Karroubi Attacked, Ellison Argues Against Sanctions

Mehdi Karroubi, a leading figure in the Iranian opposition, was reportedly attacked at a press fair in Tehran, prompting an aggressive protest and counter-protest. Iranian police also allegedly arrested the wives and families of several prominent opposition prisoners, reports The New York Times. According to niacINsight, security forces arrested over 50 members of Iran’s Participation Front during a prayer session.  The session was held at the house of a relative of Shahab Tabatabaei, the recently jailed head of the pro-opposition group Campaign 88.

These developments come on the heels of Iran sentencing Kian Tajbakhsh to 15 years in jail for his political actions after the June elections, while releasing Newsweek reporter Maziar Bahari on bail (see our previous post). Writing about the release of Bahari, Newsweek urges everyone to not forget the dozens of “other political prisoners [who] continue to languish, berated daily by faceless interrogators” in Iran’s prisons.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) writes in a column for The Hill that he opposes increasing sanctions on Iran. Though sanctions could potentially harm the Iranian economy, they would only strengthen President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad‘s hand, Ellison argues, citing also the opinions of several Iranian democracy advocates. Ahmad Sadri, writing for Tehran Bureau, agrees that the U.S. should not negotiate for “narrow geopolitical advantages” at the expense of the Green Movement’s historic opportunity to enact change. Democracy Digest writes that human rights must be part of the negotiations with Iran.

Michael Ledeen also argues in The Weekly Standard that President Obama should do more to support Iranian democrats, and a Wall Street Journal piece by Bari Weiss and David Feith criticizes the decision to de-fund some democracy advocacy programs. Tariq Alhomayed worries that Ahmadinejad might be planning to use the nuclear negotiations to shore up domestic support. Abdullah Al Shayji claims that Iran’s domestic situation is a chance to force the regime to abandon its meddling in the rest of the Middle East, but fears the Obama administration and other regional players are not willing to seize it.