Concerns of Mousavi and Rahnavard's Children About Their Parents' Health Status

The daughters of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard expressed concern about their parents' health and the handling of their illnesses. In an interview with the newspaper Jomhouri Eslami published on Tuesday, August 1, they criticized the follow-ups regarding the health of Mr. Mousavi and Mrs. Rahnavard. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, have been under house arrest since February 2011. According to Jomhouri Eslami, Zahra Mousavi noted that her parents were healthy before their house arrest, adding, "During the house arrest, various illnesses emerged for them." She mentioned that Mr. Mousavi has developed heart diseases and bone problems, while Mrs. Rahnavard suffers from multiple physical issues. Zahra Mousavi described her parents' spirits as good, stating, "They are constantly worried about the fate of the people, international issues, and the future of the country." The children of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard appreciated the efforts of the Minister of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education for continuously monitoring the health of the detainees, saying, "The minister's assistance also requires that news about the health status of our parents reaches us. However, the transmission of our news to him is also subject to the existing restrictions in the country." They pointed out that the minister's authority in specific security matters limits his actions, and all these obstacles and difficulties have caused us concern about ensuring our parents' health. Zahra Mousavi mentioned that Mr. Mousavi, like Mehdi Karroubi, had suffered from heart issues, adding, "There were no immediate facilities available for him, which increased our concerns, while officials are obligated to ensure their health by placing a committed doctor as close to them as possible. Our problem is that the agents of house arrest arbitrarily transfer news regarding the health of our parents and Mr. Karroubi outside the house arrest location, and this behavior is dangerous for the health of our sick and imprisoned family members." Narges Mousavi, another daughter of Mr. Mousavi and Mrs. Rahnavard, also stated that "the appointed doctor prescribed a very common medication for my father's dizziness, which made him weak after taking it, and due to the lack of serious follow-up on the treatment process, my father's dizziness returned, indicating that the follow-ups regarding my parents' health are not serious." She noted that after an angiography and eye surgery, dizziness and low blood pressure could pose serious risks for her father. According to the Kaleme website, on August 25, during a visit with their parents under house arrest, the daughters noticed that Mr. Mousavi was suffering from severe fluctuations in blood pressure and dizziness. Mrs. Rahnavard informed her daughters that in recent weeks, she must always be beside Mr. Mousavi while walking to prevent dizziness and severe blood pressure fluctuations from causing accidents or new problems. Mr. Mousavi responded to his daughters' complaints about his silence regarding his health status by saying, "This reality must be accepted: we are in prison." Narges Mousavi also pointed out that the lack of oversight on her parents' health is so severe that they monitor their blood pressure with a home device, whereas this task should be within the responsibilities of a specialist doctor to address treatment issues and prevent dangers without delay. Regarding the communication between Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard's children with them, she said, "We visit our parents once a week, and after that, there is no telephone contact throughout the week." Narges Mousavi also expressed concern about her father's paintings, stating that the agents do not allow these paintings to be removed from the house arrest location, and improper storage could lead to the destruction of these works, with agents responding to our criticisms by saying that the removal of these works is not included in the protocols. The daughters of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, as well as Mehdi Karroubi's family, have repeatedly expressed concern about their physical condition. In this regard, Mohammad Hossein Karroubi, Mehdi Karroubi's son, reported on Sunday, August 6, that his father had been hospitalized again in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Tehran, stating that his heart rate was significantly low. The Karroubi family also criticized in another statement on Saturday, August 5, the "efforts of a representative of the Ministry of Intelligence to deliberately disrupt the treatment process" and "preventing the follow-up of the medical affairs of the detainees." This statement was released shortly after news of the deterioration of the physical condition of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, another leader of the protests against the 2009 election results, who, along with his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, are under house arrest. In the Karroubi family's statement, they also criticized Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stating that if he is "not committed to accountability" regarding lifting the house arrest due to other priorities, he is "obligated to be accountable for the illegal and inhumane actions of his agents." The Rouhani administration has not yet responded to these statements. Previously, the Iranian president had stated in cases such as student protests and slogans centered around the freedom of Zahra Rahnavard, Mehdi Karroubi, and Mir Hossein Mousavi that "the government is committed to all the promises made to the people" and "to achieve our goals, we need to create internal consensus." However, there has been no change in the house arrest status of Mr. Karroubi, Mr. Mousavi, and Mrs. Rahnavard over the past years. The judiciary has stated that the house arrest of these three individuals was ordered by the "Supreme National Security Council." However, Hassan Rouhani, who presides over this council, has denied the existence of such a resolution. In this context, the physical condition of Mir Hossein Mousavi has "deteriorated further."