What a great shame The West is led by spineless politicians more interested in reelection than in supporting man’s inexorable desire for freedom.

From the Times, Babak Zamanian’s Western wish:

I know what it is like to be locked up by the regime we have in Iran. . . .

[In April 2007] I was held in solitary confinement for 40 days while agents from the Ministry of Intelligence tried to force me to confess on television that I was working for American interests. I was held in a windowless cell, interrogated every other day, beaten and locked up for 48 hours in a room with flashing lights and sirens. I went on hunger strike, lost 35lb and still have nightmares, but I did not give them the lie they wanted. . . .

Two days ago I slipped out briefly on to the streets and it was terrifying—riot police and security men everywhere. There was an atmosphere of terror.

But what do they do about it in the West? Some of the politicians behave as if nothing special has happened. One says the nuclear negotiation is the priority and another one politely asks the masters to deal better with the people. And some apologists pretend to speak on behalf of the people of Iran and ask the Western governments not to get involved in the condemnation of killings, calling it “interference”. . . .

I fear a huge bloodbath is on the way and the world better react now, as soon as possible, before it is too late. Experience has shown us that if you appease these demons they will become ever more outrageous but if you stand up to them firmly, they will draw back like cowards.

The West must show a reaction to the human rights abuses that are taking place here; otherwise the people of Iran will lose all faith in the claims of the West that they truly respect human rights.

Unfortunately, the true cowards are our Western “leaders” who stand before us daily on the TV and in the headlines and who arrogantly ignore our Western promise.

Just as Ahmadinejad and Khamenei do not represent the Iranian people, the vile scabships of the West do not represent me.