No to Khamenei

Iranian people today said no to the “Leader” by their blood. It is feared that close to 40 people have lost their lives today, with some 200 seriously injured. Khamenei is personally responsible for these deaths. By unleashing the Basij thugs and heavily armed police to confront unarmed citizens, he in effect ordered their killing. The action of the government today was a crime against humanity, and Khamanie and all other government officials involved in planning, ordering and executing the killing of unarmed citizens are responsible and should be held accountable for these crimes.

Instead of ordering the thugs and the police to shoot to kill young citizens of Iran, Khamanei could, and should have called for new elections. But his unwillingness to give an inch to the demands of the people is taking Iran to the brink of disaster and civil war.

I was traveling today unable to be online for most of the day, and now landed at the airport and read with sadness the reports on the death of up to 40 young people. The movement that started last week to annul the results of a stolen election has now been transformed into a national movement for freedom and change.

The movement and its leaders owe it to the fallen to continue the protests to halt the formation of a military dictatorship in the country and at the same time find tactics that minimizes the exposure of small groups of demonstrators to heavily armed police and Basij militia. A general strike coupled with well-planned demonstrations might be the way ahead.

The free world should join the Iranian people in their time of need and isolate Khamanei’s government, preventing it from successfully forming a dictatorship in Iran.