Ejei: House Arrest Will Continue as Long as National Security Council Resolution is in Place

On the eve of the seventh anniversary of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, the Deputy Chief Justice states that as long as the National Security Council's resolution regarding the house arrest of these leaders of the "Green Movement" remains in effect, the judiciary cannot take action to lift their house arrest. According to ISNA news agency, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson and Deputy Chief Justice, made this statement on Thursday, February 1, during a meeting of the Union of Islamic Associations of Students. Mehdi Karroubi, along with Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, has been under house arrest since February 2011, following their protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, and requests to end this house arrest have so far yielded no results. In his remarks on Thursday, Ejei referred to the widespread protests against the announced results of the 2009 presidential election as a "great crime" and a "sedition" and provided explanations regarding the detainees from that period. He stated: "Those who were the main perpetrators and should have been tried were divided into three groups. The first group consists of individuals whose trials were conducted without any leniency. The second group includes younger individuals and students who were unaware of the depth of the issues but committed offenses, such as damaging public property. Many leniencies were granted in the punishment of these individuals." The Deputy Chief Justice added: "Regarding the third group, which consists of the leaders of the sedition, the National Security Council decided that it was not in the country's interest to prosecute these individuals and stated that they should remain under house arrest for now but not face judicial prosecution. This matter is a resolution of the National Security Council, and as long as it is in effect, the judiciary cannot do anything." The legal basis for the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders has become a challenge between the government and the judiciary in recent years. Judiciary officials claim that the house arrest of these three individuals was carried out based on a resolution from the National Security Council, but Hassan Rouhani, the President and head of this council, denies the existence of such a resolution. Nevertheless, the judiciary spokesperson had previously stated that "Resolution 544 of the National Security Council approved the house arrest and specified that the Ministry of Intelligence should take actions regarding the house arrest individuals under the supervision of the judiciary." Ejei's recent comments regarding the judiciary's inaction to lift the house arrest come at a time when some government-supporting representatives in the Islamic Consultative Assembly had stated that the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders would be gradually lifted. However, this week, the Khabar Online website close to Mir Hossein Mousavi reported that the restrictions on visits for Mr. Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard for their immediate relatives have been lifted, and their daughters can now visit them without a "weekly schedule." Meanwhile, a member of the "Committee for Following Up on Lifting the House Arrest" in the Assembly also announced on Tuesday the request for a meeting with Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, stating that "the ruling authority has come to the conclusion that continuing the house arrest will yield nothing but loss for national interests." Gholamreza Heydari, a member of the Reformist faction known as the Hope faction, expressed hope that "the restrictions on the detained individuals will be lessened by the New Year." Following the suppression of the reformist protesters known as the "Green Movement," Iran has recently witnessed a series of widespread protests that began with economic grievances and then took on a political hue, spreading to over a hundred cities across the country. The suppression of these new protests resulted in at least 25 deaths and thousands of arrests. In this context, Mehdi Karroubi on Tuesday, in an open letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, held him responsible for the current political, economic, cultural, and social situation in Iran and called for the "provision of grounds for structural reform of the system." He wrote in this letter: "Given your level of presence and influence in the highest echelons of power, you must accept that the current political, economic, cultural, and social situation in the country is a direct result of your strategic and executive policies."