Monday
Feb012010
Iran Document: Khatami Statement on Rights and Protests (1 February)
Monday, February 1, 2010 at 20:42 
Adapted from the Facebook page supporting Mir Hossein Mousavi:At the time the Islamic Republic was proposed and accepted and approved by the people, it was not an Islamic state and this is a very important point....
The other main outcome of the Islamic Revolution was the Constitution, and the fact that today it is being said that the constitution is the base, does not mean that the Constitution is something above all humans. Rather it was written, edited, and approved by the people to become the principal law for the society.”
If there are any objections, it is because the Constitution is not being fully honoured. If these shortcomings are by the parties and groups it is bad, but it is even worse if these shortcomings are by the government. If there are any objections it is dues to the odd and biased interpretation of the Constitution. If there are any criticisms, it is to clarify whether the Constitution is truly being guarded or not....
The Islam that was introduced in the Revolution promoted the republic, as well and the Islamic Republic itself is the result of a great human movement throughout our history.
Our people have suffered a lot from tyranny throughout the history, and this is why they have been against tyranny and dictatorial governments, the governments that have no representatives among the people. Today the governments that have no roots among their own people have become dependent on the foreigners.
“The Islam that is in the Islamic Republic is not the Islam that does not recognise the right of the people, does not recognise the freedoms of the people, and does not want justice. Such Islam is in no way in accordance with the Islam that is in the Islamic Republic. The Islam and Islamic Republic that we wanted was not this one that the government is not under people’s watch.
Today we defend the Revolution, and if we have any objections or anything to say, we say let us speak our minds; the response to the civil protests is not pressure, repression, imprisonment, and possibly execution. These will only make the crisis deeper and make the tendencies to exit from the boundaries [of the Republic?] stronger.
How could it be possible that people have the power but the Government is not based on the will of the majority of the people? Therefore elections are very vital and important for us, and if we show sensitivity toward this issue it is because having free, competitive and healthy elections is a practice based on the Republic part of the Islamic Republic. The fact that truly all the organisations of the government should be based on the free will of the people is not some minor issue.
The freedom that we are talking about is the freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, freedom of expressing that opinion, and freedom of employing that opinion and people being asked to give their inputs about that opinion.
The requirement for freedom in its true meaning, which in short is the power of the people over their own destiny, is the freedom of speech and assembly. How could it be possible that there are parties but they don’t have any platform to express their views and cannot hold gatherings?
In a calm and civil environment, people should get a chance to come and then it would be clear what poeple’s tendencies are. And more important than this is the elections that should be free, healthy, and trustworthy.
See what kind of atmosphere has been created these days. There is not only oppression and brutal confrontations and arrests but also there is the atmosphere of accusation and allegations. The fact is that there are extreme limitations on one side for its speeches and communicating with people and on the other side there are some in complete freedom whom I believe by fabricating lies and allegations are pushing the society toward violence (a blind violence that only God knows what would be its outcome).
How wonderful it would be if all the loved ones who are in [political] prisons were among us and we could all participate in the 22 Bahman (11 February) rally together.
Some have the authority to lie and say such person has written a letter and in the letter has said such things [referring to the coup government’s attempts to fabricate a story that Khatami has written a letter to the Supreme Leader] while no one knows what is in this [so-called] letter and there was no such a thing at all. Then the same people try to create tension and portray differences among those who have the honour of being accepted by the people and then say that they have differences among themselves while it is not like that at all. These are wrong and evil methods being used in order to disappoint people and to say that those who were accepted by the people have forgotten about the people and betrayed them but it is not like that at all.
People have the right to protest. They have the right to know that their votes are effective. People have the right to have proper freedom and good economy.
We never affirm defiance and violence and we pray to God that people also don’t be treated with violence.
Reader Comments (2)
"People have the right to protest. They have the right to know that their votes are effective." This is something Khatami has repeated over and over again, but no one in the IRI accepts this nor does anything about it. The IR, or as Khatami is now saying the IG (Islamic Government), is badly deteriorated into a fascist state, and yes it is evil. Just take a look at what it does to its own people who have not done anything save to exercise their constitutional right of protesting, and as the world know, peacefully. The IG has become a mad dog and is running around biting everybody including some of its own. The treatment given Ghaffari, who is one of the revolutions most affective activists is ridiculous. The IG has lost all legitimacy, also, and it seems to me that majority of Iranians don't want it. The petty and barbaric goons will kill and will maim more people but the IG as ended. We will have to see when it will crumble completely and see the moment when majority of the police forces change and embrace the people, as it will happen. Already there is a great deal of whisper along this line. On top of all of this the economy is in utter ruin, and only the very few members of the inner circles of power are embezzling more daily and are sending the money out. The atmosphere of the cities has changed drastically. The towns are simply not what they were last year,nor are the people the same, going about getting their hands on a leg of chicken as we say, the people are fe up and I state this emphatically. The representatives of the IG and even high ranking figures such as Haddad are justifying the hangings all the time. Do you know why this is? It is because no one has accepted the official line, and they know how terribly wrong it has been. No more hangings no more rapes no more stealing the national wealth, just no more of the IG. That is what the people want. No one listens to the lies any more. FREEDOM!
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