230 Members of Parliament Consider the House Arrest of Green Movement Leaders 'Legal'

"230 representatives" of the Iranian Parliament, in a public session on Tuesday, January 6, issued a statement deeming the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two leaders of the Green Movement in Iran, as "legal" and called on the judiciary to make a decision regarding the two "after the expiration of the National Security Council's deadline." According to the House of Representatives News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Consultative Assembly, these representatives emphasized the "guardianship" of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's statements regarding the "red line of sedition." Ayatollah Khamenei had described the "sedition" as one of the "red lines" of the government and urged the ministers of Hassan Rouhani's government to adhere to "distancing from it." Khamenei and his close associates refer to the protests following the 2009 presidential election results as "sedition" and label Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi as the "leaders of sedition." On Tuesday, these parliament members also stated in their declaration: "Not only do we consider the house arrest of the leaders of sedition a legal action, but we are also waiting for the judiciary to decisively address those who have wronged the rights of the Iranian people and those who sought to undermine the people's rights in the 2009 elections after the expiration of the National Security Council's deadline." This letter from the 230 parliament members was published just two days after an open letter from Ali Motahari, a Tehran representative, to the head of the judiciary, emphasizing the "illegal" nature of the house arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi. Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011, based on a resolution by the National Security Council chaired by then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The head of Iran's judiciary also stated on Wednesday, January 1, that their house arrest was "legal" and in accordance with the duties defined in Article 176 of the Constitution for the National Security Council. However, Motahari, on Sunday, January 14, described these statements by Sadegh Amoli Larijani, the head of the judiciary, as "playing with the Constitution and the judiciary." In their letter on Tuesday, the parliament members also thanked "all institutions and media, especially state television," for commemorating the 9th of Dey. According to these parliament members, the Islamic Republic's state television has provided a "suitable response" to the "demand" of the Supreme Leader by producing pre-planned programs and enlightening news reports. On the 9th of Dey 1388 (December 30, 2009), following months of protests against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's declared victory in the elections, a demonstration was held called by the Coordination Council of Islamic Propaganda Organizations in support of the government and against the protesters. Supporters of the Islamic Republic have since referred to this demonstration as the "Epic of the 9th of Dey." With the anniversary of this demonstration approaching this year, the Islamic Republic's state television and media close to conservatives have severely attacked the protesters against the 2009 presidential election results through published interviews. The House of Representatives News Agency did not mention the names of the "230 representatives" who signed this letter. In 2009, some representatives supporting Ahmadinejad's government had also reported that one hundred members of the Iranian Parliament had filed a complaint against Mir Hossein Mousavi. Hamid Rasai and Rouhollah Hosseinian were among the representatives of the eighth parliament who announced this news but did not disclose the names of other representatives who signed this complaint. In this context, the Attorney General of Iran stated that lifting the house arrest is not on the agenda of the National Security Council. The temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran stated that the sedition has not been eradicated. There are concerns about the "sedition" and the outlook for the upcoming parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections. An open letter from Ali Motahari to the head of the judiciary regarding the house arrest. The latest statements of Mohseni Ejei regarding the trial of Mousavi and Karroubi. The changing battlefield of "proxy forces"; war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of opponents and the possibility of radicalization of Iranian society. The death of the last representative of Mossad in Tehran amid the Iranian crisis. One week after a complete blackout, the timeline for reconnecting the internet in Iran is still "uncertain." The shadow of war over Tehran; "Trump is seeking decisive military options against Iran." Trump says if the Islamic Republic attempts to assassinate him, it will be "wiped off the face of the earth." A senior U.S. official: The Trump administration is closely monitoring the case of Reza Valizadeh. The Islamic Republic announced the number of casualties from the protests in January as "3,117 people."