Choose between Sakine or the regime!

I received an email from Sophie in Canada about Bud who has been fiercely defending the Islamic regime of Iran on a forum.

Bud writes: "We have this historical record of them removing stoning from their laws, years ago."

I wrote to Sophie:

"Iran hasn't scrapped it - there was a moratorium on stoning in 2002 but it was never scrapped. The officials of the regime have said it was because of the bad publicity it was giving the regime. But people have still been stoned to death since then and there are 25 people awaiting death by stoning sentences in Iran that we know of.

Bud though won't care about these things. He would prefer to defend the regime than those it oppresses.

He and the former French Ambassador to Iran Francois Nicoullaud are reiterating the Islamic regime of Iran's position on this. What's missing is any concern for Sakine and her fate.

The former French Ambassador to Iran says that he believes Iranian officials are angry about the international campaign to reverse the stoning sentence against Sakineh Ashtiani and that they are lashing out at those whom they believe were behind it. "The regime is furious about the international campaign around the case, and the success it had all around the world. And they are trying to punish all the people who have been active in this campaign abroad," he said. Nicoullaud argues the Iranian judiciary may have been annoyed by the international campaign because they did not intend to stone Sakineh Ashtiani.

It seems - like the regime - he wants to blame campaigners and possibly her children for her fate; after all they wrote an open lettter bringing attention on her case.

As I have said before you need to choose - you either defend Sakine and real live human beings or you defend stoning and the regime. They have made their choice; and so have we.

The difference between our choice and theirs is that we represent a majority and they ally themselves with a murderous regime.