comment: >
  
  And as the regime keeps pushing it grows closer to critical mass. It has had success in the past in quelling these protests with brutality and the folks would back down. It appears that the people aren't letting off the gas this time.
context: This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 88%. (I'm a bot)
  
  
  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Iran's supreme leader on Sunday reportedly ordered an amnesty or reduction in prison sentences for "Tens of thousands" of people detained amid nationwide anti-government protests shaking the country, acknowledging for the first time the scale of the crackdown.
  ADVERTISEMENT. The reports about the decree offered no explanation for the decision by Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state in Iran.
  "Khamenei's hypocritical pardon doesn't change anything," wrote Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam of the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights.
  
  
  Extended Summary | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: Iran^#1 protests^#2 Khamenei^#3 people^#4 country^#5 >
  
  The pardon has too many “exceptions” >
  
  When those being held by the "authorities" greatly outnumber their captors, and the punishments tend more towards death (and possibly torture) then it increasingly disincentivizes submitting peacefully to detention and/or arrest