Is It 'Slavery is Freedom'

... or "freedom is slavery?"

[Posted by Callimachus]

Just sad

Ramin, in criticising "American-style democracy," said that his treatment in Evin prison was good, and in no way comparable to what has been happening in Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay prisons. He added that in prison he could read and write, watch TV, and use the services of specialised doctors. (His wife found no signs of mistreatment in her several visits to the jail, only that Ramin seemed "very tired"). He also testified that the other prisoners were well treated.

P.S., if you want to see what a real theocracy looks like, you just did.

The new administration in Iran, mostly formed by former military personnel, seems to have no real appreciation for academic work and the dissemination of ideas (except religious ones). In this context, the treatment of Jahanbegloo is another step in attempts to close the intellectual space that was partially opened by the reformists under Mohammad Khatami (president 1997-2005). The interview can also be seen as a declaration by the state that planning to strengthen civil society and prepare the society for a peaceful transition to democracy is not an intellectual pursuit, but a crime. To desire change in a regime which was described by Ayatollah Ali Meshkini, the chief of the Assembly of Experts, as "Godly" and the "the most perfect in the world" is not acceptable, and liable to be punished by the state authorities.