Alamolhoda: The Trial of the Sedition Leaders Will Begin After Lifting House Arrest

The Friday Imam of Mashhad stated that the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the protests against the 2009 presidential election results, was implemented for "preventing crime" and that their trial will begin after their house arrest is lifted. According to Mehr News Agency, Ahmad Alamolhoda said on Sunday, December 28, that "the lifting of the house arrest of the sedition leaders is an issue that must be examined by security and judicial authorities." He added, "The judiciary must take the necessary action regarding the trial of the sedition leaders, which will begin after their house arrest is lifted." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and some conservatives refer to the protests against the 2009 presidential election results as "sedition" and refer to Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi as "sedition leaders." Alamolhoda had previously stated that the prosecutor had ordered the arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi based on "political interests" and that "no law" in the country restricts the prosecutor in determining the time of arrest. Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011. Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran, has repeatedly called for the simultaneous trial of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Mehdi Karroubi has requested that Motahari pursue the "right" to a fair trial and prepare the "necessary arrangements for holding a public court." In his latest message from house arrest, Mir Hossein Mousavi stated, "I and Rahnavard have repeatedly expressed our readiness to attend a public and competent court through the jailers since the beginning of our house arrest." Furthermore, according to ISNA news agency, Alamolhoda clarified that "the issue of the house arrest of the sedition leaders is in the context of preventing crime, but lifting the house arrest becomes relevant in the context of prosecuting crime." He said, "Judicial and managerial bodies have imposed house arrest on the sedition leaders to prevent sedition and movements against the regime and leadership." In his remarks on Sunday, Alamolhoda also stated, "The Supreme Leader has authority and is able to make any decision regarding the sedition leaders. Requests for pardon are meaningful in the context of prosecuting crime, not preventing crime." Mohammad Reza Toiserkani, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Basij Organization, stated on Wednesday, December 24, that efforts to lift the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi should be "secretive" and that the decisions of "legal centers" in this regard must ultimately be approved by the Supreme Leader. Concurrently with Alamolhoda's remarks, Ahmad Khatami, the Friday Imam of Tehran, described the house arrest as a sign of the "compassion" of the Islamic Republic towards Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. He stated in an interview with Tasnim news agency, "Those who have ordered people to take to the streets and have issued statements calling for armed rebellion, having taken up arms and fired shots, are considered to have committed 'moharebeh' (waging war against God) from a jurisprudential perspective." Khatami emphasized that the nature of Friday prayers is not to issue judgments, but it is possible to mention "examples of moharebeh." Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a member of the Assembly of Experts, also stated in an interview that the "government ruling" of Ali Khamenei has prevented the "execution" of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. Previously, Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, had also stated that "the regime has been very lenient with the sedition leaders by allowing them to remain alive." Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, stated on July 8 that in a meeting he had with Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader described the crimes of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi as significant and stated that if they were to be tried, a "very heavy sentence" would await them.