Political debate is freer, ordinary people are less afraid to speak out and demand more from their leaders, the judiciary and Intelligence Ministry are more accountable and women play a more active role in society and the economy.
That's not how Michael Ledeen sees it.
The cheerless creatures who rule the Islamic republic of Iran have developed a particularly wicked use of torture. Not only do they use the full panoply of physical and psychological horrors on their captives, but they then send the victims back into their homes and neighborhoods for brief periods of “parole” or “medical leave,” so that their friends and families can see with their own eyes the brutal effects of the torture. The clear intent of this practice is to intimidate the population at large, to break the will of would-be dissenters and opponents, and to maximize the effects of the victims themselves, for the brief respite from the pain of the prisons is mercilessly accompanied by the certainty that the agony will soon resume.
And
The mullahs are greatly annoyed at the uppity behavior of the people, and have insisted that everyone vote. They badly want to be able to tell the world that they are a legitimate government (or better yet, in the infamous words of former Deputy of State Armitage, “a democracy”), and a low turnout would give the lie to that claim. A few days ago, the administrators of the Free Islamic College in Roudan (near the capital) offered free rice and kebabs to anyone who showed up for a rally for Hashemi Rafsanjani, the man who would be president again. But very few attended, and no students or professors came at all. The regime has intensified its jamming of foreign broadcasts, and the major cities are now blanketed with microwave transmissions the mullahs hope will prevent the people hearing calls from the diaspora to stay away from the voting booths on election day.
Meanwhile, six political prisoners in Karaj Prison have started their second week on hunger strikes, and eight others have joined them. Three other political prisoners — Taghi Rahmani, Mehdi Saber, and Reza-Ali Jani — smuggled a letter out of prison, addressed to outgoing “reformist” President Khatami, declaring that they have been savagely tortured. Rahmani said he had been held in solitary confinement for 134 days, and the others described humiliations I do not care to repeat here.
No Amnesty outrage at this Abu Ghraib? No comparison to the Soviet Union? No colorful banner on their webpage proclaiming "Iran Betrays Human Rights"? No, just hypocrisy.
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