{"id":81364,"date":"2020-10-19T17:05:14","date_gmt":"2020-10-19T15:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=81364"},"modified":"2020-10-11T07:49:18","modified_gmt":"2020-10-11T05:49:18","slug":"11-05-60","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=81364","title":{"rendered":"EU Still Siding with the &#8220;World&#8217;s Worst Human Rights Abuser&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/images\/gatestone-logo-1000.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"45%\"><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #000080;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/16539\/eu-iran-human-rights-abuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">EU Still Siding with the &#8220;World&#8217;s Worst Human Rights Abuser&#8221;<br \/>\nby Majid Rafizadeh<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Majid Rafizadeh<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\">\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;One day, I heard screams, shouting, and pleas for help in the police department&#8230;. I witnessed two officers who were dressed in unofficial uniform cursing and hitting Navid with batons and metal pipes with no mercy. They would tell him: &#8216;the truth is whatever we say, will you write what we are saying or not?&#8217; Navid was&#8230; begging: &#8216;please, stop, please don&#8217;t hit me, I didn&#8217;t do anything.&#8217; He covered his head with his arms. And one of the officers, whose name I later learned was Abbasi, hit Navid with such strength that Navid let out a gut-wrenching scream and fell unconscious&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li>\u2014 Witness to the torture of Iran&#8217;s wrestling champion, Navid Afkari, who was reportedly tortured into a false confession, then hanged.<\/li>\n<li>Iran&#8217;s leaders most likely wanted to make an example of the highly respected wrestler, to impose fear in society, and send a strong message to the people that anyone who dares to protest can face severe consequences.<\/li>\n<li>Did they hear about the four teenagers who will have their fingers amputated as a punishment for stealing, also, according to them, after being tortured until they &#8220;confessed&#8221;?<\/li>\n<li>The European Union, in empowering a regime that is torturing and executing protesters and political prisoners, is making itself complicit in these crimes against humanity. Instead, the EU needs immediately to join the US in putting pressure on the mullahs and holding them accountable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/pics\/887.jpg\" width=\"100%\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>Despite an international outcry, Iran&#8217;s theocratic establishment on September 12 defiantly executed wrestling champion Navid Afkari, an innocent protester who was apparently tortured into a false confession. His execution was clearly carried out in a hurried manner and he was even denied a last visit from his family. Pictured: Protesters in London, England denounce Afkari&#8217;s execution, on September 12, 2020. (Photo by Justin Tallis\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The European Union is openly&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trtworld.com\/middle-east\/three-eu-nations-say-iran-sanctions-relief-to-continue-beyond-september-20-39876\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">siding<\/a>&nbsp;with the ruling mullahs of Iran and attempting to scuttle US efforts to pressure the rogue regime to stop. Britain, France and Germany, on September 18,&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trtworld.com\/middle-east\/three-eu-nations-say-iran-sanctions-relief-to-continue-beyond-september-20-39876\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told<\/a>&nbsp;the UN Security Council that the EU is strongly committed to ensuring the continued lifting of sanctions against the Iranian government. The three European powers&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trtworld.com\/middle-east\/three-eu-nations-say-iran-sanctions-relief-to-continue-beyond-september-20-39876\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">added<\/a>&nbsp;that, as far as they were concerned, even if the United States reimposes all sanctions, their UN sanctions relief for Iran would continue beyond September 20.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The EU has also been helping Iranian leaders to&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/europes-anti-u-s-sanction-mechanism-completes-first-export-to-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">evade US sanctions<\/a>&nbsp;through a payment mechanism labeled as INSTEX (Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges), which is designed to&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/annalisagirardi\/2019\/04\/09\/instex-a-new-channel-to-bypass-u-s-sanctions-and-trade-with-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">permit<\/a>&nbsp;European firms and corporations to continue doing business with the Iranian government in spite of US economic sanctions against Tehran.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The EU is, despite all its&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/en\/world\/news\/2020-09\/eu-von-der-leyen-britain-russia-brexit-state-of-union.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sanctimonious lecturing<\/a>&nbsp;about human rights, unapologetically assisting a regime that is publicly&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/with-hasty-execution-of-wrestler-iran-sends-defiant-message-to-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">committing<\/a>&nbsp;some of the worst human rights abuses ever. Did the European leaders hear about the latest&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/with-hasty-execution-of-wrestler-iran-sends-defiant-message-to-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">executions<\/a>&nbsp;of innocent protesters such as Navid Afkari, who was apparently&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2020\/09\/iran-detainees-flogged-sexually-abused-and-given-electric-shocks-in-gruesome-post-protest-crackdown-new-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tortured<\/a>&nbsp;into a false confession? Did they hear about the four teenagers who will have their fingers&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/iran-upholds-sentence-amputate-teens-fingers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">amputated<\/a>&nbsp;as a punishment for stealing, also, according to them, after being tortured until they &#8220;confessed&#8221;?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Despite an international outcry, the theocratic establishment defiantly went ahead and&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/with-hasty-execution-of-wrestler-iran-sends-defiant-message-to-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">executed<\/a>&nbsp;wrestling champion Navid Afkari by hanging him in the southern city of Shiraz, according to Iranian state media. His execution was clearly&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/with-hasty-execution-of-wrestler-iran-sends-defiant-message-to-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">carried<\/a>&nbsp;out in a hurried manner and he was even&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/with-hasty-execution-of-wrestler-iran-sends-defiant-message-to-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">denied<\/a>&nbsp;a last visit from his family.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">After he was given two death sentences by the Sharia court, Afkari&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HydtGYhAOxA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">declared<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;People! I will fight for my life because it is the logical and right thing to do. There are plenty of documents and evidence that prove my innocence. All the evidence and documents that we have collected and all the things that I am telling you right now, is to let you know that if I get executed, you should know that, in the 21st century, with all these human right organizations and expenses, with the United Nations, with the UN Security Council etc., an innocent human being, who tried his best and fought will all the power he had for his voice to be heard, was hanged.