Ejei: No One Can Act on House Arrest with 'Populist Measures'

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, reacted on Wednesday to the statements of the President and the government spokesperson regarding the house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement, saying: 'As long as the decision of the Supreme National Security Council remains, no one can intervene.' He added: 'No one can take action with populist measures. We advise Mr. Nobakht to recommend to the gentlemen to present their issues in the appropriate forum.' Sadegh Amoli Larijani, the head of the judiciary, had previously stated on Tuesday that the opinions of some presidential candidates, including the end of the house arrest of the leaders protesting the 2009 election results, were 'against national security' and asked, 'What authority do you have to break the house arrest?' The next day, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesperson for Hassan Rouhani, advised Mr. Larijani to present his views in the Supreme National Security Council meetings if he has any opinions on this matter. The government spokesperson, during his weekly meeting on Tuesday, responded to a question regarding the lifting of house arrest and the recent statements of the head of the judiciary, stating: 'Power in the structure of the Islamic Republic of Iran is divided among three branches, and the President must utilize all his powers.' Hassan Rouhani, on May 17, during the last day of his electoral campaign in Mashhad, in response to the attendees' chants for lifting the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, said: 'Let me say the last point vaguely. All the things you want will only come about with your strong presence at the ballot box.' Previously, during his presidential campaign, he had responded to chants for lifting the house arrest by saying, 'Give me strength with your vote.' He also mentioned in Tabriz that some promises cannot be fulfilled with '51 percent of the vote.' The calls for efforts to lift the house arrest had begun before the electoral activities, including an open letter from 101 university professors published on May 4, stating that issuing a directive to lift the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi by Ayatollah Khamenei would be 'very appropriate and effective' to avoid political blockage and increase social cohesion. In April of this year, Rasoul Montajabnia, the deputy secretary-general of the National Trust Party, stated that he and Mohsen Rahami, a member of the reformists' policy council, had a 'significant' and 'detailed' meeting with Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, where they discussed the issue of lifting the house arrest of Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Zahra Rahnavard. Mohammad Reza Khatami, Zahra Eshraqi, Mohammad Reza Aref, and Gholamreza Tajgardoon are among the political figures who have asked Hassan Rouhani to pursue the issue of lifting the house arrest. Previously, Mr. Karroubi's children criticized Hassan Rouhani, accusing him of not adhering to his electoral promises regarding the lifting of the house arrest of the leaders protesting the 2009 election results. Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011. In this context, the requests from Hassan Rouhani's government to pursue the issue of house arrest continue.