Five Years After House Arrest: 'No Significant Change Has Occurred'

On the fifth anniversary of the house arrest of the leaders of the protests against the results of the June 2009 presidential election, two figures close to Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have stated that 'no significant and noticeable change has occurred' in their situation and 'there is no official or unofficial news regarding any effective action' in this regard. At the same time, the U.S. State Department has once again condemned the 'continuation of the house arrest and harassment of the families' of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, calling for their release. The lifting of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi was among the electoral promises of Hassan Rouhani before he was elected president, but since he came to power, although there have been reports about the Minister of Health overseeing their medical treatment, there has been no information regarding the possibility of lifting the house arrest. Meanwhile, the analytical news site Zeytoon, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the house arrest of the leaders of the 2009 presidential election protests, conducted separate interviews with Mohammad Taghi Karroubi, the son of Mehdi Karroubi, and Ardeshir Amir Arjamand, an advisor to Mir Hossein Mousavi, discussing their house arrest and the prospects for political opening and lifting the house arrest. Mohammad Taghi Karroubi emphasized in this interview that 'no significant and noticeable change' has occurred regarding the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders. He noted that the government is 'not satisfied with this situation' while also stating that 'I am not aware of what executive steps the government has taken to lift the house arrest, but if they have taken any action, it has never been addressed officially.' Ardeshir Amir Arjamand also stated in his interview with Zeytoon that 'we have not had any official or unofficial news regarding any effective action [in the field of lifting the house arrest].' He expressed hope that 'the conditions will be such that Mr. Khamenei will be convinced that continuing the house arrest is against national interests.' He reminded that he expects the executive branch to 'first say what it has done to the best of its ability, and at least give people hope that the person they elected is following through on his promises.' He emphasized that 'we have no signs that they have done anything effective, beyond their capacity, and if they have, they should inform us so that it can be clarified.' Both of these interviews have been reflected on the websites Sahamnews and Kalemeh, which are close to Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi. Since the call for their supporters to participate in the protest gathering on February 14, 2011, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard have been under severe restrictions on contact with their relatives and supporters, although in the past year or two, reports have emerged indicating that they have been able to meet with their children more easily. At the same time, the issue of their house arrest was officially announced when Ahmad Jannati, a powerful member of the Guardian Council, emphasized in his Friday prayer sermon in Tehran on February 18, 2011, that 'what the judiciary can do is completely block their communication with the people, seal their houses, and cut off their phones and internet so that they cannot send or receive messages.' Mr. Jannati, who has taken a harsh stance against the Green Movement and its leaders over the years, also stated last February that 'February 11 is a slap in the face to those who talk about lifting the house arrest,' adding that 'those who say the house arrest should be lifted are looking for a way for the seditionists to come out again and create sedition.' The Secretary of the Guardian Council at that time emphasized that 'people must expose and condemn this plot of the seditionists with their widespread presence on February 11' and added: 'If four misguided people start talking about this, does that represent the views of 75 million Iranians?' Two figures close to Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of the two elections on February 26, and despite criticizing the disqualifications, welcomed people's participation in the elections. In this regard, Mohammad Taghi Karroubi stated that 'it is true that the power of choice in this election is very limited, but in the Assembly of Experts, effective figures can accompany the silent majority of this assembly at a historical juncture.' He also mentioned that regarding the parliamentary elections, despite the disqualifications, 'fortunately, the issue of boycotting the elections among reformists is not on the agenda,... and by participating and striving to send a large number of representatives whose views differ from the ruling power to the parliament, we can create another parliament.' Mr. Karroubi also described the approach that assumed reformists would enter the government by participating in elections as a mistake and advised reformists to pursue a 'demand-oriented' approach. In this regard, Ardeshir Amir Arjamand, advisor to Mir Hossein Mousavi, also stated that in his opinion 'the elections are engineered,' but 'there should be no doubt about participating purposefully in the elections.' He described purposeful participation in the elections as 'being purposeful means defending specific values, with a clear identity, to achieve a specific program.' Mr. Amir Arjamand stated that 'elections are a right, and participating or not participating in them is not a sacred matter,' but added that 'by participating widely and purposefully [in the elections], we can change the balance of power in favor of the people.' He added that 'despite all the shortcomings, participating in the elections under these conditions is an opportunity that should not be missed.' The advisor to Mir Hossein Mousavi further added that considering the events of 2009, and also the elections held by Rouhani's government, 'the possibility of engineering the elections in the counting of votes is very low, and thus we can weigh ourselves against the other side.' The unprecedented registration of more than 12,000 people for the parliamentary elections and 800 for the Assembly of Experts was accompanied by widespread disqualifications in the supervisory boards and ultimately the Guardian Council, such that in the Assembly of Experts elections, on average, less than two people compete for each seat, and in some areas, there is no competition at all. In the parliamentary elections, ultimately, with the revisions made, 49 percent of the registrants were disqualified, among whom many reformist figures were present. In the latest official statement, the Minister of Interior said on Sunday that despite the approval of 1,500 candidates in the complaint review stage, the electoral competitions are still 'not equal and balanced.' Nevertheless, reformists have emphasized that they will not leave the political scene due to disqualifications, and Mohammad Reza Aref stated that even under these conditions, a list of 300 people for the final introduction of 30 candidates supported by reformists in Tehran has been reviewed.