Thursday, June 16, 2005

Thursday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 6.16.2005:

Statement by the President Bush on Iranian Elections [Excerpts]

President Bush, The White House:
In recent months, the cause of freedom has made enormous gains in the broader Middle East. ... And as a tide of freedom sweeps this region, it will also come eventually to Iran. ...

Today, Iran is ruled by men who suppress liberty at home and spread terror across the world. Power is in the hands of an unelected few who have retained power through an electoral process that ignores the basic requirements of democracy.

The June 17th presidential elections are sadly consistent with this oppressive record. ...
  • The Iranian people deserve a genuinely democratic system in which elections are honest - and in which their leaders answer to them instead of the other way around.
  • The Iranian people deserve a truly free and democratic society with a vibrant free press that informs the public and ensures transparency.
  • They deserve freedom of assembly, so Iranians can gather and press for reform and a peaceful, loyal opposition can keep the government in check.
  • They deserve a free economy that delivers opportunity and prosperity and economic independence from the state.
  • They deserve an independent judiciary that will guarantee the rule of law and ensure equal justice for all Iranians. And they deserve a system that guarantees religious freedom, so that they can build a society in which compassion and tolerance prevail.
Today, the Iranian regime denies all these rights. ... READ MORE
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