Quote 1: “This is called a ‘cultural revolution'” (Satrapi 4)
Quote 2: “Ahmadi was assassinated as a member of the Guerillas, he suffered hell. He always had cyanide on him in case he was arrested, But he was taken by surprise and unfortunately, he never had a chance to use it … So he suffered the worst torture” (Satrapi 51)
Quote 3: “With all the jewelry you steal from us, you must be making a pile of money.” (Satrapi 143)
I have chosen the second quote and I will be defending how it morally just by talking about the reasoning behind the leader’s actions against Ahmadi. The possible reasons behind these actions are that the leader would like to maintain the strictness and aristocracy in the society. If such strict measures were not taken against people especially members of Guerillas, then there are many citizens who carry out cyanide in public. The Guerilla are usually members as a part of a small organization to overthrow larger and more corrupt organizations such as the Shah. In this case, assassination can be justified as this was an attempt to take down the Shah and as a result, these measures taken by the leaders would be viable. Furthermore, harming the public will instill fear in minds of the public and help achieve their objective. Therefore, actions like these are morally just as the leaders are doing their jobs.
Thank you for posting a thoughtful response to your selected quotation. Did you find it difficult to justify the morality? Should leaders from other global atrocities (think: WWII) not be held liable for their actions?