Iraqi Civil war now official and under way

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

It is not proven in any way, unless you can show me the proof.

Iranian presidential election, 2013 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[speling bee]

Iranian presidential election, 2013 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

How does that prove that:

Iran is one of the more democratic nations in the world

?

[speling bee]

Guardian Council - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Criticism[edit]
Increases the role of the army in everyday life[edit]
The Council favors military candidates at the expense of reform candidates. This ensures that the ideological Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (separate from the Iranian army) holds a commanding influence over the political, economic, and cultural life of Iran.[11]
Arbitrarily disqualifies candidates from elections[edit]
Hadi Khamenei, the brother of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and an adviser in the administration of reformist former President Mohammad Khatami, said the Guardian Council's vetting of candidates threatens Iranian democracy. He believes some reformist candidates are wrongly kept from running.[29] In 1998, the Guardian Council rejected Hadi Khamenei's candidacy for a seat in the Assembly of Experts for "insufficient theological qualifications."[30][31]
After conservative candidates fared poorly in the 2000 parliamentary elections, the Council disqualified more than 3,600 reformist and independent candidates for the 2004 elections.[32]
In the run-up to the Iranian Assembly of Experts election, 2006, all women candidates were disqualified.[33]
The Council disqualified many candidates in the 2008 parliamentary elections. One third of them were members of the outgoing parliament it had previously approved.[11] The Iranian Ministry of the Interior gave nebulous, arbitrary reasons for disqualifying the majority of the candidates, including narcotics addiction or involvement in drug-smuggling, connections to the Shah's pre-revolutionary government, lack of belief in or insufficient practice of Islam, being "against" the Islamic Republic, or having connections to foreign intelligence services.[11]
Rule by unelected leaders[edit]
This unelected Council frequently vetoes bills passed by the popularly-elected legislature.[33] It repeatedly vetoes bills in favor of women’s rights, electoral reform, the prohibition of torture and ratification of international human rights treaties.[32]

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Guardian Council - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You heard of the unelected house of lords? Just because I said it is more democratic than most does not mean it doesn't have it's own issues.

[speling bee]

You heard of the unelected house of lords? Just because I said it is more democratic than most does not mean it doesn't have it's own issues.

I don't support the House of Lords, but please explain how the House of Lords has the power to block legislation in the way that the Guardian Council does.

Your beloved democracy appears to have an appointed body that blocks legislation to improve human rights. And what do you make of this:

Iran: Abuses Persist Under New Government | Human Rights Watch

(Beirut) – Iranians are facing serious rights abuses, despite President Hassan Rouhani’s numerous promises to respect people’s rights following his June 14, 2013, electoral victory, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2014.

Authorities have released some prominent political prisoners but executions continued at high rates. Officials continued to detain many civil society activists and leading opposition figures, including the 2009 presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi; and the government denied entry to the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Iran.

“Pushing for a moratorium on the death penalty should be one of President Rouhani’s top reform priorities,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “President Rouhani should also speak out publicly against serious violations by security and intelligence forces, and act on campaign promises to ease controls on freedom of information, including heavy censorship.”

In the 667-page world report, its 24th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries. Syria’s widespread killings of civilians elicited horror but few steps by world leaders to stop it, Human Rights Watch said. A reinvigorated doctrine of “responsibility to protect” seems to have prevented some mass atrocities in Africa. Majorities in power in Egypt and other countries have suppressed dissent and minority rights. And Edward Snowden’s revelations about US surveillance programs reverberated around the globe.

Among the concerns is Iran’s discrimination in both law and practice against women and ethnic and religious minorities. Iran remained one of the largest prisons for journalists and bloggers in the world, with at least 40 in detention as of the end of December. The government also systematically blocks websites, slows Internet speeds, and jams foreign satellite broadcasts.

According to official sources, Iranian authorities executed at least 270 prisoners in 2013, though the real number is thought to be much higher. Penal code amendments removed the death penalty for child offenders for certain crimes, but a judge may still sentence juveniles to death for crimes such as rape, sodomy, and murder.

In September and October, authorities released a few dozen rights activists and political prisoners, many of whom had completed or were close to completing their prison terms. These included the rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. Dozens of other rights defenders, including the prominent lawyers Mohammad Seifzadeh and Abdolfattah Soltani, remain in prison on politically motivated charges.

On August 1, Human Rights Watch wrote to then President-elect Rouhani asking him to take concrete steps in several key reform areas, ranging from freeing political prisoners to cooperating with UN rights bodies. On November 26, President Rouhani’s official website published a draft Citizens’ Rights Charter, but many of its provisions fail to protect rights adequately or violate Iran’s legal obligations under international law. Among the problems are the absence of protections for members of religious minorities that are not officially recognized, including Baha’is, and limitations of rights based on seemingly subjective criteria such as “national security,” and “principles of Islam.”

[SpontaneousOrder]

The root problem is religion and believing in imaginary gods. How many have to die for what amounts to delusions?

It's not surprising that simple & savage peoples remain simple & savage when more advanced western nations work very hard to keep them that way.
The problem isn't fairy-tales any more than the problem with being stabbed by a mugger is bleeding.

[original PM]

but a judge may still sentence juveniles to death for crimes such as rape, sodomy, and murder.

Seems reasonable that...

maybe not the sodomy bit but,...

[speling bee]

It's not surprising that simple & savage peoples remain simple & savage when more advanced western nations work very hard to keep them that way.
The problem isn't fairy-tales any more than the problem with being stabbed by a mugger is bleeding.

+1 Civilised leaders have advanced military structures at their command when God tells them to invade a country.

[CloudWalker]

"I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

I don't support the House of Lords, but please explain how the House of Lords has the power to block legislation in the way that the Guardian Council does.

Your beloved democracy appears to have an appointed body that blocks legislation to improve human rights. And what do you make of this:

Iran: Abuses Persist Under New Government | Human Rights Watch

I am not here to defend Iran - my point is it is more democratic than most. You speak of human rights? what about Guantanamo bay, what about the UK rule of holding suspects without charge for long durations? You only look at things from one side and fail to see the other side. Such is the failure of most people who are puppets of the media.