Paul Klebnikov, the Chief Editor of the Russian edition of Forbes Magazine, was recently shot to death in Moscow. Investigations are underway.
While his journalism in Russia may have contributed to the hit, there is at least one other possibility. Klebnikov was also the author of "Millionaire Mullahs," which tore the lid off of the organized corruption that lies behind the terrorist theocracy of Iran:
"A looming nuclear threat to the rest of the world, Iran is robbing its own people of prosperity. But the men at the top are getting extremely rich."
Ain't that the truth. Later on, Klebnikov exposes Iran's Mr. Big - Ayatollah Rafsanjani:
"The 1979 revolution transformed the Rafsanjani clan into commercial pashas. One brother headed the country's largest copper mine; another took control of the state-owned TV network; a brother-in-law became governor of Kerman province, while a cousin runs an outfit that dominates Iran's $400 million pistachio export business; a nephew and one of Rafsanjani's sons took key positions in the Ministry of Oil; another son heads the Tehran Metro construction project (an estimated $700 million spent so far). Today, operating through various foundations and front companies, the family is also believed to control one of Iran's biggest oil engineering companies, a plant assembling Daewoo automobiles, and Iran's best private airline (though the Rafsanjanis insist they do not own these assets)."
Go to Millionaire Mullahs for the rest (Hat Tip: Blog Iran).
So, did Iran have something to do with Paul Klebnikov's killing? Hard to tell at this point, but given their frequent practice of assassinations abroad, it would be foolish to dismiss the possibility.
UPDATE: Eric McErlain of Off Wing Opinion emailed to note that Kaplan had written about some broader context for this back in 1996, when he discussed "Bazaar States" in Chapter 12 of "The Ends of the Earth." The "Must-Reads" section of our June 2003 Iran report links to more in-depth materials from both Kaplan and Iranian.com about the Bazaari class and its critical but murky role within Iran. Finally, Pejman has written about this from a positive angle - he sees the mullahs' corruption leaving the Bazaari class open to a switch. This May 17, 2005 article in The Guardian expands on that.
FEB 15/06 UPDATE: Klebnikov's Killing, Revisited.
It's good to expose these mullah criminal terrorist bastards! RIP Mr. Klebnikov
Fascinating.
There must be vast connections between kleptocratic oligarchies in Russia and Iran. Perhaps Khelbnikov's death was somehow a joint venture.
PraktikE -
It've very very very possible.. Perhaps Steve Forbes should put some money where his mouth is and help get these terrorists!
It's Klebnikov. It should be Khlebnikov, because it means "baker," and "bread is khleb. But it isn't.
Hmm. Pravda spelled it "Khlebnikov", but you're right, Forbes spells it differently. The name may well have been anglicized a bit.
I'll correct it to the Forbes spelling, since his employer has to put the right name on the paycheque.
I believe it. It seems any country willing to payoff mullahs (with money stolen from Iranian people!) and kiss thier ass for a few bucks is welcome to come to Iran.
Joe Katzman attempts to distract us from who the real cuplrits are: THE RUSSIAN/JEWISH MAFIA WHO HE WAS INVESTIGATING. If his killers came from a foreign land, it would be Israel.
It's defenetly Iran...., ever asince that article about Millionare Mullah's, they wanted to take him out. When Klebnikov became based in russia, Iran had the best opportunity to wipe him out for the price of one or two bottles of wisky!!
Dear Sir/Madam
Yours execellence. I am Sudanese, I left my ownland the Sudan. because my own country is afflicted by war.And I am Refugee in Egypt.
Therefore, I am seeking for humanity opportunity in your office. I will be gratefull, if your office could understand my stitaution. your compassion is highly apprecaited.
Thank's you in advance
Your's faithfully
Charles Dici Saturlino Oku
From houston indymedia
Iranian Election: Democracy or Terror
by farhat quam maquami Wednesday June 15, 2005 at 12:30 AM
insurgentmedia@yahoo.ca
Time magazine and thereby the Right Wing of the republican party and by implication the administration are supporting Billionaire Mullah Rafsanjani for president. Rafsanjani is being rewarded again for his support of Occupation force in Iraq. He has supported, trained, financed and organized Badr Militias Death Squads who are responsible for most of the atrocities committed against the Sunni Arabs, nationalists intellectuals and the civilian population. Rafsanjani is the major proponent of The Neo-Cons "Free Market" economy which had reduced the social programs and has devastated the majority, while enriching a small group of Mullahs as the new elites. Fast hand Mullahs have been expropriating National resources of Iran and transferring it to their straw multinational corporations outside Iran.
