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

There 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.

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