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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[–] SeventyTwoTrillion@hexbear.net 22 points 1 year ago (14 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.

[–] SeborrheicDermatitis@hexbear.net 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (12 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.

[–] Farman@hexbear.net 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

PIGPOOPBALLS

[–] SeborrheicDermatitis@hexbear.net 1 points 1 year ago

I never liked the pig. It's gross :(

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