Obama to Iran: ‘Stop All Violent and Unjust Actions’
Demands "Universal Rights to Assembly and Free Speech"
As the violence on the streets of Tehran took a turn for the worse today, President Barack Obama publicly condemned the Iranian government for its “violent and unjust actions against its own people.” The protesters have clashed with police on and off for a week, but today’s crackdown appears to be more vigorous.
Reluctant to comment on the internal matter previously, the White House said the president has been meeting repeatedly with top advisers over the situation, and demanded that the Iranian government respect “the universal rights to assembly and free speech.” The Iranian government has rejected similar demands from other nations, noting that none of the Western governments allow mass rallies without permits.
The protests against last Friday’s disputed presidential vote in Iran have captured worldwide attention, and the chief opposition candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, has repeatedly demanded that the election be overturned in his favor. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has demanded an end to the protests and the pursuit of the matter through legal channels.
Yesterday, the House of Representatives also passed a resolution condemning the Iranian government and expressing official support for the protesters. The vote passed 405-1, with only Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) dissenting, insisting the US should avoid meddling in the internal affairs of foreign nations.
Still, the prevailing opinion in the US remains to be one of intervention, as expressed by President Obama. Rallies against the Iranian government and calling for the death of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have also been reported in several US cities.
warmapril
June 20th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!! Ya wonder what protest would emanate from our "unbiased" congress when the IDF brutally supresses Palastinian protests? Our intelligence agencies don't have a CLUE about the inner workings of Iranian politics, but we feel it is SO important we have to protest!
Roberto7
June 20th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
The rest of the world to Obama: "Stop all violent and unjust actions!!" Refer, if necessary, to the 1953 coup staged by the US against Iran, and continue to the present crimes against Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Obama to Iran: ‘Stop All Violent and Unjust Actions’ — will to truth
June 20th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
[...] source [...]
Geo1671
June 20th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Remeber in the 2004 Election in USA–the protesters were only allowed b;ocks away in a fenced area ander under a highway bridge.Sad part is–both parties did not mind :^(
Roberto7
June 21st, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Right on, Geo, the American people should have been protesting in the USA when their elections were stolen in 2000 and 2004, as Iranians are protesting today. I suppose the Iranians are much gutsier than the Americans….
Doug Bandow » Blog Archive » It’s About the Iranians, not Us!
June 22nd, 2009 at 12:05 am
[...] who have been agitating for the U.S. government to do so – Obama’s reminder that the world is watching is apparently merely another sign of terminal lily-liveredness – are more interested in fawning [...]
June 22, 2009 « Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:45 am
[...] who have been agitating for the U.S. government to do so – Obama’s reminder that the world is watching is apparently merely another sign of terminal lily-liveredness – are more interested in fawning [...]
Valerianus
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:01 pm
The cosmopolitan Iranian youth in Tehran have been duped by hundreds of millions of dollars worth of CIA intrigue and subversion. If there had been a similar infusion of money by a foreign intelligence agency into the American left in the 2008 elections, there would have been riots and large-scale protests in the U.S.