Misc

Kourosh

We always have a right to choose. It doesn't mean that the options are always acceptable, but we always have a choice.

In this case the choices would be, either refuse to confess and continue risking one's life, (like some people occasionally do) or to choose to say what one is asked to say in the hope of putting a stop to the torture.

Either way, everybody has the right to make that personal decision without having to justify or explain it, especially in a situation such as this one, where the abuse of the prisoners are so blatant.

ما اکنون باید

ما اکنون باید منتظر دستگیری میر حسین و خاتمی و کروبی
باشیم زیرا امروز سید علی در قوطی کرم اتهامات برای خفه
کردن جنبش مردم را باز کرد

Abtahi is making a case for indictment of Mousavi and Khatami and the rest of the influencial reformers.

Mousavi and Khatami better plan for the worst case senario.

Kayan also accused both Khatami and Mousavi as traitors.

Princess

How could anyone have the RIGHT to say or confess to anything under the torture. They are being tortured to say the things that their torturer want to hear. It is really not a decision one has the freedom to make.

Mahmoudg,

"Western style" liberation like Iraq?

spare me...

Amir

I completely agree with you .... he is drugged.

Javaneh

Abtahi mentioned practice session in same room!

Heavily Drugged

As someone who has worked extensively with drugged patients, with psychaitric disorders in hospitals, it's quite obvious that Mr. Abtahi is heavily drugged: He does not blink much, very long sentences, not much emotion in the voice or facial expressions. To achieve this level of "placidity", there are a number of combination of drugs that can be used. To achieve the best results from a compliance point of view, a prisoner is usually kept in solitary confinement without any human contact for at least a week, then subject is given a combination of drugs that causes mild halucinations. In the meantime, they record the prisoners' family's voice whenever they try and plead to see their family member. These recordings are then played over & over to the prisoner under the influence of drugs. After a few days of questioning and playing these recordings, they ask the prisoner whether making his/her family suffer is worth all of this? They suggest to the prisoner to "just go infront of the cameras and read these statements and you'll be with your family in a matter of days..."

Rsistance to emtional cues for anyone whose brain chemistry has been altered by the use of drugs is exteremely difficult

Juan Cole on Kangroo

Juan Cole on Kangroo courts:

//www.juancole.com/2009/08/show-trial-of-reformists-in-iran.html#comments

In deed, Khar!

What some people don't seem to understand is that everybody has the RIGHT to confess to anything when under torture. It's a decision one has to make and it's everyone's right to make that decision personally.

For those who are sitting in the comfort of their living rooms and are saying 'lengesh kon!': I hope the day never comes when you have to make that decision, but if it does and you crack under pressure, remember I won't judge you based on what you confess under torture. I do, however, judge you based on what you say, and more importantly do, in a democratic 'free' world.

Thanks DK for reposting that candid interview. I think it's encouraging to find a rather enlightened cleric who has pushed as far as he could! I hope no further harm comes to him and he together with all other political prisoners are allowed to get back to their family and loved ones soon.

Confessions Under Torture.....

Are condemned by Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article1!

Article 1:  For the purposes of this Convention, torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.

FYI/CANDID INTERVIEW: Mohammad Ali Abtahi before the Elections

What he Really Thinks:

CANDID INTERVIEW: Mohammad Ali Abtahi before the Elections

Abtahi

This is another Molla (Arab), that will try anything to save himself, just like the rest of them (including murdering the iranian people), if you beleive in your cause, you have to be brave enough and tell the World and the Iranians your true believes , even with your life in danger?. They are trying to fool people, just like the 1979 Stolen Revelution. Iranians are smart and can not be fooled again. United Iranians will put these Kesafathaieh Ghatel dar Zobale Dani Tarikh. 

children of the revolution

They are being devoured and make no mistake, he was part of this revolution and at the end, him, moussavi, khatamai, Rafsanjani all are criminals and only a western style court once Iran is liberated will clear this.

He looks in a bad way

He looks ill, his pallor, loss of weight and yes that spaced out look.

They are so up themselves, they think they can make a fool of people with this BS.

Javaneh

wow!!!

His vocabulary is exact the same as those of Khameneie and Ahmadinejad!!

Obviously he has been treatend pretty badly. What is next? Obviously Khameneie and his gang arenot backing off, and it is to their advantage. The Khameneie`s gang have done any illegal act  they could, and on the other hand the reformists have followed every law and rule that was closed to them or left opened. My point is that the Reformists made a "big" mistake following the law and rules where as Khameneie`s gang are not following any. I believe that the all out war is upon us.

If he wasn`t threatend then where is his "aba ammameh" after all he is a molla?

He is alive

What he says is as irrelevant as is the Islamist cutthroats republic’s pretentions about its legitimacy.

What is important is that he is alive and should he all of a sudden die, like so many other alike instances in IRI, there will be yet another charge of murder added to the long list of such charges against all officials, past and present, of the Islamist cutthroats republic.

BTW, the Islamist interrogation professionals in the IRI have got to do something about the spaced-out look of their subjects. Use of darkened eye glasses is highly suggested.

So painful to watch...

Who do they think they are fooling with these farcical confessions?

They must be absolutely desperate to think this is going to work for them.