Khatami warns Islamic Republic against downplaying protests

Mohammad Khatami

Mohammad Khatami, head of Centre for the Dialogue among Civilizations, expressed concern over the situation of "different aspects" of the country and maintained that the ruling class cannot resolve the issues through mere “slogans.”

The former president of Iran, who was speaking for a group of student and cultural activists, mantained that the all political prisoners need to be released and all students, professors, teachers and citizens that have been harmed in the post election events have to be compensated.

In the past year, the Islamic Republic has cracked down heavily on the academia, student activists and the people by stepping up conservative policies in all strata of Iranian society.

Mohammad Khatami said: “Exiting the security-laden atmosphere and entering a freer space, ending restrictions on political organizations and devising necessary steps for holding appropriate elections in the future” can lead the country out of the current crisis.

The opposition leader also urged the Islamic Republic authorities to use all the country’s talents and power to resolve the difficulties in accordance with the provisions of the country’s Constitution.

He emphasized: “If we make warnings, it is because we want to keep the system on the right track and deliver it from the mistaken paths that can lead to even worse situations.”

He condemned the policing of ideas in the universities and warned that people’s thoughts cannot be controlled by “administrative directives.”

Iranian universities have been hit with a wave of conservative policies dismissing progressive professors and forcing others into early retirement.

In the past months, numerous university students have been arrested or given disciplinary sentences as a strategy to stop support for protests against the government.

Khatami warned the authorities that “ignoring the protests and making false accusations against protesters will not make them disappear.”