FARHAT QUAEM MAQUAMI
WHY should we pay attention to the Time Magazine news when we know that the corporate mass media in the US has only one thing in their mind CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC ENSLAVEMENT of Iranians. Anybody who refers to the Billionaire Mullah as the “comeback cleric” either does not know how the reactionary system of cultural oppression was born, how did it continue, who negotiated the whole deal to impose a perverted Mercantilist Shia on Iran under the misnomer “Islamic Republic” and how it continues, or is taking Iranians as fools!! More than a quarter century ago they promoted and sold the Great Deception to Iranians, as an Islamic Revolution. Now, the multinationals are marketing Rafsanjani, who has been the most venomous agent of Imperialistic exploitation in Iran, as the underdog “the comeback kid“.
It is obvious that the US Corporate media , their hired agents and other hyphenated Iranians collaborators are engaged in a campaign of disinformation to confuse the issue so Rafsanjani would grab the presidency of Iran. Corporate media in the US does not care that this is a sham election in an undemocratic system. Rafsanjani has the money and connections to buy advertising, arrange interviews , even makes film of his life and have Time Magazine to sensationalize it, but he cannot fool the Iranian public.
It is right that after being oppressed under the most repressive dictatorship which has intimidated and terrorized Iranians into submission, not by persuasion but by brutal repressive force, for decades some Iranian urban youth have become so individualistic, hedonistic and alienated that they don’t care for their fellow citizens anymore. Alienation and powerlessness in face of the pressure that one cannot control would cause the same results among most captive people. However, one cannot generalize from this well to do alienated youth to the majority who are boiling in anger to rid themselves from Mullah’s malevolent Dictatorship.
It is true that one might see an spoiled rich Persian woman race driver in Iran who brags about how fast she can go in Tehran with her expensive BMW. So did Sons of Saddam and Shah’s relatives and supporters, sons and daughters of many mullahs are spoiled by the loots of their fathers. WEALTH IN THE HANDS OF A FEW DOSE NOT BRING DEVELOPMENT. One fashionable lady in a late model car while millions are forced into cultural slavery is not the sign of freedom. These are facades of the nations, signs of economic corruption and not progress in the Iranian Society. When one sees wonderful lives, Racy Cars, expensive Restaurants, Million dollars Villas , fashionable women with original designer Cloths of an elite , in the midst of poverty , destitution and despair of sixty four million population, whose average yearly income is below $1800, you have to smell the dictatorship of Mullahs and not the egalitarian ideology of Islam in action.
FAST TIMES FOR MULLAHS , DOWN TURNS FOR IRANIANS ! TRUTH ABOUT IRAN
Do you know that per capita income of Iranian has gone down, it has gone down 7 per cent in actual 1979 dollars. Do you know that inflation is 25 per cent a year in Iran. That means the economic policy that Rafsanjani initiated and would continue to implement is counterproductive. Printing money and spending on consumer goods abroad actually make a country more dependant. Capital Flight from Iran, that is money earned from profit or sales of national resources in Iran that is being siphoned out by Mullahs and invested in Foreign corporations, is a minimum of 3 billion dollars yearly.
Do you know that Iran actually is an importer of oil and pays $2 billion dollars in hard currency for that ? Do you know that the Iranian Rial that is the sweat and blood money that people get from their hard work , has decreased in value 120 per cent. This system has helped the foreigners and dollar holders and not the average honest bread winners in Iran.
Do you know that unemployment is about 30 percent in Iran and since simply the economy has not produced enough jobs. The government has actually been actively engaged to purchase factories abroad and transfer the wealth of Iran outside. The Government which was installed in Iran under the deceptive name of Islamic Republic has succeeded in its mission which was the “theft of Iran’s wealth”. All has been achieved under the Rafsanjani’s design and supervision.
Do you know that shah had plans to un-peg Iran from the US dollars and sell Iran oil in an open market and under the Rafsanjani’s scheme Iranian Oil is being sold below its value of ten or fifteen years ago? Do you know that from every gallon of oil actually less than .30 cents go to Iran.
Rafsanjani ‘s fingerprint is all over the blue print of Dictatorship of Terrorist Mullahs who hi jacked the mere social discontent with their nationalistic benevolent dictatorship, to an ultra a malevolent reactionary anti-nationalist regime. He has operated this system from the beginning for his American and British handlers. He is not the come back mullah, he directed this miserable scenario for Iran
.
