Iran hangs two protesters, sentences nine to death

Tehran, Jan 28 (DPA) Two opposition protesters were hanged in Iran Thursday and nine more were sentenced to death, the ISNA news agency reported.

The 11 had been arrested during rallies against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after last June's presidential election although initial local reports said all of them were arrested Dec 27.

Iran's opposition movement accused the government of having manipulated the June presidential polls, bringing about Ahmadinejad's re-election.

According to a statement by the Revolutionary Court, the two people who were hanged and the nine facing the death penalty were members of monarchist groups and the People's Mujaheddin, a group Iran designates as a terrorist organisation.

The two were identified as Mohammad-Reza Ali-Zamani and Arash Rahmani-Pour, both allegedly supporters of monarchist groups.

The objective of IRI has always been to keep itself in *Power* since 1979 by Any Means & Any Excuse. Show trials, forced confessions, brainwashing & propaganda, executions, flogging, dubious calls for Reforms, & instilling fear, to name a few.

They use Islamic ideology as the basis & a powerful vehicle for retaining Political, Legal & Social Power over the populace because:

a) Many Iranians still respect Islam (religion) if not the Mullahs. Hard to argue with or go against your *faith* & *the word of God*, even in the face of very obvious atrocities.

b) Many Iranians still cling onto mullahs & look for their edicts (fatwas) & guidance, be it some mullah or a non-cleric who makes noises to the effect that he is a “moderate” (yet his ultimate aim is to keep IRI in Power.)

In many ways, at least indirectly, *moderate Islamists* give credence & legitimacy to their conservative counterparts as well as the Islamic regime.

c) Islam has many teachings itself that lend themselves to, at least interpretations that justify punishment for acting against ‘national security’, ‘God’, ‘Islamic Government’ and so on.

IMO, so long as IRI (regardless of its ‘moderate’ versions) are in power, Iran will continue to have these executions & what we, in the West, call injustice or human rights violation. IOW mullahs are in charge and is up to them how to interpret what they want the way they want because they position themselves as God’s representative on earth. And, it does not end with one or two mullahs or ayatollahs. There are many hardliners (conservatives) in Iran, who are part & parcel of IRI.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to privately maintain one’s faith. The problem with IRI is that Political Islam is more about POWER & CONTROL and less about religion or faith.

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