Formation of the 'Demand for Lifting House Arrest' Committee in Parliament

In response to the increasing calls for lifting the house arrest of the leaders of the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, a reformist member of parliament announced the formation of a committee within the faction known as 'Hope' to 'demand the lifting of house arrest.' Gholamreza Heydari stated in an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) published on Tuesday, August 8, that this committee was formed 'by the order' of Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of this faction. According to this parliament member, the formation of this committee is particularly significant as 'the detainees are not in good physical condition' and lifting the house arrest is 'the demand of the majority.' However, he did not explain what actions this committee could take; he only mentioned, 'If the committee for lifting house arrest can seriously pursue the issue with the Speaker of Parliament, the Head of the Judiciary, and the President, this issue will definitely yield results.' Mehdi Karroubi, Fatemeh Karroubi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mir Hossein Mousavi have been under house arrest since February 2011 following the protests against the 2009 election results. Among them, Mrs. Karroubi was released from house arrest after a few months. However, the other three remain under house arrest, and in the past month, numerous reports have emerged about the deterioration of their health conditions. Mr. Karroubi was recently hospitalized due to a heart condition, and his son, Mohammad Taghi Karroubi, announced on Sunday, August 6, that after two angiographies due to low heart rate, a pacemaker was installed in his heart. Mir Hossein Mousavi's daughters also recently stated that during their last visit with their parents, they noticed that their father was experiencing 'severe fluctuations in blood pressure and severe dizziness.' Following the publication of these reports, dozens of political and civil activists, several human rights organizations, various Islamic associations, and several members of parliament have called for an end to the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi. Gholamreza Heydari, the representative who announced the formation of the committee on Tuesday, previously stated from the parliament podium, 'If God forbid something similar to what happened to Ayatollah Hashemi happens to these individuals, it would not be befitting of the system.' According to this parliament member, the issue of house arrest can be resolved with the 'will' of the heads of the three branches of government: executive, judiciary, and legislative. Gholamreza Heydari did not provide further details, especially since Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that the decision to lift the house arrest rests with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic. Ali Motahari, a member of parliament, previously quoted Ayatollah Khamenei as saying in response to his question about lifting the house arrest, 'If they are tried, their sentences will be very heavy, and you will definitely not be satisfied. We have been lenient with them now.' Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, also harshly criticized Hassan Rouhani in response to his statements about lifting the house arrest during the recent presidential election struggles, saying, 'What are you to want to lift the house arrest?' In addition to the opposition from these two high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic, Mr. Heydari also expressed dissatisfaction with Hassan Rouhani, stating that even this parliament member does not know what the president has done in this regard. Mr. Heydari said, 'I am dissatisfied with Mr. Rouhani regarding this matter and do not know whether he has the will to do so or not. It is a paradox for me that people had such a demand from him, and he said some things, but in practice, we are unaware of what actions have been taken in this regard.' The President of Iran has previously emphasized in cases such as student protests and slogans centered on the freedom of Zahra Rahnavard, Mehdi Karroubi, and Mir Hossein Mousavi that 'the government is committed to all the promises made to the people.' Despite this, there has been no change in the house arrest status of Mr. Karroubi, Mr. Mousavi, and Mrs. Rahnavard over the past years.