Posted on 07/22/2005 5:35:40 AM PDT by OESY
Just over a month ago, Sa'id Mortazavi, the Islamic revolutionary prosecutor in Tehran, agreed to receive the wife of one of the many political prisoners languishing in his jails. The visitor wanted Mortazavi to know that her husband, 46-year-old dissident Akbar Ganji, then in the third week of a hunger strike, was nearing death....
Who is Ganji and what is so special about him? Why has President George W Bush singled him out of countless dissidents in Iran by making a special appeal for his release?...
Why is the establishment so afraid of Ganji?...
To begin with, he is the quintessential child of the Khomeinist revolution in socio-political terms. By social background, family history and political upbringing he should be the model Khomeinist. He has fought for Khomeinism, both in the war against Iraq and in campaigns against dissidents and armed secessionists....
Another reason why the regime is so scared of Ganji is that, unlike other critics, he cannot be accused of wanting anything for himself. He is not a politician and is not gunning for office. By remaining just a "concerned citizen," he appeals to those Iranians who feel that they, too, have been let down by the system. And because he is not associated with any political group he is respected by all....
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Must have been the Jane Fonda poster he had as a child?
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