Crane-hanging has become a common in the Islamic Republic. According to the op-ed, “Amnesty International estimates that as many as 13 people had been hanged in public by the end of April, compared to a total 14 in all of 2010. In a number of instances, those executed have been left hanging high in the air on construction cranes for all to see.”
Man, talk about the law of unintended consequences, eh? Let’s say for the sake of argument that you work for a company that sells cranes around the world. You’re proud of your company; it makes a good product, does good work, and is a good citizen of the world. Then you find out that the products you so proudly sell are being employed for a purpose you couldn’t have imagined in your wildest nightmare.
Of course, the idea of a repressive regime conducting summary executions and leaving the bodies twisting in the wind as an example to their cowering, terrified subjects is nothing new. It’s a tactic as old as, perhaps older, than recorded human history. Nonetheless, the idea that in this day and age a government could so blithely engage is such rampant, unchecked barbarism is as reprehensible as it is egregious. The idea that the international community could basically ignore this sort of barbarism almost defies explanation and/or rational understanding.
Of course, what better way to illustrate what happens to enemies of the State than to hoist their inert, lifeless bodies high into the air and let them twist slowly in the breeze? This is the sort of thing the UN, and indeed the entire international community should be openly and loudly condemning Iran for…and yet how many of us had any idea that this sort of thing was occurring? When was the last time you saw a story on the evening news, read about it in your local morning paper, or even read about it on the Internet? Sadly, I have to admit that until I ran across the story on Ynet I knew nothing of it. Of course, an Israeli news site isn’t exactly an unimpeachable source when it comes to Iran, but it’s not as if this story has been burning up the Internet. As you might expect, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have been following this issue, but from the rest of the world…crickets. All while innocent Iranian civilians who have the temerity to demand freedom from repression are summarily executed and their bodies displayed like so many bowling trophies.
In the meantime, if you work for a crane manufacturer, you might want to check to be sure that your company isn’t exporting its products to Iran.
