Khatami demands investigation of "undeniable crimes"

Mohammad Khatami

Former president, Mohammad Khatami called for an open court to address “undeniable and loathsome crimes such as shooting and illegally arresting people.” His Communications Bureau reported that in a meeting of the Reform Front, Mr. Khatami declared that the Islamic Republic has shown the world “a violent and illogical face in conflict with undeniable human and ethical principles, indifferent to its people’s will and even indifferent to its own laws and regulations.”

In the past 70 days following the presidential elections, people’s protests against vote-rigging have been put down by violent beatings and arrests. Detainees have been tortured and mass trials of prominent reformist figures have shown controversial recantations and confessions which the opposition claims are clear evidence of torture.

Khatami declared connecting people’s peaceful demonstrations with foreign plots is “a grave mistake and an injurious illusion to the detriment of the regime.” He claimed this was an attempt to stamp popular and reputable figures as enemies, for the crime of defending the people.

Many government hardliners, military commanders and even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad himself have called for the arrest of opposition leaders. Disputing the outcome of the elections and repeatedly condemning government crackdown on protesters, Khatami has poised himself as one of the major leaders of the opposition. The former president insisted that despite all the pressures to oust reformists and advocates of justice, “we will remain in the scene.”

He expressed his hopes that by "ending these erroneous methods, releasing all detainees, following the provisions of the constitution and prosecuting the true perpetrators of the recent violations, officials would restore people’s trust in the system."