It is true SHAH was installed, supported, sustained and promoted by Americans. His army and his Security operation was trained by the US and the CIA. Yet, he promoted and relied on nationalism. He promoted Iranian culture, education and religion and above all he established public economic institutions for sort of re-distribution of wealth, he was a benevolent dictator. He had an Iranian Identity and culture .
On the other hand, Mullahs suppressed the Iranian cultural identity and imposed their perverted concept of Islam on Iranian via massacre and terrorist tactics. That is why millions escaped terror by becoming refugees in foreign lands. Mullahs attempted to create an alien and immoral culture which produced this generation of alienated youth. Rafsanjani should be put on trial not only for murder of innocents, but for destruction of Iranian Culture and morality. He is the personification of a “Corrupt on Earth.”
Moreover, RAFSANJANI is the most trusted agent of the US imperialism in Iran and has been heftily rewarded for his collaboration. He never left the Iranian scene. He always was operating behind the scene while the discredited Mullah Khatemi become president. He was always taking care of his business Empire. Every time Uncle Sam wants something done in the region he can count on Rafsanjnai. While Latin American countries, France and Netherlands democracies are questioning the sham which is being imposed on the world as “Free Market” economy, Rafsanjnai has promised to put Iran in auction block further in order to suck capital out of Iran and has no plans to un-peg Iranian oil from US dollars.
The damage that he and his un-Islamic gangs have done to Iran is irreparable. Comparing Shah’s economic and moral damage to this menace is similar to the comparison of kids “CharshanbehSurry “to Forest Fire. Iran is burning in an arson and the arsonist who is devoid of any national feeling for Iran and Iranians is going to steal the presidency. This man has is an arsonist with no regard for Iran and Iranians. He has damaged Iran environmentally, culturally, economically, morally and religiously. Our environment and water has been polluted beyond repair. Tehran has become an immoral city of prostitutes and call girls that Iran now on the watch list of the United Nation for human trafficking. Four millions of drug addicts roam Iran and where their get their supplies from the Rafsanjani’s gangsters who control every smuggler’s route in Iran. Every Public company has been privatized and sold to Rafsanjani’s Gangs, there is nothing to privatize, except the water and oil. Kish Free Port is his Free Prot in which his private planes import anything without any control. The rampant inflation means the poor and the oppressed are getting more oppressed under Rafsanjani’s so-called Free Market economy. It is a travesty that the government of the oppressed has inflicted more oppression on its supporters than any body else.
TIME Magazine is sensationalizing the depressive news written by Americans with Iranian names so the atrocities of this Evil creature on Iran is minimized. Yet, the devastating effects of the bastardized version of Islam, which has destroyed Iranian sense of community and has produced a generation of selfish hedonistic and individuated youths in the suburbs are ignored. The alienated generation have produced thousands of prostitutes that time magazine has pictured campaigning for Rafsnajani and 4 millions of drug addicts, who depend on Rafsanjani’s trafficking gangs for their dependency. They are alienated from 64 millions Iranians whose national wealth has been LOOTED by the Mullahs and their collaborators.
RAFSANJANI and his gangsters might be able to steal this election and Time magazine might sensationalize about Fast Times in Iran, with their sleazy reporters, but the regime is sitting on top of the volcano of dissatisfaction and boiling anger of the majority of 65 million Iranians, ready for eruption . The demise of the benevolent concept of an Islamic regime is no reason to celebrate. But sometimes it takes a disaster to produce change and Iranians should be ready for that. There is still hope that some of the reformists Mullahs would encourage reform of the system to prevent another bloodshed in Iran. Social revolution might be the only way left out of the present situation but with thousands of CIA agents and Hyphenated-Americans in our midst it is a pity that they might hi-jack the Iranian’s cravings for social change.
The USA National Endowment for Democracy has become an expert in recruitment of indigenous students in making CIA Revolutions in developing countries Iranian students should be mindful of anybody who would give them financial support with strings attached. Indigenous Iranians must be mindful of any politician who supports “Free Market Economy”, “privatization”, wants to sell Oil in US dollars and do not believe in investing in Iran to make it self sufficient. More than a Million hyphenated Iranians abroad are not to be trusted. They have no understanding of deprivations and suffering of life under oppression. They might take Iran to another detoured abyss.
I'm really convinced. Using the word "mullah" made me automatically switch off my brain and assume "they" must be evil and believe everything you say must be true since you are against "them." Highly intellectual. Very inspiring. I say we DON'T actually bomb Iran.