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Iran Cracks Down. Where Are the Western Protests?
(Wall Street Journal) Gerard Baker - As the people of Iran brave another intensifying crackdown by their rulers in one of the world's most repressive regimes, where are the protests in the West? Where are all those defenders of persecuted Muslims who have been so active on the streets of New York, London, Sydney, Rome and elsewhere the past two years? Where are the demands for justice and freedom for the downtrodden victims of a brutally repressive state? More than three million Iranians have been driven from their homeland in the 47 years of the mullahs' rule. People have been forced into prisons or into exile in foreign lands, their homes and property stolen, their loved ones punished and frequently murdered. Where are the movie stars and pop icons with their video pleas for justice? Where is the International Criminal Court's crack team of lawyers to investigate crimes against humanity and issue indictments against Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, as they did for Benjamin Netanyahu? In the UK, there has been criticism that the BBC has been playing down or even ignoring the dramatic events in Iran. BBC News world affairs editor John Simpson noted how difficult it is to get accurate and reliable information given the reporting conditions in the country. Yet in Gaza, the scarcity of reliable information didn't stop the BBC from broadcasting daily for two years the most lurid accounts of the Israeli offensive there - much of it pure Hamas lies. Perhaps the reason so many protesters condemn Israel for its legitimate actions and give Iran a pass for its illegitimate ones is that, unlike Israel, Iran isn't run by Jews.