Khatami: Deviations of the system must be rectified

Mohammah Khatami

Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami speaking in the Tehran University Islamic Association said the Islamic Republic system has suffered “deviations” which need to be rectified on the basis of “religious and revolutionary principles.”

Mr. Khatami lamented that many regard these “deviations” to be “part and parcel of the regime.”

According to the reformist leader, reformists support a movement that is within the framework of “Islam, the regime and the Revolution” and that takes on the role of “critiquing the establishment.”

Mohammad Khatami is one of the reformist leaders who has challenged Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory in the June presidential elections and has spoken out against government crackdown on election protesters in the past four months.

Khatami also condemned the nightly raids of people’s homes. In the recent months, security forces have carried out a number of nightly raids into homes of social and political activists arresting people without any specific charges. Some of these detainees are still in prison and the authorities have released no specifics regarding their charges or the length of their proposed detention.

Mohammad Khatami also spoke out against violent treatment of election protesters and insisted that he is opposed to any form of violence.