The religious state

Today saw a savage escalation of brutality by the Iranian regime -- as you know, if you've looked at Andrew Sullivan or the other sites I've regularly linked which are following events. But what perhaps best shows the true character of these holy men is their vicious treatment of the family of Nedâ Aghâ-Soltân, the woman whose unprovoked shooting and death, captured on video, has become the iconic image of the struggle. It's as if they blame her family for how her martyrdom has exposed what they are:

The Iranian authorities have ordered the family of Neda Agha Soltan out of their Tehran home after shocking images of her death were circulated around the world. Neighbours said that her family no longer lives in the four-floor apartment building on Meshkini Street, in eastern Tehran, having been forced to move since she was killed. The police did not hand the body back to her family, her funeral was cancelled, she was buried without letting her family know and the government banned mourning ceremo-nies at mosques, the neighbours said....In accordance with Per-sian tradition, the family had put up a mourning announcement and attached a black banner to the building. But the police took them down, refusing to allow the family to show any signs of mourning. The next day they were ordered to move out. Since then, neighbours have received suspicious calls warning them not to discuss her death with anyone and not to make any protest.

Found via Azarmehr.