Arrest of Members of the Iranian Voice Party, 'Unrelated' to Party Activities

Hassan Younesi, spokesperson for the newly established Iranian Voice Party, announced that the arrest of three members of this political organization was 'unrelated' to party activities and confirmed that one of the detainees has been released. According to reports, Mohsen Beiglarbeigi, Javid Fakhrian, and Sina Rahimpour, three members of the 'Iranian Voice Party,' were arrested on Monday night, December 8, but Mr. Rahimpour was released a few hours after the arrest. According to the state news agency IRNA, Hassan Younesi stated on Wednesday, December 10, 'We are certain that the matter of the arrests is not related to the activities of the Iranian Voice Party.' Mr. Younesi added, 'We will seriously pursue the matter through legal channels to resolve the issues for these friends and clear up any misunderstandings so that we can soon witness their release.' He emphasized, 'Lawfulness and attention to security considerations will be among the most important principles of the organizational activities of the Iranian Voice Party, and all party members are obliged to adhere to the law.' The 'Mashregh News' website, which is affiliated with the security institutions of the Islamic Republic, claimed on Tuesday that the three members of the newly established 'Iranian Voice Party' are 'key members of the illegal group 'Reformist Youth Club' active in cyberspace.' The spokesperson of the Iranian Voice Party also stated on Wednesday that the party will soon begin official membership recruitment, and with the issuance of a permit from the Ministry of Interior for this political organization, all party activities will be within the framework of the law, and members will operate accordingly. Hossein Ali Amiri, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Interior, announced on December 1 that the Article 10 Commission of Political Parties had issued a permit for the 'Iranian Voice Party.' Sadegh Kharrazi, a former Iranian representative to the United Nations and a reformist close to the Islamic Republic, is among the founders of this party. Mr. Kharrazi is also closely related to Mohammad Khatami, the former president of Iran, and through his sister's marriage to one of Ali Khamenei's children, he has close ties to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Sadegh Kharrazi is also the nephew of Kamal Kharrazi, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Khatami's government and the current head of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations by the decree of Ayatollah Khamenei. Several other members, mostly younger and former members of the Participation Front and Mir Hossein Mousavi's electoral headquarters, are among the founding members of this party. Hassan Younesi, the spokesperson for this party, is the son of Ali Younesi, the Minister of Intelligence in Khatami's government, who was arrested during a protest rally in Tehran on February 19, 2011, and ultimately spent a year in prison. The 'Iranian Voice Party' in its first statement emphasized 'reformism' and 'avoiding extremism,' stating that it seeks to 'strengthen democracy and institutionalize the eight-point message of Imam Khomeini.'