Iranian dissident Montazeri has died

The Iranian Grand Ayatollah and outspoken critic of Iran's regime Hussein-Ali Montazeri has died. The daily Irish Times praises his lasting commitment to the cause of justice in Iran: "He served time in the shah's jails, fell out with Khomeini in the late 1980s over the execution of thousands of dissidents, and became over 20 years one of the most outspoken critics of the regime which he described as 'neither Islamic nor a republic'. He had challenged the credentials of Khomeini's successor as supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and spoken out for human rights and for the opposition after June's dubious election put President Ahmadinejad back into power. Montazeri's insider criticism of the regime was particularly damaging - impossible to answer, and impossible to repress - and came to reflect its narrow social and political base, particularly its increasing isolation from many of those who created the revolution. Time is likely to prove this to be its real weakness."

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