Mir-Hossein Mousavi

Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh (born 2 March 1942) is an Iranian reformist politician, painter and architect who served as the fifth and last Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a reformist candidate for the 2009 presidential election and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election protests. He and his wife are currently under house arrest.

People must be able to express their opinion and protest freely. A free society in the country can protect it much better than any military force.

Quotes

It is possible to live a moral life, even during this immoral era…

• There are two ways of confronting the country's problems. One is through a management style based on adventurism, instability, play-acting, exaggerations, wrongdoing, being secretive, self-importance, superficiality and ignoring the law. The second way is based on realism, respect, openness, collective wisdom and avoiding extremism.
  • As quoted in "Ahmadinejad lashes out at Iran's ex-presidents", CNN (4 June 2009)

• Ahmadinejad's dictatorial ways have hurt Iran's image across the globe and could be a prelude to dictatorship.
  • As quoted in "Ahmadinejad lashes out at Iran's ex-presidents", CNN (4 June 2009)

• I’m not afraid of being one of the post-election martyrs who lost their lives in their struggle for their rightful demands. My blood is no different from that of other martyrs.
  • As quoted in "Standoff in Iran Deepens With New Show of Force" by Michael Slackman in The New York Times (1 January 2010)

• I decided to run because I wanted to show that the path to a life full of enlightenment is not too long .... To show that it is possible to live a moral life, even during this immoral era .... To declare that lawlessness leads to dictatorship; to remind everyone that respect for human rights does not weaken the system, but strengthens it. I decided to run to declare that people expect honesty and truthfulness of their servants in government, and that many of our problems have been created by their lies. I decided to run to declare that backwardness, poverty, corruption, and injustice are not our fate.
  • As quoted in "The Political Evolution of Mousavi" by Muhammad Sahimi, PBS Frontline : Tehran Bureau (16 February 2010)

• People must be able to express their opinion and protest freely. A free society in the country can protect it much better than any military force.
  • As quoted in "The Political Evolution of Mousavi" by Muhammad Sahimi, PBS Frontline : Tehran Bureau (16 February 2010)

Quotes about

• In these elections, Ahmadinejad, Khatami’s successor and president since 2005, had been headed for a loss and a moderate candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, was expected to win. But Iran was consolidating its gains in the region in the aftermath of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, and Ahmadinejad was serving the cause well. In the eyes of the Supreme Leader and people like Suleimani, this was not the time to change course with a softer image. The official results were announced soon after the polls closed: Ahmadinejad had won. Three days after the election, two million people took to the streets in support of Mousavi, asking, “Where is my vote?” The spirited soul of the Iranian nation was alive and well—but again it was no match for the ruthlessness of a system ready to deploy all its weapons to stay in power. The Green Movement protests went on for three months; at least sixty-nine people were killed and hundreds imprisoned. Mousavi was put under house arrest and would remain so, with his wife, for years.
  • Kim Ghattas, Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East (2020)

External links

• "Ahmadinejad accused of tainting Iran's image in TV debate", CNN (4 June 2009)
• "The Political Evolution of Mousavi" by Muhammad Sahimi, PBS Frontline : Tehran Bureau (16 February 2010)