Photos by Amir Pourmand, ISNA; report by Press TV

Mousavi: 'Respect freedom or Iran will be a police state'

As election fever sweeps the country, freedom and civil liberties are turning into the dominant theme of Mir-Hossein Moussavi's campaign.

In a campaign speech shown live by Press TV on Monday, Moussavi criticized the government for what he described as the adoption of a security-oriented approach in managing universities.

This approach is against our national interests, the former prime minister told his supporters at Tabriz University.

"The security of universities is important but the security of students is more important... Within the framework of our common [Islamic] values, we declare that the government's security is important but that of the nation is more important," he added.

If the government does not heed this word, it will turn into a police state, warned the presidential hopeful in harsh criticism of the government.

Moussavi advocated a society in which "all voices could be heard", saying that in the first months after the Islamic Revolution even opponents of Islam like Marxists were allowed to freely express their views in public debates.
 

Moussavi also touched on his proposed foreign policy and said that the country should not build its foreign relations on tactics that have become outdated and obsolete.

One of the main goals of the 1979 Islamic Revolution was to broaden Iran's horizons and to help it develop a positive interaction with other countries in the world, Moussavi said.

... Payvand News - 05/26/09 ... --