Hossein Karroubi: Rouhani's Failure to Lift House Arrest Due to Distractions from the Leader's Associates

The son of Mehdi Karroubi announced that the Iranian president has raised the issue of lifting the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders in several sessions with the Supreme Leader, but due to distractions from the leader's associates, he has been unable to continue the discussions. In an interview with Saham News on Tuesday, August 16, Hossein Karroubi described the remarks of Mohammad Reza Bahonar, the former deputy speaker of parliament, regarding the conditions for lifting the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi as 'self-flattery for the power holders.' Hossein Karroubi stated, 'According to the information available to the families of the detainees, Mr. Rouhani has raised the issue of lifting the house arrest in several sessions with the Leader and has spoken with him.' He added, 'However, the distractions from the associates have been such that Mr. Rouhani has been unable to continue the discussions.' The son of Mehdi Karroubi emphasized that the Iranian president is seeking to lift the house arrest and has always been concerned about the protesters of the 2009 presidential election results. He predicted that the issue of lifting the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders would be postponed until after the 2017 presidential election. According to Mr. Karroubi, a group known as the 'principlists' and opponents of Hassan Rouhani are seeking to disqualify him in the upcoming presidential election and even to overthrow the government, and 'it is unlikely that the concession of lifting the house arrest will be granted to him before the 2017 presidential election.' He also thanked Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the Hope faction in parliament, for regularly raising the issue of lifting the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders. On August 8, Hossein Karroubi had also stated that lifting the house arrest of the leaders of the 2009 protests after the 2017 presidential election is 'unlikely' and that the establishment will not grant this 'concession' to Hassan Rouhani. The families of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi have previously criticized the government for not prioritizing this issue. Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, who protested the results of the 2009 presidential election, have been under house arrest since February 2011 without trial. Mehdi Karroubi, after three years of 'detention' in a 'safe house' of the Ministry of Intelligence, was transferred to his home in Jamaran in February 2014 but remains under house arrest. The families of these three individuals have repeatedly expressed concern about their physical condition over the years. Meanwhile, Hossein Karroubi described the mental state of these three individuals as good and said that Mr. Mousavi's children are 'not satisfied' with the health status of him and his wife. He reported that Mehdi Karroubi is 'in a good mental and physical condition' and has been walking with a cane at home for the past month. Mehdi Karroubi underwent surgery due to a broken leg on December 8, 2015, and following this operation, Hossein Fereydoun, Hassan Rouhani's brother, visited him and conveyed Mr. Rouhani's 'greetings' to him. In his interview, Hossein Karroubi also described the remarks of Mohammad Reza Bahonar, the former deputy speaker of parliament, regarding the conditions for lifting the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders as 'invalid,' 'very trivial,' and 'worthless,' stating that these remarks were made with the aim of 'self-flattery for the power holders.' He added, 'Mr. Bahonar should compel the establishment to put them on trial instead of issuing heavy sentences for them, so that military, security, and judicial officials are not forced to make irrelevant and contradictory statements every day.' The son of Mehdi Karroubi emphasized that 'no individual or institution can prevent people from engaging in political work or taking political positions.' Mohammad Reza Bahonar, the former deputy speaker of parliament, stated on Saturday, August 13, that he had recently sent a 'message' to Mir Hossein Mousavi to announce that 'if he is released, he will not engage in political activities for years,' but he did not accept this offer. On Tuesday, Bahonar also emphasized in an interview with Fars News Agency that due to the 'lack of remorse and repentance' from Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, the possibility of lifting their house arrest is 'excluded.' He reiterated that if Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi were to be tried, a 'severe sentence' would await them. Previously, Ali Motahari had said on July 29, 2014, that in a meeting he had with Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader described the crimes of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi as serious and stated that if they were tried, a 'very heavy sentence' would await them. Despite these threats, the leaders of the Green Movement have repeatedly demanded to be put on trial, and Mehdi Karroubi, in a letter to Hassan Rouhani, emphasized that he does not see the lifting of the house arrest as 'in his hands' and asked him to request the 'tyrannical government' to put him on trial in a 'public court.' In contrast, Sadegh Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, stated that whenever the Supreme National Security Council's resolution regarding the house arrest of these two individuals changes, the judiciary is ready to hold their trial. However, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, stated that this body cannot report on the house arrest under the current conditions.