Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the last Shah of Iran and now in exile in the US would love to return to Teheran and become the new leader. Would he be a believer in democracy and encourage it? I doubt it.
Before the obvious and evil oppression of the present regime, the Shah of Iran had his own oppression security force, SAVAK. It used surveillance with extreme brutality and operated its own detention centres, such as the infamous Evin Prison in Tehran. One report I read said SAVAK had 5,000 personnel.
Amnesty International noted SAVAK interrogations included:
- Bastinado: Whipping the soles of the feet.
- Electric shock: Often administered with cattle prods.
- An electric chair with a metal mask designed to amplify the victim’s screams back at them.
- Sleep deprivation.
- Nail extraction.
- Insertion of objects into the rectum.
- Sexual assault.
I visited Teheran for a media workshop in the 70s a year before the Shah fell. On the second last day I was with two new Iranian friends from the course visiting a huge market. We heard a large noise and shouting. Nearby we saw two people seized, blindfolded and dragged towards a waiting van. My Iranian friends were terrified and quickly pulled me into a nearby carpet shop.
“Keep quiet” they said, “ You saw nothing”.
SAVAK was established with help from the United States after the 1953 coup that strengthened the Shah’s power. The CIA provided initial training and organisational structure and then Israel’s Mossad stepped in to train SAVAK personnel.
Who the hell is going to lead Iranian citizens towards a better life? Certainly not the two present attackers who talk about democracy.
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