Secretary General of the Islamic Coalition Party Attacks Khatami: Declare Disavowal from the Seditionists

Mohammad Nabi Habibi, the Secretary General of the Islamic Coalition Party, reacted to Mohammad Khatami's statements about the Iranian reformists not being 'overthrowers' by urging him to officially declare disavowal from the protesters of the 2009 presidential election results. He also stated that Khatami's remarks cannot, according to him, cleanse the 'stain of sedition' from the reformists' reputation. Former President Mohammad Khatami had said on December 18 that reformists have repeatedly stated their opposition to overthrowing and those who seek to do so, and despite their criticisms of the constitution, they operate within its framework. He also considered the lifting of house arrest for Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi as a 'demand of society.' In an interview with Mehr News Agency on Wednesday, January 3, Habibi said, 'Instead of speaking behind the scenes, Khatami should officially declare disavowal from the seditionists in a statement.' He added, 'However, Khatami and his friends have not done this so far; therefore, these statements cannot remove the stain of sedition from the reformists.' In the rhetoric of Islamic Republic officials, the protests following the announcement of the 2009 presidential election results are referred to as 'sedition,' and Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi are called 'leaders of sedition.' Habibi had also said on September 9 that Khatami had accompanied the protests against the 2009 presidential election results, or what he called 'sedition,' and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has not taken a clear stance on this issue and the allegations of election fraud. The Secretary General of the Islamic Coalition Party also stated that it would be unfair to label all reformists as 'seditionists.' Habibi clarified, 'We do not consider every reformist to be a seditionist... but reformists should know that those who entered the sedition were part of the reformist movement, and the stain of sedition exists on some reformists.' Concurrently with the discussions about the reformists' plans to participate in the tenth parliamentary elections, attacks from some conservative figures against reformists and Khatami have increased. Mohammad Reza Bahonar, the Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, reacted on Tuesday, October 27, to Khatami's statements about the presence of reformists in the tenth parliamentary elections by saying that the protesters against the 2009 presidential election results must 'acknowledge and repent'; otherwise, they cannot participate in the elections. Previously, some members of parliament and supporters of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have called for action against Khatami due to what they claim is his role in the protests against the 2009 presidential election results. Ten representatives from the Stability Front in the Iranian Parliament had previously submitted a written notice to Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the Minister of Justice, demanding the implementation of 'the sentence of prohibition from being filmed, traveling abroad, and speaking' against Khatami by the judiciary.