyranny and dictatorship" that marked the shah's era still exist.

In a strongly worded interview posted on his website Kaleme.org, Mousavi said he no longer believed, as he once did, "that the revolution had removed all those structures which could lead to totalitarianism and dictatorship."

"Today, one can identify both elements and foundations which produce dictatorship as well as resistance against returning to this dictatorship," he said.

"Stifling the media, filling the prisons and brutally killing people who peacefully demand their rights in the streets indicate the roots of tyranny and dictatorship remain from the monarchist era... I don't believe that the revolution achieved its goals."

Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20100202-dictatorship-exists-iran-despite-revolution-mousavi

[Wilms]

1. Funny that. Seems they succeeded quite well.

That the Shah was a creep makes his opposition a knight in shining armor?

Worse, when did Mir Hossein Mousavi, a member of the 1979 revolution (led by fundamentalists), figure out it "had failed to achieve its goals as the "roots of tyranny and dictatorship" that marked the shah's era still exist"? :eyes:

Oh. Wait. He's running for office.

Check.

[JI7]

3. there is a left and right within the islamic revolution supporters

of course their left is not as liberal as the left in america, just as right in europe isn't as extreme as the right in america.

Mousavi has always been one of those within the left . Che Guevara is a hero of his.

but the real reformer in Iran was Khatami who was elected President and there was hope at that time. but after Bush came into office things became harder. the Islamic Fundies were able to use Bush's threats as a way to rally people to them. the same way Bush did here by using Islamic fundies to get support for himself.

[Selatius]

2. I wouldn't be surprised if Mousavi will be forced to pay a terrible price for his words.

Dissent is something dictatorships have no tolerance for.

[Chulanowa]

5. Also bear in mind he's a member of the opposition party

Him calling the current Iranian administration "a dictatorial regime" actually has all the basis of we liberals saying the same of Bush's administration. it's a hyperbolic inflation of existing and real problems, intended to draw attention to said problems while at the same time scoring political points.

I imagine that the response to Mousavi will be the same as all the other responses to many similar statements he's made "Yeah okay, have fun with that"

'Course, this doesn't at all fit the evil repressive dictator junta of hateful apocalyptic death-Muslims who all need to be obliterated for a safer Kansas meme, so...

[Shining Jack]

4. K&R

Thanks for the info.

[Larry Ogg]

6. The problem is that a difference in ideology does not mean a difference in character!

Unfortunately right wing authoritarians and left wing authoritarians, regardless of their ideological differences are the same thing and suffer from the identical / “erroneous” character traits, so they end up supporting leaders that are almost, just as bad or worse then the ones they oppose.

We do the same thing in America except we don't have some military supper power that comes around on occasion to upset our apple cart, which is done for the purpose of spawning a civil war. Whoops I meant to say spreading democracy, of which, we already have a pretend version of democracy here so I guess we're safe from the hell we create in countries like Iran.