Khatami condemns coersion of newly released detainees

Mohammad Khatami

Former Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami spoke out against government pressure on newly released Iranian political prisoners “to denounce their connections with certain movements and public figures.”

According to Parleman news website, Mohammad Khatami announced that the newly released prisoners “are being forced to make public confessions against their actual opinions and beliefs and they have been told that their limited freedom will be taken away from them if they do not do so.”

Jaras website also reported that the newly released detainees are under pressure to write letters in condemnation of opposition leaders MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi.

The report maintains: “Throughout the period of their leave, the released detainees are repeatedly called and pestered by their interrogator, stressing that their release can only continue if they write the letter, participate in an interview and a panel against the Green Movement and in approval of the outcome of the elections.”

Mohammad Khatami condemned the pressures and warned that these kinds of policies are gravely detrimental for the system.

Iranian authorities have recently granted temporary leaves to some of the numerous political detainees which have been arrested in order to quell the post-election protests to the alleged fraud in presidential elections.

Amongst them are several prominent supporters of opposition leaders, MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi who continue to challenge the result of the elections.