Meet The Butcher: Iranian Mullahs Enlist Controversial Figure to Crackdown on Protesters

250px-flag_of_iransvgThere are new reports of beatings and shootings as the Iranian government tries to crush protests by citizens demanding more freedoms and democratic rights. The violence is little surprise after it was disclosed this week that the person behind the crackdown is the notorious “Butcher” Saeed Mortazavi. He is a religious extremist previously called upon to do the dirty work of the mullahs.

Mortazavi has served as the prosecutor-general of Tehran since 2003. He is well-known to journalists for his record of shutting down any independent press. He can claim more than 100 newspapers, journals and websites to his credit. He was also behind the arrest and trial of Roxana Saberi. Mortazavi was implicated in the beating to death of Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazami. He is also a leading figure in the crackdown on women who run afoul of the medieval standards of the morality police. For a video on his crackdown on bloggers, click here.

For the full story, click here

18 Responses to “Meet The Butcher: Iranian Mullahs Enlist Controversial Figure to Crackdown on Protesters”


  1. 1 Jill 1, June 24, 2009 at 3:29 pm

    This is an interesting anaylsis from Juan Cole.

    http://www.juancole.com/

  2. 2 Jill 1, June 24, 2009 at 3:32 pm

    This is an interesting analysis from Juan Cole. Hope it doesn’t double post. Well worth reading.

    http://www.juancole.com/

  3. 3 Buddha Is Laughing 1, June 24, 2009 at 3:53 pm

    For a jackals job, one must use a jackal.

  4. 4 Indentured Servant 1, June 24, 2009 at 5:00 pm

    Obama ought to hire this guy to go after Fox.

  5. 5 shala 1, June 24, 2009 at 7:27 pm

    Jill,

    Juan Cole is a shameless bastard tool of Al Jazeera.

  6. 6 shala 1, June 24, 2009 at 7:29 pm

    ohhhhh, more crocodile tears from the worhsippers of thugs and tyrants here. You jerks here have never met a dictator you didn’t fall in line with. Not once does Turley or any of you actually ACT to help your fellow man. You all are phonies and lower than cow dung.

  7. 7 shala 1, June 24, 2009 at 7:30 pm

    Jill, your Juan Cole is a shameless piece of cow dung that worships at the feet of thugs like Saddam, or did until the world was rid of him. Juan Cole worships Chaves and every murdering thug in Africa that ruins the lives of their people.

    Juan Cole will rot in hell.

  8. 8 Former Federal LEO 1, June 24, 2009 at 7:50 pm

    Jill,

    I agree with Mr. Cole that the U.S. must keep ‘our’ hands off Iran.

  9. 9 Mike Appleton 1, June 24, 2009 at 8:06 pm

    I might be wrong, but I don’t think that “lower than cow dung” is a good old American expression. It sounds more like an insult of foreign extraction, such as “may the sands wash over your dead body while the desert rats devour your entrails.” You know, something like Mortazavi might say while in the act of bludgeoning another protester. shala, you need to lighten up. If you try the route of intelligent comments, you might actually receive responses that are not equally insulting.

  10. 10 Gyges 1, June 24, 2009 at 8:17 pm

    Mike,

    To be fair the English language is woefully lacking in good insults.

  11. 11 Mike Appleton 1, June 24, 2009 at 8:26 pm

    Gyges, you’re right. We are far too impatient. Great insults require adequate preparation time. On the other hand, we can exchange them more rapidly by sticking with the trite.

  12. 12 Buddha Is Laughing 1, June 24, 2009 at 8:32 pm

    German. There’s a language for insults.

  13. 13 GWLawSchoolMom 1, June 24, 2009 at 8:40 pm

    Mike A & Gyges

    while we might not have a repertoire of really flowery and poetic insults and curses we do have the advantage of the old F.U. accompanied by the appropriate hand gesture. if the F.U. isn’t enough there are many ways to embellish the anglo-saxon immediacy and force with we may deliver the epithet.

    that said, the disappearances of journalists and those suspected of gathering and distributing information is growing more and more disturbing. The “Prague Spring” may be over and while the gov’t may fear the return of protests, those who do are paying a big price and will continue to pay increasingly over the next days and weeks. any real movement toward revolution will go underground, it has to, in order to survive as those who want freedom will have to decide how dear a price they will pay for it.

    we here had no role in all of this and can have no role in future activities.

  14. 14 Buddha Is Laughing 1, June 24, 2009 at 9:09 pm

    GWLSMom,

    But German has a command imperative form! lol Gehen sie weg (go away) becomes Geh Weg! (go away, I’m really not kidding, I’m German and I left my sense of humor in my other pair of lederhosen, you need to run now). You can imagine what this does with filth.

  15. 15 Anonymously Yours 1, June 25, 2009 at 8:53 am

    Te one I heard on this list is the “Yankee Flipper” I like it.

  16. 16 Buddha Is Laughing 1, June 25, 2009 at 1:58 pm

    roflol

    http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/06/24/tehran_seven/print.html

    I can only applaud some of the Iranians. You’ll know who I mean.

  17. 17 seamus 1, June 25, 2009 at 3:56 pm

    Here’s a few insults you may like:
    May your camels’ hind quaters fester with flies.

    May you be swindled to sell you flax for an unfair price in the spring.

    Ha! I have never seen such poor wool as that upon your sheep!

    Who taught you how to tie your turban?

    Ha! From the looks of that tent, I’d say your uncle was from Damascus!

    You’ve really got a fat ass!

  18. 18 Jill 1, June 26, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    CALLING ALL GEEKS–the Iranian govt. has been able to shut down the opposition website and slow down the internet. Perhaps the white hats should saddle up and create an alternet?


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