"Freedom and security must not be allowed to stand against each other."
Muhammad Khatami (Photo: AP)
Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami praised the anti-government protesters in the country yesterday (Tuesday) and called on the authorities to listen to their demands "before it's too late".
This is a rare statement by the former president.
79-year-old Mohammad Khatami praised the protesters and said that the "beautiful slogan" of "Woman, Life, Freedom" showed that Iranian society is moving towards a better future.
He also criticized the arrests of students in the repression of the security forces.
Khatami, a reformist who served two terms as president between 1997 and 2005, praised in his statement what he called the "perhaps unprecedented" involvement of students and professors in the protests and criticized the punishments and restrictions they faced as a result.
"Freedom and security must not be allowed to stand against each other, and as a result freedom is trampled under the pretext of maintaining security, or security is ignored... in the name of freedom," he said.
He addressed the government of President Ebrahim Raisi directly and said: "I recommend officials appreciate this presence, and instead of dealing with it unfairly, give them a helping hand and with their help recognize the wrong aspects of the administration and move towards proper governance before it's too late."
The demonstrations spread to more than 150 cities and 140 universities.
Women protesting the death of Amini in Iran (Photo: Reuters)
Khatami's words were expressed in a statement to mark Student Day in the country today.
It was the students who were at the forefront of the unrest that began in mid-September following the death in custody of Mahsha Amini, a 22-year-old young woman who was arrested by the morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab, or headscarf, "improperly".
Since then, the protests have spread to more than 150 cities and 140 universities in all 31 provinces of the country and are seen as among the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since the revolution in 1979.
Iran's leadership, including Raisi, described them as "riots" initiated by the country's foreign enemies and ordered the security forces to "deal with them decisively."
So far, at least 473 protesters have been killed and 18,215 arrested, including 586 students, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
In addition, the death of 61 security personnel was also reported.
news
world news
the Middle East
Tags
Muhammad Khatami
Iran
demonstrations