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ebrahim raisi

Wednesday May 22, 2024

May 22, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

The demise of Ebrahim Raisi, the notorious "Butcher of Tehran," in a tragic helicopter crash provides a sense of justice for his victims, yet signifies no end to the ongoing oppression within Iran's governing structure.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday May 22, 2024

Ebrahim Raisi’s Demise: Justice for Victims, but No End to Oppression in Iran

Canadian inquiries into foreign interference highlight the challenge of maintaining transparency without aiding adversaries, emphasizing the importance of careful oversight and accountability in protecting democratic processes.

April 6, 2024

The recent demise of Ebrahim Raisi, often dubbed “the Butcher of Tehran,” has sparked a mix of emotions across the globe. For many, it serves as a form of comeuppance for the countless murders and atrocities inflicted upon innocent people during his tenure as a key figure in Iran’s oppressive regime. However, we must also recognize that his death does not mark the end of the suffering endured by the Iranian people under the rule of the Islamic Republic.

Raisi’s legacy is stained with blood, stemming from his alleged involvement in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988. As part of a “death commission,” he played a pivotal role in carrying out the orders of Ayatollah Khomeini to purge Iran’s jails of dissidents. Thousands of lives were unjustly extinguished under his watch, leaving families shattered and communities scarred.

Furthermore, Raisi’s leadership during the investigation into the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in 2020 only added to his legacy of injustice. By absolving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of any wrongdoing, he perpetuated a culture of impunity within the Iranian government, denying closure and justice to the families of the victims.

Opinion: Do not weep for the Butcher of Tehran 

October 18, 2022

His ascent to the presidency in 2021 sent shockwaves through the international community, highlighting the resilience of a system built on oppression and fear. Despite widespread condemnation and calls for accountability, Raisi remained defiant, openly proclaiming pride in his actions and vowing to defend the regime at any cost.

Tragically, Raisi’s demise came in the form of a helicopter crash in Iran’s Eastern Azerbaijan region on May 19, 2024. The crash, which occurred in a fog-shrouded mountainous area, claimed the lives of all nine individuals on board, including Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

While some may view this as a twist of fate or a stroke of karma, it does little to alleviate the pain and suffering inflicted upon countless individuals by his ruthless regime.

December 18, 2020

While his demise may bring a sense of relief to some, we must not lose sight of the harsh reality that awaits the Iranian people. Raisi’s replacement, likely to emerge from the same ruthless governing structure, offers little hope for meaningful change or reform. The machinery of oppression that has plagued Iran for decades continues to operate unabated, casting a dark shadow over the country’s future.

As we reflect on the downfall of Ebrahim Raisi, let us remember the countless victims whose lives were cut short by his tyranny. Let us stand in solidarity with the Iranian people as they strive for freedom, justice, and dignity in the face of adversity. And let us remain vigilant in holding accountable those who perpetuate oppression and deny basic human rights to their own citizens. (AI)

 

Posted in: International Tagged: 2024-10, death, ebrahim raisi, helicopter, International, Iran, Obit, oppression, terror, theocracy, tyranny

Friday October 20, 2023

October 20, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Putin and Iran are using the Israel-Palestine crisis to divert attention from Russia's Ukraine invasion and undermine the West by supporting Hamas and spreading anti-Western disinformation.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday October 20, 2023

Putin and Iran’s Calculated Exploitation of Israel-Palestine Crisis

The relentless conflict in Gaza places both Palestinian and Israeli civilians in a dire predicament. As Hamas, responsible for numerous deadly acts against Israel and hostage-taking, triggers a planned offensive by Israel's IDF in northern Gaza City, it is inevitable that innocent civilians will suffer the repercussions.

October 14, 2023

It’s no coincidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran, his pro-Hamas and Hezbollah funding ally, are capitalizing on the turmoil between Israel and Palestine to further their agenda. Their strategy? To sow chaos in the West by drawing them into the conflict and diverting attention away from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Iran’s proxy involvement in the destruction of Ukrainian lives through missile attacks.

