Who is Mr. X? The regime has many willing hard asses but most don’t fit. Only one man fits like a glove for the role of liason between Khamenei and the death squads. Existing evidence would make him more than Prime Suspect. It would suffice to justify arrest and warrant a trial. In post IRI Iran it would probably suffice to convict. A bit more should be available when the regime goes kaput.
Meanwhile, the Iranian public and worried IRCG generals are not hampered by trial restrictions, such as access to the defendant’s past record, in reaching conclusions. Aside from any death squad connection, Mr. X is well know for his role in post election brutality. If I were the generals, I’d consider getting Mr. X before Mr. X gets them.
The New Death Squads: DIFFERENT ERAS REQUIRE DIFFERENT VICTIMS
Choosing victims in the Khatemi Era: When reformers with scruples controlled the Majlis and the presidency, the only “safe” way to dispose of major critics was to kill them and hope no one noticed. Ironically most victims–excluding Khoumeini’s son–would be much more safe in today’s wide-open police state. Instead of being in the grave, the journalists and human rights spokesmen would be in Evin Prison.
Today’s New Targets: Watching Syria, Khamenei knows he can’t afford suspect generals. Nor can he risk an open purge. Once again the best choice is covert murder. Shooting won’t do this time. The deaths must be disguised as heart attacks or accidents. A recent pattern features way to many coincidences to be natural. especially given the all-too-convenient timing. In just four days, four generals–all in their fifties–suffered “surprise” deaths against astronomical odds. A fifth, aged 51, died less than three weeks later. All had been in perfect health, just like Khomenei’s son and just like a young prison doctor who spoke up. Would a regime that engages in the preventive arrests of journalists or the preventive shutdown of the internet, omit the preventive elimination of generals as a crisis looms?
Khamenei Is Clearly Involved: His tentacles have always been everywhere so how could he not know? The clincher is his reaction when , even in journalists exposed the first death squads and named names. Instead of saying “thanks” Khamenei arrested the journalists, closed down their newspapers, beat up students who protested, and protected identified death squaders with one notable exception–the one suspected in the death of Khomenei’s son.
Every Hitler Needs His Himmler: Enter Mr. X. Rare is the dicator who orders massive crimes on paper or discusses them with more than one or two insiders on a “need to know” basis. Needing to keep his distance for purposes of deniability, a leader relies on one person close to him as liason and Supervisor of Essential Crimes–someone who has proven himself previously by carrying out the sort of crimes that must be concealed from the public. Ideally the man would have frequent contact with plainclothes types (Gestapo, Interior Ministry or Basilj). If he resides in Khamenei’s household, all the better. For the new death squads, the same man would the best choice, especially if he had been cleverly shifted in advance to an IRCG intelligence post, the best place from which to spend a few years accumulate information on the reliability of generals, just in case preventive action becomes essential, as in the present crisis.
