Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says in comments posted on his presidential website Tuesday that “when high-profile figures freely insult the government, I disapprove that a youth is flogged for insulting me.”

Ahmadinejad made the comments during a meeting with provincial governors in Tehran.

Peiman Aref, a student activist supporting the opposition, received 74 lashes on Sunday before leaving the prison where he had served a yearlong term.