Security Forces Prevent Khatami from Leaving His Home

The website Kaleme reported that security agents prevented former President Mohammad Khatami from leaving his home on Wednesday, October 18, for the umpteenth time in recent months. According to the website, the security agents informed Mr. Khatami that they had "orders to prevent his departure" from home and participation in an event he was supposed to attend. The report states that the agents remained parked in a vehicle in the alley after announcing this order. The Kaleme website did not specify which event Mr. Khatami intended to attend, but some Telegram channels reported that he was supposed to participate in a session of the Baran Foundation, an institution affiliated with reformists. The report indicates that Mr. Khatami goes to his office during the day and is only prevented from attending certain events. However, the Saham News website reported a situation similar to house arrest for Mohammad Khatami. This website stated that "according to an eyewitness, three cars belonging to a security agency have been parked in front of Mr. Khatami's house for some time, creating a situation similar to house arrest for him." Previously, the Kaleme website reported on October 5 that "the Special Clerical Court had sent a letter signed by the Special Prosecutor of the Clergy, Ebrahim Raisi, to Mohammad Khatami's home, informing him that for three months he should not participate in any political or promotional events." According to this letter, "from now on, any presence of Khatami in meetings, halls, conferences, artistic events such as theater, concerts, and also participation in various non-family gatherings, even in private meetings, is prohibited." This news has also been confirmed by Mr. Khatami's lawyers. However, Mohammad Abdollahi, the Special Prosecutor of the Clergy in Tehran Province, emphasized in an interview with Fars News Agency on the evening of October 6 that "no new restrictions" have been imposed on Mr. Khatami. He also stated that "the preventive measures taken so far" regarding Mohammad Khatami have been "based on a resolution from the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council." The Special Prosecutor of the Clergy in Tehran Province cites the resolution from the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council regarding Mohammad Khatami, while Hassan Rouhani and his government officials have stated that no such resolution exists. Hassan Rouhani announced during his electoral speech in Tehran on Saturday, May 12, that he had written to the judiciary regarding Khatami's media ban, but this body did not respond to him. On Saturday, October 7, he also criticized the "punishment" of Mr. Khatami for inviting people to participate in elections, saying, "If someone repeats that people should come to the polls, should they be punished?" Mr. Rouhani also sarcastically remarked, "But anyway, some agencies are idle; they need to have a job and are forced to summon people every hour." Two days later, the head of the judiciary called Mr. Rouhani's remarks "ungenerous" and stated that "the judiciary does not summon individuals out of idleness... [but] acts according to its main and inherent duty of judicial proceedings and justice execution." The issue of banning the publication of images and news about Mohammad Khatami arose in the winter of 2014, and reports indicated that Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Tehran, warned media managers in a meeting against publishing images and mentioning the name of the former president of Iran, threatening them with closure and suspension. Subsequently, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesperson, stated that the reason for this action was a resolution from the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council, but Hassan Rouhani and his government officials stated that this council and its secretariat had no such resolution. Ultimately, Mr. Ejei stated that Khatami's media ban was carried out by the order of the Tehran prosecutor.