Support for Ukrainians Must Be Part of Larger Strategy for Countering Autocracy

March 12, 2022 by Ivan Sascha Sheehan; TownHall

The people of Ukraine both urgently need and richly deserve the free world’s full support in their fight to repel Russian occupation.With the relative power of the world’s democracies and autocracies hanging in the balance, there is no greater priority for the European Union, its member nations, the United Kingdom, or the United States.

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Despite Nuclear Talks, Iran Is Still Far from Moderation | Opinion

November 30, 2021; by Ted Poe, Newsweek

Negotiations to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal resumed in Vienna on Monday despite an uptick in the Islamic Republic's malign activities. Earlier this month, Iranian forces seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman and conducted comprehensive military exercises, showcasing various military assets including suicide drones like that used in the attempted assassination of Iraqi prime minister Mustafa al-Khadimi.

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The 'Butcher of Tehran' is Terrified of Stepping Foot in the West | Opinion

October 1, 2021; by Struan Stevenson, Newsweek

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, dubbed the "butcher of Tehran" due to his involvement in murder, genocide and human rights violations, ducked out of attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York and instead sent a pre-recorded message. Raisi is on the U.S. sanctions list because of his leading role in the 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners in Iran. It seems likely he chose to stay in Tehran rather than risk causing outrage to tens of thousands of ex-pat Iranians, had he come in person to New York. His predecessors as presidents of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Rouhani, both attended the New York U.N. General Assembly meetings in person, but Raisi is clearly afraid of his murderous past catching up with him if he dares to set foot in the West.

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I chose beatings over solitary confinement’ – this is what it was like to be locked up in prison in Tehran

September 11, 2021; by Mosfafa Naderi, Independent

Last week, leaked surveillance footage showed shocking abuses of prisoners in Iran’s Evin prison. Watching the videos reminded me of my years in Evin – with one notable difference: the guards of my time seemed even more barbaric.

I want to explain why what happened 33 years ago matters today. Iran’s society has changed, but its regime has not – in fact, Iran’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi, is one of the leaders of the horrific 1988 execution of thousands of political prisoners following the supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini’s fatwa (religious decree).

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Biden Must Put Human Rights Front and Center In Iran Policy

April 11, 2021; by Ken Blackwell, TownHall

The ubiquitous human rights group Amnesty International recently released its report on “the state of the world’s human rights.” It calls attention to a wide range of issues spanning 149 countries, including many that remain unresolved.

Within this category, the1988 massacre of Iranian political prisoners, described as the worst crime against humanity in the latter half of the 20thcentury, stands out above most others. Unfortunately, the international community has been reluctant to address this crime against humanity and hold the regime accountable. 

As a result of that inexplicable silence, the regime developed an enhanced sense of impunity to annihilate the organized opposition. In May 1988, "death commissions" began convening in prisons throughout Iran, with the mandate to interrogate political prisoners over their attitudes toward the theocratic system and to summarily execute those who failed to demonstrate fealty to

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