The tensions from the disputed June election in Iran haven’t faded much, and today a group of former Reformist lawmakers in the nation called for the nation’s Assembly of Experts to investigate the nation’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s competency to continue ruling the nation after the post-election crackdown.
Theoretically the Assembly of Experts is empowered to make such an investigation and even remove the Supreme Leader in extreme cases, though it would be unprecedented in the history of post-revolution Iran for them to do so. Khamenei has made an enemy of much of the nation’s reformist constituency with his dismissive attitude toward their concerns about the June vote.
The lingering frustration appears to be in part related to the growing evidence of torture of detainees following the crackdown. Ayatollah Khamenei ordered one of the prisons closed over the allegation, but officials have rejected some of the more extreme allegations as unwarranted.
In fact, one of those putting forth the allegations, Reformist candidate Mehdi Karrobui, has gotten into some hot water of his own over claims of sexual abuse in the prisons. Top right-wing cleric Ayatollah Khatami has demanded the indictment of Karroubi on a charge of “libeling the system.” If the charge sticks, Karroubi could face “80 strokes of the lash” according to Iran’s state media.
I was told in the TV debate between Ahmadinejad and Karroubi, Ahmadinejad accused him of accepting substantial amount of money from a corrupt rich influence pedaler. Karroubi dodged the question a number of times, finally he was forced to admit “yes I took the money but he didn’t want anything from me and I didnt want anything from him!”
Also Ahmadinejad questioned him about his residence, “who paid for it?, you were previously living in a modest home”.
After the debate many Iranians thought Karroubi wont get any vote, “he is finished” but he managed to get couple of hundred thousands.( In the previous election he got about 6 million)
Now, he continues to accuse the system of outrageous allegations such as the rape of the prisoners. (The western corporate media (joyously) propagates those claims, smoothing the way for another set of the horrendous war crimes).
In my view, the Iranian ruling system is based on a mix of medieval and modern principals. He, as a cleric, belonging to the backward part…and most probably he is a corrupt mullah. He doesn’t deserve any credible place in the sphere of the honest media.
I searched Youtube for that tv debate. I found what I was looking for:
It is in English but it is one and half hours long. If I get the time I'm going to watch it. Then, If I find any contradiction between my post and the real debate I'll post it here again.