The timing of their maneuvers couldn’t be more perfect for Putin, who finds himself celebrating his birthday while hundreds of Hamas militants enter Israel, resulting in the tragic loss of over 1,300 innocent civilians. For Moscow, the primary goal right now is to distract the world from its military aggression in Ukraine, where it has been involved in untold atrocities. To that end, they are actively working to undermine the United States and its allies, and the crisis in Israel serves their interests perfectly.

June 1, 2023

While we lack concrete proof that Russian leaders had prior knowledge of the Hamas attacks, there’s no doubt that the Kremlin is seizing this opportunity. Russia has escalated its support for Hamas through diplomacy and a propaganda offensive. Additionally, it’s using this crisis to ratchet up violence in Ukraine while the global community remains distracted. Senior Hamas official Ali Baraka even lauded Russia’s support in a recent interview with Russia Today, a state-controlled media outlet, acknowledging that Russia is content to see the United States embroiled in the Palestinian conflict, as it relieves pressure on Russia in Ukraine. It’s a cynical game of one war easing the pressure of another.

September 22, 2022

Analysis: What Putin Stands to Gain From Israel-Hamas War  

While the precise extent of Russia’s military support for Hamas remains uncertain, there are telltale signs, such as Hamas being in possession of Russian licenses to manufacture Kalashnikov rifles and ammunition used in the assault. Reports have also suggested that Russia’s Wagner, a mercenary firm, may have assisted in training Hamas soldiers. Moreover, it’s believed that Palestinian terrorist groups are laundering illicit funds through a crypto exchange based in Moscow.

Although there is no confirmed direct military support from Russia to Hamas, it’s clear that the collaboration between Russia and Iran in Ukraine has indirectly benefitted Hamas. The shared technology and tactics developed in Ukraine have found their way into Hamas’s arsenal, such as armed drones used against Israeli targets.

February 25, 2022

Moreover, Moscow has turned its extensive propaganda machine into a pro-Hamas, anti-Western disinformation campaign. Even before the recent outbreak of hostilities, Russian media had been insinuating that U.S. arms meant for Ukraine ended up in the hands of terrorists plotting against Israel. Following the attack, pro-Russian videos of dubious origin circulated, accusing Ukraine of arming Hamas, some even masquerading as fake BBC reports.

Russian officials and propaganda outlets are unanimous in blaming the United States for the ongoing violence in Israel, arguing that Washington’s preoccupation with Ukraine has led to the neglect of mounting tensions in the Middle East. This is a deliberate ploy to drive a wedge in Western military support for Ukraine, demoralize Ukrainian society, and reassure Russian audiences that international society will ignore Ukraine’s war effort.

October 18, 2022

The relationship between Russia and Hamas isn’t new, with Putin hosting Hamas leaders in Moscow as early as 2006. Russia has never designated Hamas as a terrorist organization and has consistently taken a pro-Palestinian diplomatic stance. However, the recent events mark a stark departure from the previously cordial relations between Russia and Israel. Israel had been reluctant to overtly support Ukraine to avoid jeopardizing its ability to strike targets in Syria with Russia’s acquiescence. Now, Russia is committed to supporting Hamas and Iran, especially in diplomatic circles.

Opinion: The Israel-Hamas war is the latest proof Russia is a global agent of chaos  

On October 13th, Russia introduced a draft resolution in the U.N. Security Council calling for an immediate cease-fire and condemning all acts of terrorism but conspicuously omitted any reference to Hamas. In a speech, Russia’s U.N. ambassador blamed the United States for the “looming war” in the Middle East and condemned Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians, squarely putting the blame on Washington.

