Ex-Iranian president praises ongoing protests as working toward ‘a better future’

Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami voices support for the protest movement sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death, describing as “beautiful” its main slogan — “Woman, life, freedom.”

Khatami, a reformist who served as Iran’s president from 1997 to 2005 but has been effectively silenced by the establishment for years, comes out in support of the movement.

The 79-year-old describes the slogan “Woman, life, freedom” — the main chant heard at the protests — as “a beautiful message that shows movement towards a better future.”

“Freedom and security must not be placed against each other,” he says in a statement quoted by the ISNA news agency. “Freedom must not be trampled on in order to maintain security” and “security should not be ignored in the name of freedom.”