Students protest Khatami's speech at Harvard

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's visit to Harvard University on Sunday was met by protesters, many of whom called on him to stand up for human rights. Police estimated about 200 people protested, some carrying signs that said "Iran supports terror." Many protesters outside the speech at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, blamed Khatami for failing to stop government crackdowns on student activists in Tehran during his two terms in office. Several human rights organizations say the crackdowns are believed to have been initiated by his rivals and approved by Iran's ruling Muslim clerics. "His speech is on ethics and violence. It would be very bizarre if he came here to speak on ethics and violence and did not acknowledge and discuss his own record in Iraq," said 21-year-old Harvard student Eric Lesser. "Students were arrested and thrown in prison for speaking their mind in the same way we're doing right now."