Azar Mansouri: Insisting on arrests and issuing heavy sentences is mocking dialogue.
Azar Mansouri insists that arrests and heavy sentences mock dialogue.
Azar Mansouri, the Secretary-General of the Union of Islamic Iran People Party, wrote in a note titled ‘Dialogue is not as easy as drinking water; it requires essentials’ for the Etemad newspaper.
Following these protests, the head of the judiciary and some country officials have spoken about the necessity of dialogue in the current situation in Iran. Meanwhile, some platforms speak of the harshest punishments for them and continue to avoid using the word ‘protest,’ labeling every protester and critic as a ‘rioter’ as easily as drinking water. After that, according to the interpretation of the 11th Parliament members, the judiciary is supposed to charge all of them with ‘moharebeh’ (waging war against God).
The first step in forming dialogue, not just conversation, is to show tolerance towards the detained protesters and make efforts for their release. Insisting on continued detention, long-term imprisonment, and issuing heavy sentences for protesters not only doesn’t solve the issue of protests but is itself a factor in mocking any proposal for dialogue.