An Iranian writer is sentenced to 12 years after tweeting a dot at the supreme leader
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https://www.npr.org/2024/09/02/g-s1-20579/iran-sentenced-12-years-tweet-supreme-leader
Bunch of fucking fragile babies! Doesn't matter where it is in the world, the leaders are always 1 step away from a tantrum. Fucking grow up. You are supposed to be running the country not crying because someone insulted you.
They reign through terror. This is not some tantrum, this is intimidation. By applying very disproportionate punishments they're sending the message that resistance is dangerous.
Not to mention that if you're running a country, someone is going insult you.
Making everyone happy is an impossible ask, so if you can't settle for the majority being content, and probably not even being that vocal about it, then you should not be governing.
I got an answer from the article. Essentially this guy was a known critic of the government already having spent time in prison for very direct criticisms. So he posted a dot. A completely benign post and then the following occurred:
"[he] posted a single dot in reply to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's tweet, and that comment was liked far more than Khamenei's original tweet"
...and...
"Iran watchers say the leadership has felt insecure about the high level of dissent in the country for a while"
So a known critic did the thing you do to your old sibling where you put your finger an inch away from them and say "What? I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you!" and then your sibling is tired of your shit and smacks you very hard.
Yeah. Russia did the same to protesters who held blank signs after the invasion of Ukraine.
Yeah, the idea is the words are illegal to say but by saying nothing you know what they are protesting.
England on the bandwagon too:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/anti-monarchy-protest-russia-police-b2166183.html
Damn, in Russia people were arrested for posting/demonstrating "no to ***”, but a single dot is a new level!
the russians also arrested some just holding up a blank white sheet of cardboard. i think it was in an area where protests are forbidden in general though. however, how does the absence of a message qualify as a protest.
Authoritarian governments are the worst. Where any sign of dissent is severely punished by the ruling party.
I remember in my country back in the days, the government was spying on its own people, where ordinary people were snooping on their neighbours and reporting at the authority and people were put into correction camps and prisons for simply telling a political joke.
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