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Iranian President Urges Moderation After Arrests
WASHINGTON, April 9 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Monday, after security forces arrested dozens of reform-minded activists in the Islamic republic, called for moderation.
"Extremism is always [detrimental] to society. We must fight against extremism in the interest of the country and the Islamic system," Khatami told state Iranian television.
Khatami, who was unable to stop the arrests and the mass closure of reformist newspapers, has complained about the crackdown, but at the same time been careful not to give the impression that he was trying to negate the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Instead, he states he is seeking to reform the system.
"Freedom of speech leads to intellectual growth. We must shed rigid-mindedness and defend freedoms," said Khatami.
On Monday, as he was speaking, security forces raided and closed down the offices of a reformist group and arrested the staff at a cultural center run by the Iran Freedom Movement, a secular group advocating freedom and democracy.
Security forces raided the homes of leading liberal Islamists on Saturday, arresting 42 prominent opposition figures associated with the banned Freedom Movement which has been under pressure for its secular pro-Western views.
The mass round up of dissidents in Tehran and several other cities, the second one in less than a month, was a part of a conservative crackdown on Khatami's campaign on political and cultural openness, analysts believe.
The arrests were ordered by the Revolutionary Court, which has accused them of trying to overthrow the Islamic system.
Ali Mobasheri, head of Tehran's Revolutionary Court, has accused reformers of acting against state security and has threatened to haul more people into jail.
The official IRNA news agency said that Ali Yunesi, Intelligence Minister, is to appear at a parliamentary subcommittee on Tuesday over the recent arrests.
Minister Ali Shamkhani is also due to testify in parliament this week, said Iranian newspapers.
The Iranian Parliament has tried to end the campaign against pro-reform activists and some of its own members who face judicial action for speaking out against the conservative crackdown.
Saturday's arrests come two months before Iran's presidential elections, and they follow the arrests of another 21 members of the same opposition group, the Freedom Movement last month.
Last month's arrests came shortly after Khatami delivered a speech to parliament defending the rights of the press and individual freedoms.
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