An Inquisition Begins

Disturbing news from Iran today where, according to Iranian leaders, a number of leading reformers have confessed to participating in a foreign-backed conspiracy to take down the government with a "velvet" revolution. According to human rights groups, these kinds of confessions are almost always a product of threats and torture against detained Iranians. An Iranian news site lists one of the Iranian reformers implicated in the inquisition as Mohammad Ali Abtahi, who served as vice president under President Mohammed Khatami. A former spokesman for Khatami, Iran's last reformer president, is also being detained.