As we are entertained by the Sarah Palin circus and as we in the U.S. take time this weekend to celebrate our nation's birthday, let's not allow ourselves to forget about the situation in Iran.
Six people were hanged in Tehran’s Evin prison today
Iran Human Rights, July 1: Six people were hanged in Tehran’s Evin prison early this morning July 1. reported the state run Iranian news agency ISNA.
None of those who were executed today were identified by name, age or details around what they were convicted of.
Other Iran related items of interest:
John "The Walrus" Bolton still wants Iran to be attacked
Trita Parsi on the Iranian Opposition: Nothing Is Over:
But if a compromise can’t be found, then the opposition enters a new phase, having to face a choice between accepting Ahmadinejad and moving to a more radical position. "There are people loyal to the system, who don’t want to bring the system down but at the same time believe the system is quite imperfect [and wish to] ensure the system changes through peaceful means," Parsi said. If they fail, "then we face a significantly more radical movement in Iran, with more bloodshed than we’ve seen."
The important criterion for American policy right now has to be to reject Ahmadinejad’s attempts at portraying his victory as final. That means no negotiations, which is "creating some problems with the Obama administration, which is so very dedicated to the process of diplomacy," Parsi said. While the administration has placed the onus for any diplomacy on Iran, if Iran calls the U.S.’s bluff and talks renew, it will send the message that the international community views the opposition’s efforts as futile.
Trita Parsi is the author of Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States.
Here's an interview he had back in 2007. It starts out slowly but becomes quite interesting as it goes along:
He makes remarkable sense for someone who attended classes by Francis Fukuyama.
Update: Thanks to keonhp for linking to this blog (in Farsi) which apparently indicates that 29 more people will be executed in a matter of hours. Would anyone care to translate it into English?
Also thanks to valadon for the link to Iran Body Count which is attempting to gather information about all the victims of the Iranian Security Forces.