Daughters of Mousavi Express Serious Concerns About Their Father's Health

One day after the Zeyton website reported on the angiography of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the Kalemeh website quoted Mr. Mousavi's daughters stating that he has recently suffered from a "very dangerous" and "sudden illness with acute and concerning temporary symptoms." The Zeyton website reported that on Wednesday morning, "a large number" of plainclothes agents entered the angiography section of the heart hospital along with hospital security personnel, after which Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard arrived at the hospital accompanied by guards. According to eyewitnesses cited by the website, the guards did not behave appropriately with the two leaders of the Green Movement, using an "inappropriate tone" to say, "You are healthier than us" and "You are causing us trouble with your pretenses." The website stated that after the angiography, Mir Hossein Mousavi was returned to his place of house arrest. Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011. Mehdi Karroubi was transferred to his home in Jamaran after three years of "house arrest" in a "safe house" of the Ministry of Intelligence but remains under house arrest. The children of these three individuals have repeatedly expressed concern about their parents' health in recent years. Meanwhile, Koukb, Zahra, and Narges Mousavi announced in an interview with the Kalemeh website published on Thursday that three weeks ago, Mr. Mousavi suffered from "a very dangerous" and "sudden illness with acute and concerning temporary symptoms" that "could have seriously endangered his life." According to Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard's daughters, this matter had been kept from them, and "milder signs of that illness" were present during their last visit with Mr. Mousavi. No details about this illness were mentioned in the interview. The daughters of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard also stated that there has been "no significant change" in the house arrest status of their parents. On Tuesday, October 19, the children of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard implicitly criticized the "silence," "indifference," and "absolving of responsibility by officials" regarding the lifting of the house arrest of the leaders of the "Green Movement." Hassan Rouhani promised during the 2013 presidential election campaign that if elected, he would pursue the issue of lifting the house arrest of the "Green Movement" leaders. Hossein Karroubi, Mehdi Karroubi's son, also deemed the lifting of the house arrest of the leaders of the 2009 protests after the 2017 presidential election as "unlikely" and stated that the regime would not grant this "privilege" to Hassan Rouhani. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, also stated in response to protests that the government "cannot do anything" about lifting the house arrest and should not be expected to do so. These three leaders of the Green Movement have repeatedly called for their trial in a public court, but as Ali Motahari and some other officials of the Islamic Republic have stated, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has opposed their trial or lifting their house arrest. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, stated on December 7 that the house arrest of these three individuals was based on a resolution of the "National Security Council," and if this council changes its resolution, the judiciary is "prepared" to try these three individuals. According to Mohammad Taghi Karroubi, Mehdi Karroubi's son, his father reacted to these statements by saying, "Pray that the gentlemen find the courage to try me in a public court." In this regard, Motahari emphasized that the leader's opinion is to continue the house arrest, and other officials do not get involved in this matter. Motahari reiterated that the house arrest of Mousavi, Rahnavard, and Karroubi is unconstitutional. Karroubi's son emphasized that his father is "eager" to have a public trial.