Khamenei Has Gone to Hell: The Dark End of a Dictator and the Beginning of a Great Uprising and Freedom
S. Rouzbeh
۱۴۰۴/۱۲/۱۲

S. Rouzbeh writes that the announcement of Ali Khamenei’s death brings relief to many Iranians, while warning that a dictator’s death does not necessarily end dictatorship. He calls for this moment to become the beginning of a great uprising and a transition to accountable, lawful and humane government.

S. Rouzbeh – At 5 a.m. Iran time, news that had hung in the minds of millions of Iranians for years like an unfinished sentence became reality: state media spoke of Ali Khamenei’s death in wavering tones. The very apparatus that had imposed mourning on the people for decades is now asking them to “mourn”, announcing 40 days of public mourning and a week-long nationwide holiday. A government that had always brought people’s lives to a halt over air pollution, power cuts and gas shortages has now brought the country to a standstill over the death of the architect of this destruction.

The price of words: he who called the people “passers-by”

History has a strange memory, and reveals its justice at unexpected moments. The people still hear the echo of his arrogant voice after the cowardly killing of protesters in the streets, when he brazenly called them “passers-by” and claimed that the people and his opponents had “gone to hell”. History has shown that it is still dictators who go to hell.

He thought that by scorning the blood of the innocent, he could extend the eternity of his throne. But the wheel of time turned that very phrase back upon him. It was not long before he himself went to hell, showing that no power is so great that it can escape the judgement of time. Today, the phrase “gone to hell” is used not of those young people who gave their lives, but of the dark record of a man who brought half a century of ruin down upon Iran.

A historic day for the people of Iran

Today is a historic day for the people of Iran. In many homes, and among citizens, what is surging is not grief but relief. A bitter joy, mingled with dark memories, born not of a “love of violence”, but of the fact that one principal source of suffering, one centre of command and one final signature on the files of death and repression have suddenly been removed from the scene.

For the people of Iran, Khamenei was not merely a political name; he was the mind behind a mechanism: a mechanism of fear, unaccountability, street repression, prison, forced confession, execution and daily humiliation.

Collective memory in the face of state mourning

The government speaks of “mourning”, while people’s collective memory is full of real grief: the grief of families whose loved ones fell in the streets, mothers who grew old outside prison gates, and young people erased by the noose and torture. Today’s contrast between the people’s joy and the government’s insistence on ritualised tears sums up a historical verdict. As Hafez once said:

The celestial wheel moves ever along the path of justice

Be glad, for the oppressor will not reach his destination

The beginning of a great uprising

But one vital point: a dictator’s death does not necessarily mean the end of dictatorship. A structure built on fear does not collapse of its own accord when one person goes, unless the people and social forces turn this moment into a clear path: a path towards transition to accountable, law-abiding and humane government.

If there is joy today, it must become a collective decision to begin a great uprising. This time, the “face” must not change while the “mechanism” remains. This time, the mechanism of fear must be uprooted, through the pursuit of justice, the recording of truth and the prevention of the re-creation of the same apparatus that held Iranians’ lives hostage for decades.

What the people are celebrating today carries a clear message: history may be late or early, but it does not fail to deliver. Hope is right here; hope for a day when Iran is known not for imposed mourning, but for a celebration of freedom. These people deserve pride and respect, because they fought the most tyrannical Zahhak of our age.

Source: https://srouzbeh.com/en/posts/archive-3c2fbfd7-3308-f12b-cc35-803d25b818af
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