Putin’s emphasis on blaming the United States instead of the terrorists reveals his true objectives. His priority is not to resolve the crisis but to link it to his broader conflict against the West. It is essential to recognize that Russia, Iran, and Hamas are working together to undermine the United States, Europe, Ukraine, and Israel.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted in a speech to NATO, “the only difference is that there is a terrorist organization that attacked Israel, and here is a terrorist state that attacked Ukraine.”

In the coming days, President Biden will seek emergency funding for both Israel and Ukraine, and it is imperative that Congress swiftly approves both components of the package. If the United States were to abandon Ukraine by cutting off aid, Putin’s strategy would have achieved its nefarious goals. (AI)

 

Posted in: International Tagged: 2023-18, ebrahim raisi, fire, Gaza, International, Iran, Israel, mideast, Palestine, Russia, stoking, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin

Tuesday October 18, 2022

October 18, 2022 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 18, 2022

Drones Embody an Iran-Russia Alliance Built on Hostility to the U.S.

September 22, 2022

The Iranian-made drones that Russia sent on Monday to divebomb Ukraine’s capital delivered the most emphatic proof yet that Tehran has become a rare, increasingly close ally to the Kremlin, offering both weapons and international support that Russia sorely lacks.

There is no deep love between Russia, newly a pariah for attacking another country, and Iran, for decades one of the most strategically isolated nations in the world. But the two authoritarian governments, both chafing under Western sanctions, share a view of the United States as their great enemy and a threat to their grip on power.

“This is a partnership of convenience between two embattled dictatorships,” said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Both countries are deep in crisis, struggling economically and politically. Iran is attempting to quell street protests that pose the most serious challenge in years to the government, while Russia is trying to manage rising dissension over a faltering war effort and an unpopular draft.

The emergence of a Moscow-Tehran alliance has multiple international implications, potentially dimming prospects for a new agreement to rein in Iran’s nuclear program and raising the pressure on Israel, Iran’s sworn enemy, to take Ukraine’s side in the war.

The Ayatollah, by Graeme MacKay, c1980

The relationship between Russia and Iran has been developing for years. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia deployed his air force to Syria starting in 2015 to prevent the collapse of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, a longtime ally of Tehran. Russia and Iran worked in lock step militarily, with Russian warplanes providing cover for Iranian militiamen and Iranian proxy forces fighting on the ground.

Syria was one example of the effort by both to find ways to sap American strength and prestige wherever they could in the world, and Ukraine provides a similar opportunity on an even larger, more visible scale.

After its 1979 revolution, Iran formulated foreign policy around the slogan “Neither East nor West,” equally wary of the Soviet Union and the United States. Now, the Islamic Republic is choosing sides, analysts said, and images of Iran’s exploding drones accurately hitting their targets advertise it as a regional power to be taken seriously.

In Tehran, the spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry denied on Monday that his country was selling weapons to Russia, even as social media outlets linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which developed the lumbering yet lethal drones, boasted about them.

“There is no doubt that the drones used by Russia’s military are Iranian,” said a post on Sepah Cyberi, a Telegram channel affiliated with the Guards, while the country’s cyberarmy chief, Ali Akbar Raefipour, gloated on Twitter that Iran’s Shahed drone was now “the most talked about weapon in the world.”

Iran does not want to highlight the weapons sales because Ukraine is generally more popular than Russia among ordinary Iranians, and the Islamic Republic casts itself as a defender of underdogs in world affairs, said Mahmoud Shoori, deputy director of the Institute of Iran and Eurasia Studies in Tehran and an expert on Iran-Russia relations.

But at the same time, “Iran also wants to show the world that it has a military superpower as an ally and it has the capacity to sell weapons to such a power,” he said in a telephone interview. “It shows the West’s policies of maximum pressure to isolate Iran have not worked.” (The New York Times) 

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

https://mackaycartoons.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022-1018-INT.mp4
Posted in: International Tagged: 2022-34, cleric, drones, ebrahim raisi, invasion, Iran, kamikaze, nternational, procreate, Russia, Ukraine, women

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