A new report from Amnesty International gives the lie to the fond notion that Iran, under the "moderate" Rouhani and teased out of its frosty intransigence by the warmth of Obama's smile - and the nuclear deal - was slowly reforming. Far from it:
"The unlawful arrest and torture of peaceful activists and ethnic and religious minorities remain common and widespread, and are practiced with total impunity. Cruel punishments such as flogging and amputations are carried out in public to create a climate of fear and obedience to the regime.
Women and girls face systemic violence and discrimination with little or no protection under the law. And the death penalty—which is also meted out to juveniles in violation of international norms—is applied to a degree that it parachutes the Iranian regime into the top five global executioners every year, with 2015 marking the highest rate of executions since 1989. If that sounds a lot like George Orwell’s 1984, it is because Iran is a modern day dystopia." [Mick Hartley] Read more
