Grisly tales of abuse are emerging from the theocratic state of Iran. Young pro-democracy activists, imprisoned after street demonstrations, have been grossly mistreated and some even killed while awaiting a trial that, by every indication, will be marsupial in nature. So vile has the treatment been at Kahrizak prison in particular that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei closed the jail, and its director has himself been imprisoned. That adds considerable authority to emerging details of brutal rapes, mutilations and killings in the facility.I would cheerfully support a campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Iran. In fact, I'd support that campaign even without the torture and repression, if the President, say, had killed a few hundred civilians in recent massive bombing raids, or continued to put his foot on the neck of people in a land his country had occupied for decades.
Does that make me anti-Iranian? Does that mean I oppose Iran's right to exist? I'm just trying to follow Bernie Farber's logic here.
