Ali Motahari: If House Arrest Continues, We Must Take Action

Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, emphasized that if there is no breakthrough in the situation of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, and their house arrest continues, action must be taken. According to the news website Khabar Online, Mr. Motahari stated on Tuesday, December 20, in a gathering with students at Kharazmi University that in recent months, 'a softness has emerged among high-ranking officials regarding the issue of house arrest, and there is a will to resolve it.' He then referred to the limited meetings that Mehdi Karroubi has recently had in house arrest with a few political activists, stating: 'Four meetings were arranged for Mr. Karroubi, and actions are being taken regarding Mr. Mousavi... They asked us not to make too much noise, and we are listening, but this issue [silence regarding house arrest] is for a limited time to see how it goes. God willing, it will reach a conclusion, but if the situation continues, we must take action.' The political activists who have met with Mehdi Karroubi in house arrest in recent weeks include Ismail Doosti, a member of the National Trust Party, and Mojtaba Zolnoor from the principlist forces and a member of the Stability Front, both of whom have a history of friendship with Mr. Karroubi. According to the statements of Mehdi Karroubi's children, the Supreme National Security Council has approved that some individuals can meet with Mehdi Karroubi. However, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, recently denied the issue of house arrest for the leaders of the Green Movement, stating that they are not under house arrest and can see anyone they wish. In his remarks on Tuesday, Ali Motahari responded to such statements, saying: 'One of the heads of the branches said that house arrest is not punishment. I told him that if it is not, you should also spend 10 days in the same conditions. Being in a house where all the rooms have cameras and listening devices is really hard and causes depression.' He added: 'No one can say that house arrest is not punishment. They see their children once every two weeks, and before this, they did not have newspapers or television, which were later added. This issue must be resolved, and I believe it has unnecessarily become a source of conflict.' The Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament again called the house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement 'illegal' and emphasized that the issue of house arrest is justified in emergency conditions, which the Supreme National Security Council decides to calm the situation, but 'after the return of calm, the continuation of house arrest is not within the council's authority, and the council cannot impose punishment.' He added: 'A competent public court must be established, and they should express all their views. Of course, in the end, we all must be obedient and accept whatever the ruling is, but the continuation of house arrest in these conditions is against Articles 32 to 37 of the Constitution.' Mehdi Karroubi has repeatedly called for a public trial and has stated that he grants power of attorney to Ali Motahari to pursue the matter. On the other hand, Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, demanded an apology from Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi in August 2013 for challenging the 2009 elections and accusing the then-government and military forces of election fraud. Also, officials from the judiciary have repeatedly called for the 'repentance' of the leaders of the Green Movement in Iran. However, Ali Motahari has called the condition of repentance unreasonable. Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest since winter 2010.