(Miami Herald) Trudy Rubin - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is using the Gaza flotilla episode to distract attention from the anniversary of his rigged reelection - and from a fourth round of UN sanctions to rein in Tehran's nuclear program. But the Iranian leader's denunciations of the flotilla raid can't erase images of scores of dead Iranian civilians mowed down as they peacefully protested election fraud after the June 12, 2009, ballot. Those images have been preserved for posterity on YouTube. None is more iconic than that of Neda Agha-Soltan, the beautiful young music student whose death from a militiaman's bullet was captured in a cell-phone video clip that went viral. Ahmadinejad blusters that the Gaza events bring Israel "closer to disintegration.'' But Neda's tale reveals a Tehran regime that retains power through force and repression. This week, the UN Human Rights Council is due to adopt a final report on Iran, which denies it has committed any violations. The film clips of Neda lay bare the lie.
2010-06-18 09:18:08Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive