this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2023
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Iran has banned a weightlifter from sports for life and dissolved a sports committee after the athlete greeted an Israeli counterpart on a podium.

Mostafa Rajaei, a veteran weightlifter, finished second in his category in the 2023 World Master Weightlifting Championships in Poland and stood on a podium with an Iranian flag wrapped around him on Saturday.

On anther step of the podium stood Maksim Svirsky from Israel, who finished third.

The two athletes shook hands and took a picture together, which led to the Iran Weightlifting Federation banning Rajaei from all sports for life due to what it called an “unforgivable” transgression.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (16 children)

the one killing citizens who speak out against it

Truly, the most dastardly invention of the Iranian government was killing people who oppose it. No government before or since, especially not in the West, has steeped to such lows.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (14 children)

Some governments are more willing to resort to violent repression against their domestic enemies than others, though.

For instance: In 2022, Iran had minimum 596 executions (likely more), Saudi Arabia had 146, the US had 18,

e.g., places like Iran, Saudi are quicker to do so than most, even for internal enemies of equivalent threat to the state itself.

For instance:, during the Jina Ahmini protests over 300 were killed in only a month.

All states and all governments use violence or the threat of it to uphold their rule, but some are more reliant on violence versus other methods of control than others...

Plus some are more willing to use violence in foreign policy vs domestic policy.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

For instance: In 2022, Iran had minimum 596 executions (likely more), Saudi Arabia had 146, the US had 18,

The US had in excess of a thousand killings by cops that were officially reported that year as well (likely more that were unreported, and I have at least some evidence for my claim).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I wasn't referring to the US as one of the 'less murder-y' ones because it is a settler-colonial state. Though those killed by law enforcement in Iran are still considerably higher, e.g., during the Jina Ahmini protests over 300 were killed in only a month. Saudi not so much as the level of political opposition is lower. This is even if you count literally every US police murder as part of a campaign of political repression, of which plenty were but certainly not all.

I never claimed otherwise?

IDK how anyone-whether Hexbear or not-can possibly deny the fact that different governments rely on coercion to differing extents to maintain control.

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