ABC News Recaps Iranian Arrests, Forgets US Political Prisoners
The story focuses on Iran’s suppression of dissent, framing it as a clear-cut case of authoritarian overreach. Indeed, Mohammadi's plight is tragic. However, mainstream outlets like ABC often omit the history of Western nations, including the US, propping up regimes that arrest, torture, and disappear dissidents—as long as those regimes serve strategic interests. One might recall the US
government's extensive support for dictatorships throughout Latin America during the Cold War, or the current, enduring alliances with Gulf states notorious for human rights abuses. This selective outrage appears to highlight human rights violations only when convenient for geopolitical narratives against 'adversaries.' It raises questions about consistency: where is the equivalent condemnation,
or indeed, the Nobel Peace Prize, for activists persecuted by 'allied' governments? The silence on these parallel situations often speaks louder than the headlines.