Source: Radio Zamaneh

Ayatollah Montazeri, the most outspoken critic of the Iranian government condemned what he called the "strategic use" of tearing Ayatollah Khomeini's picture by the establishment. "By doing this you are defaming him (Ayatollah Khomeini) and saying that people would tear Imam Khomeini's picture. If anything, you should have kept it silent! "he maintained.

Ayatollah Montazeri who was one of the leaders of the 1979 Iranian Revolution along with the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini, told his Islamic class: "The late Ayatollah Khomeini truly served this country; the Revolution was his doing and he was the leader of the Revolution. However, he wasn't a saint and he also made some mistakes."

Last week Iranian National Television broadcast footage of a picture of Ayatollah Khomeini, who still remains widely revered by the public, being torn during the National Students Day protests.

While the establishment accuses the students and election protesters of this act, the opposition claims that it is a suspicious plan to discredit protesters and justify further violence against them.

Protesters have been shown chanting slogans against the current leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khamenei and tearing his pictures in images that have only been posted on the internet. The Islamic Republic authorities have not reacted to this footage.

Ayatollah Montazeri emphasized the absolute necessity of freedom for people saying: "Freedom means people should be free; not that the government is free to do anything and the people not allowed to say anything."

... Payvand News - 12/18/09 ... --