Why It Sucks to Live in Iran

A threat to national security.

The above picture is pretty famous. The man in that photograph is Ahmad Batebi, an Iranian student at Tehran University. In 1999, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry (known for their light-hearted nature and slapstick sense of humor) raided the university, and Batebi was photographed holding up the bloody T-shirt of a fellow student during the protest.

The picture ended up on the cover of the Economist, and as a result, Batebi was sentenced to death for "endangering national security."

This is a good reminder of why countries like America and Britain wage wars against certain other countries.

Anyways, Ahmad's sentence was later reduced to 15 years, and he was sent to Evin prison. While in the prison, he was beaten so severely that he was released on medical grounds. Well, last month, he was again arrested and sent back to Evin, days before he was to have surgery for the injuries he suffered during interrogation. Now, he has started a hunger strike in jail.

Odds are, he won't make it. But hopefully, someone takes notice of this abhorration against the rights of people, and this sort of thing won't have to happen again.