Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, former president, in a meeting with a group of students of Tehran University emphasized the efforts to end the current closed and security atmosphere and, in criticizing the spread of lies and deception through official platforms, said that the outcome of false accusations and lies against those who care for the establishment and close allies of the Imam [Khomeini] is that the young generation and people will turn their back on the establishment and the Islamic Republic.
Khatami added: “It has been a while since we witnessed the arrests and the creation of an unsafe atmosphere for the academia and students as well as for other layers of the society, and there is a wrong ideology that wants to polarize the society. An ideology that shows one side as all good and the other side as the ones who want to overthrow [the establishment]. We are sorry that we are witnessing the domination of this language and false accusations in the official platforms of the society.”
Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, in explaining his views about the current situation of the country, said: “We live in Iran, we love Iran, and Iran is valuable for us. In Iran, an event called “revolution” happened that in my opinion is one of the most important events of history.”
He added: “But unfortunately the action, behaviors and the mistakes that are being made in the name of the establishment can create this doubt in the minds of our youth about what the actual reason for revolution was.” He continued: “As the result of these mistakes and behaviors those who don’t have bad intentions and are also religious are now saying that religion cannot and must not be included in the social scene and must not determine the social affairs.” Khatami said that “One should criticize the other views and should not easily and falsely accuse anyone.”
Khatami stressed: “The fact that we claim the western countries have plotted a conspiracy and put democracy in front of the religion and now anyone who talks about democracy is influenced by the West and is saying the words of the intelligence organizations is the most immature and hostile claim that anyone can make in the world!”
Khatami stressed: “Ruling authorities are not above the law and don’t have absolute power, but rather, they are dependent on the people and they come to power by the people and they can be removed from power by the people.”
Khatami added: “I believe that today from the east to the west of the world humans have achieved such maturity that they will not tolerate dictatorship and rulers that only order from above and would be obeyed from the bottom.”
Khatami said that it is a great achievement that humans have realized that they have rights and that is why we call the article 56 of the constitution the golden article. He added: “The Islamic Republic is a system where people have rights and people bring governments to power, people should be free and rule and all the layers of the government either directly or indirectly should be based on the vote of the people, and people have the right to question.”
Khatami, while strongly condemning the spread of lies and deception in the country, said: “We witness that some openly while they are holding the official platforms are taking the path of lying and are falsely accusing the allies of the Imam [Khomeini] and those who care for the establishment and the revolution of any charges. Are these Islamic principles?”
The former president added: “If it is said that the establishment is the very same wrong methods and it is nothing more and anyone who has a clear thought would be eliminated by a variety of false accusations, the outcome would be that the young generation and others say that if this is the establishment, we don’t want it!”
Mohammad Khatami emphasized: “Even now I believe that in order to pass the current situation there is no way but to reform as was described.”
He added: “The situation of the country after the election is bad and the nation has paid a heavy price during this time; the outcome of the management of the country is not desirable and if no solution is proposed, the new Persian year would be the year of social turmoil.”
Khatami said: “If we all hold hands, the government bows to the law, and the parliament acts strong, maybe we can prevent the most extensive aspects of this crisis.”
At the end, Khatami stressed: “The security atmosphere of the country should end and should go toward calmness, people’s demands and requests should not be ignored, political prisoners should be freed, and a free atmosphere and free elections should be provided; by achieving these the country would exit from the current crisis.”
Speaker or Agency: Mohammad Khatami
Title: Khatami: People don’t accept dictatorship any more
Language: English and Persian
Western Date: 9 April 2010
Persian Date: 20 Farvardin 1389
Physical/Electronic Location: http://www.kaleme.com/1389/01/20/klm-16058; http://www.facebook.com/notes/mir-hossein-mousavi-myr-syn-mwswy/ktmy-nsn-bh-blwgy-rsydh-st-h-dygr-wmthy-stbddy-r-nmy-pdyrd-khatami-people-dont-a/381689647605
Translator: Mousavi’s Facebook Page
Date Translated: 9 April 2010
Tags: mohammad khatami, dictatorship
Date Last Updated: 13 March 2011