Blogger's death stirs political hornet's nest in Iran

In Iran, like in any non-democratic country, criticizing the party in place can lead to serious troubles. However, reporters and citizens continue to bravely write about the lies and fallacies of officials. The result is often a tragic end, tortured and killed.

Sattar Beheshti is not different: he started a personal blog, which became more and more critic toward Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the controversial "supreme leader" of Iran. The idea of having a religious figure leading the country is already unsettling for me, and in many non-corrupt countries his past actions would make of him a wanted criminal and a terrorist. 

The apex was the criticism of a public speech given by the ayatollah (persian version). Soon after was he arrested, tortured and his body given back to his family. Iran officials, prompted by the international community, investigated the death, fired a few people - probably for not being discrete enough, and concluded that the "intent" of his "treatment" was not to kill him.

I hope that the international community will, this time, react with all the needed severity, and flag all the members of the Iranian government as what they really are: murderers.

Iran Parliament to investigate death of Blogger during his detention

It is important to keep saying that in certain countries, using one's right to free speech may be punished by death or a lengthy jail time.  

Sattar Beheshti was arrested because of his criticisms toward the corrupt and non democratic government of Iran. He was arrested on 10/30 and he never left custody alive. 

The iranian Parliament has ordered an investigation of that accident. Too little, too late. And one may be suspicious of what that "investigation" will come out in a country where arbitrary arrests, vanishing prisoners and violations of basic human rights are every day's facts. 

Here is the full article on Reuters.