Azar Mansouri insists that detention and issuing heavy sentences is mocking dialogue.
Azar Mansouri insists that detention and issuing heavy sentences is mocking 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 Has Requirements’ for the Etemad newspaper.
Following these protests, the head of the judiciary and some officials in the country have spoken about the necessity of dialogue in the current situation in Iran. Meanwhile, some platforms talk about the harshest punishments for them, still avoiding the use of the term ‘protest’ and easily labeling any protester and critic as a ‘rioter.’ After that, as interpreted by the eleventh parliament members, presumably, the judiciary should sentence all of them to the charge of waging war against God.
The first step to forming dialogue, not just conversation, is to show tolerance towards arrested protesters and to focus on efforts for their release. Insisting on continued detention, long-term imprisonment, and issuing heavy sentences for protesters not only does not solve the issue of protests but also becomes a factor in mocking any proposal for dialogue.
