Ahmadinejad lashes out at current regime over protests

The former president of Iran has hit out at the current regime’s handling of protests, saying: ‘The Revolution happened so people can express themselves and stand up for their rights.’

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad publicly accused top officials of covering up executions by labelling them suicides as he hit out at the detention of protesters.

The unrest was sparked by a hike in food prices amid soaring unemployment with dozens of people killed and hundreds arrested.

Pro-government rallies were held in response with officials blaming the anti-government backlash on foreign meddling.

Ahmadinejad’s latest attack on the government came outside a courthouse in Iran where his former ally Hamid Baghaei is on trial for corruption.

Among his charges was reportedly ‘insulting judiciary officials’ for which he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

He was imprisoned for seven months in 2015 for reasons that were never made public, though he was previously investigated for irregularities during his time in office.

It comes after Ahmadinejad was arrested last year during a visit to the western city of Busehehr.

The unrest, pictured, was sparked by a hike in food prices amid soaring unemployment with dozens of people killed and hundreds arrested

In December, he had said: ‘Some of the current leaders live detached from the problems and concerns of the people, and do not know anything about the reality of society.’

It is also claimed he said Iran was suffering ‘mismanagement’ and that President Hassan Rouhani’s government ‘believes that they own the land and that the people are an ignorant society’.