Ex-President Khatami Barred From Leaving Iran

Reuters /

Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami, a leading reformer, has been barred from travelling abroad, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Tuesday. Khatami supported opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi in the Islamic Republic's disputed presidential election last June, which plunged the major oil producer into deep turmoil. Fars cited an unnamed intelligence official as saying Khatami, who was president in 1997-2005, had intended to leave Iran, without giving details. "Mohammad Khatami was barred from leaving the country," Fars said. Although a close ally of Mohammad Khatami denied a report by a semi-official news agency Tuesday that the reformist former president had been barred from leaving Iran. "No, it is not correct. Mr Khatami has not been barred from leaving the country," the ally told Reuters. Khatami supported opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi in the Islamic Republic's disputed presidential election last June, which plunged the major oil producer into deep turmoil. Some Iranian hardliners have accused both Mousavi and Khatami of fuelling the unrest that erupted after the election, portraying it as a foreign-backed bid to undermine the clerical establishment. They have rejected the allegations.

The semi-official Fars News Agency, citing an unnamed intelligence official, earlier said Khatami had intended to leave Iran, without giving details. "Mohammad Khatami was barred from leaving the country," Fars said. But Khatami's lawyer Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai told the ILNA news agency: "For issuing a traveling ban for people, a judicial decision should be made and so far no such decision has been made for Mr Khatami." A pro-reform website, Parlemannews, quoted a source in Khatami's office as saying: "Mr Khatami has had no intention recently of traveling abroad." There was no immediate comment from the authorities. Several other people have also reportedly been prevented from traveling out of Iran since last year's election, but Khatami would be by far the most high-profile person affected. The pro-reform opposition says the June vote was rigged to secure hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election. The government denies the accusation of vote rigging. Thousands of people were detained after the poll and scores of people have been sentenced to jail terms of up to 15 years, including several Khatami allies. Two people who were put on trial after the election have been executed.