In an interview reported by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, a former member of the Iranian militia, the Basij, admits to tampering with the 2009 presidential elections — and says he was following a direct edict from Iran’s clerical leadership.
Several months before the election, he said, Basij commanders directed rank-and-file members to ensure victory for the incumbent. The former militiaman explained, via a translator:
For those of us that where responsible for the ballot boxes, our order was this: [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei’s wish is for Ahmadinejad to win. We were told you must complete the ballots accordingly for the illiterate and for others who cannot do it themselves, no matter who their vote was intended for.
As protests erupted after the election, he continued, Basij forces were then commanded to use force against the opposition. “The order came,” he said, “to attack everyone without restraint or mercy regardless of their age.”
[TPM PHOTO GALLERY: UNREST IN IRAN: NATIONAL STUDENT DAY PROTESTS]
These statements, according to Amanpour, are the first instance of a Basiji revealing the militia’s explicit role in the Iranian unrest.
Speaking from Britain, where he has since fled, the former Basiji expressed heavy remorse: “I committed crimes knowingly and unknowingly. Now I am left with my conscience punishing me for what I did.”
The CNN report arrives as an Iranian diplomat resigns over the crackdown on anti-government demonstrators in the country.
Here’s the full video from CNN:
