Call for the Release of Mousavi, Rahnavard, and Karroubi in an 'Open Letter to the Leaders of the Three Branches of Government'

Thousands, including several political, social, and civil activists in Iran, have simultaneously called for an end to the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi in an open letter addressed to the leaders of the three branches of government, members of parliament, and other officials, coinciding with the sixth anniversary of their house arrest. Mousavi and Karroubi, along with Rahnavard, have been under house arrest since February 18, 2011. According to the Kaleme website, close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, and also some social media networks, part of this letter states that 'there are suppressed demands and protests that ignoring them is contrary to wisdom, foresight, and the interests of the country.' The letter warns that 'the consequences of not resolving this issue and the continuation of confrontation and disregard for the people's demands in these areas will lead to deeper divisions and a move towards a bipolarization of the country and vulnerability against attacks.' The authors of this open letter, which according to some social media reports has nearly 20,000 signatures, added that the result of this situation will be 'youth frustration and the loss of human capital, hope, and vitality.' The letter also refers to the six years of house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, stating that 'we still witness that despite the awareness and emphasis of many officials and political activists and concerned citizens with different viewpoints about the necessity of resolving this national issue, there has been no actual change in their concerning situation.' The signatories of this letter described the events of 2009 as 'a bone in the throat of the political system and society' and added that 'to achieve peace in the country, we believe that a wise resolution of this situation will undoubtedly have a significant impact on solidarity and alleviating grievances and cleansing hearts of hatred and discord.' According to reports, among the activists who signed this letter are Mostafa Tajzadeh, Mohsen Safaei Farahani, Azar Mansouri, Alireza Beheshti Hosseini, Mohsen Armin, Feyzollah Arab-Sorkhi, Taghi Rahmani, Lotfollah Mithaami, Tahereh Taleghani, Mohammad Tosuli, Abolfazl Bazargan, Hashem Sabaghian, Azam Taleghani, Ahmad Montazeri, and Reza Alijani. Families of some of the victims of the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, including the families of Sohrab Ebrahimi, Sattar Beheshti, Saeed Zeynali, and Ashkan Sohrabi, have also signed this open letter. Reports also indicate that this letter has been signed by a group of political prisoners from recent years, such as Narges Mohammadi, Reyhaneh Tabatabai, Keyvan Samimi, Eisa Saharkhiz, Masoud Bastani, Bahman Ahmadi Amoui, Zhila Bani Yaghoob, Saeed Madani, Abdollah Momeni, and Mahdieh Golroo. Previously, Hossein Karroubi, the son of Mehdi Karroubi, stated that Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, has managed to 'convince' the officials of the Islamic Republic to meet with the leaders of the protests against the results of the 2009 election, but no time has yet been set for this meeting. Mr. Karroubi, in an interview with the electronic newspaper 'Omid Iranians' published on February 10, added that Ali Motahari has achieved 'successes' in pursuing the issue of house arrest. He did not provide further details about Mr. Motahari's contacts with the 'officials' of the Islamic Republic and their willingness to meet with Mr. Mousavi and Karroubi. Mr. Motahari had previously spoken about his conversation with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and his request to lift the house arrest or trial the leaders of the protests against the results of the 2009 election, stating that Ayatollah Khamenei opposed this request. Earlier, some news agencies reported on Tuesday, February 7, citing Ali Motahari, that he had a meeting with the leaders of the protests against the 2009 presidential election to learn about their plans after their release. However, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament announced the next day that he had not had any meeting with Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and was 'only seeking permission for this meeting.' Although he had previously received their positions 'through intermediaries,' which 'emphasized support for the system and government and national unity.' Hossein Karroubi, in this interview, stated: 'We have not seen any new contacts or communications from anyone that we can predict or give the people good or new news.' He announced that the family of Mr. Karroubi has no connection with Ali Motahari and only visited him last year with his mother to thank him. The children of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, as well as the children of Mehdi Karroubi, have previously criticized the 'indifference' of Hassan Rouhani's government towards lifting the house arrest of the leaders of the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election. Before the remarks of Mehdi Karroubi's son, Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the Hope faction in Parliament, said on January 25 that efforts have been made regarding the lifting of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, and the media ban and restrictions on Mohammad Khatami, and he is 'optimistic' that 'a good event will happen.'