&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The EU must know that Afkari, like many other political prisoners and those who&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2020\/09\/iran-detainees-flogged-sexually-abused-and-given-electric-shocks-in-gruesome-post-protest-crackdown-new-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">participated<\/a>&nbsp;in previous peaceful protests, was brutally tortured. The Iranian regime denies that it tortures prisoners, but an eyewitness, Shaahin Naaseri,&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/persian\/iran-53977871\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recounted<\/a>&nbsp;some of the torture that the wrestler endured while in detention:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>&#8220;One day, I heard screams, shouting, and pleas for help in the police department. The sergeant accompanying me asked me to wait in the corridor. He went and opened up a door. I followed him to see what was happening out of curiosity. I witnessed two officers who were dressed in unofficial uniforms cursing and hitting Navid with batons and metal pipes without mercy. They would tell him: &#8216;the truth is whatever we say, will you write what we are saying or not?&#8217; Navid was also begging: &#8216;please, stop, please don&#8217;t hit me, I didn&#8217;t do anything.&#8217; He was covering his head with his arms. And one of the officers, whose name I later learned was Abbasi, hit Navid with such strength that Navid let out a gut-wrenching scream and fell unconscious.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Iran&#8217;s leaders most likely wanted to make an example of the highly respected wrestler, to impose fear in society, and send a strong message to the people that anyone who dares to protest can face severe consequences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Amnesty International has&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2020\/09\/iran-detainees-flogged-sexually-abused-and-given-electric-shocks-in-gruesome-post-protest-crackdown-new-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">documented<\/a>&nbsp;some of the torture techniques that the Iranian regime is employing:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>&#8220;The organization&#8217;s research found that victims were frequently hooded or blindfolded; punched, kicked and flogged; beaten with sticks, rubber hosepipes, knives, batons and cables; suspended or forced into holding painful stress positions for prolonged periods; deprived of sufficient food and potable water; placed in prolonged solitary confinement, sometimes for weeks or even months; and denied medical care for injuries sustained during the protests or as a result of torture.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Navid Afkari&#8217;s case is not an isolated one. Last month, the Iranian regime also secretly&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.govserv.org\/CA\/Toronto\/302157639901954\/Amnesty-International-Iran-Action-Circle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hanged<\/a>&nbsp;another protester, Mostafa Salhi. Amnesty International condemned his execution,&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AmnestyIran\/status\/1291373196575485952\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stating<\/a>&nbsp;that it &#8220;was carried out&#8230; despite serious unfair trial concerns incl torture &amp; other ill-treatment &amp; the denial of access to a lawyer during the investigation phase of his case.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Another high-profile figure that the regime arrested and&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/iran-hrm.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/28\/fate-of-elite-student-activist-remains-unknown-after-18-days\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tortured<\/a>&nbsp;is 20-year-old Ali Younesi, a student who in 2018&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/iran-hrm.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/28\/fate-of-elite-student-activist-remains-unknown-after-18-days\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">won<\/a>&nbsp;a gold medal as a member of Iran&#8217;s national team during the 12th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics. He and his friend Amirhossein Moradi have been&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/iran-hrm.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/28\/fate-of-elite-student-activist-remains-unknown-after-18-days\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">held<\/a>&nbsp;without charge since April,&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/iran-hrm.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/28\/fate-of-elite-student-activist-remains-unknown-after-18-days\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">accused<\/a>&nbsp;by the authorities of having connections to the opposition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The European Union, in empowering a regime that is torturing and executing protesters and political prisoners, is making itself complicit in these&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/genocideprevention\/crimes-against-humanity.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">crimes against humanity<\/a>. Instead, the EU needs immediately to join the US in putting pressure on the mullahs and holding them accountable.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><i><strong>Dr. Majid Rafizadeh<\/strong> is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has<\/i>&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #808080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s\/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_9?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=majid+rafizadeh&amp;sprefix=majid+raf%2Caps%2C757&amp;crid=22WY06JIYF98T\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>authored<\/i><\/a><i>&nbsp;several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at<\/i>&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #808080;\" href=\"mailto:Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\">\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"content-alignment\">\n<div id=\"watch-description\" class=\"yt-uix-button-panel\">\n<div id=\"watch-description-text\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion&#8217;68,<\/em><em><br \/>\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion&#8217;68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.<br \/>\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:<br \/>\n<\/em><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><em><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"mailto:webmaster@reunion68.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\"width: 100%;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EU Still Siding with the &#8220;World&#8217;s Worst Human Rights Abuser&#8221; by Majid Rafizadeh Majid Rafizadeh &#8220;One day, I heard screams, shouting, and pleas for help in the police department&#8230;. I witnessed two officers who were dressed in unofficial uniform cursing and hitting Navid with batons and metal pipes with no mercy. They would tell him: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81364"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=81364"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81532,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81364\/revisions\/81532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=81364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=81364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=81364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}