Judiciary Chief: What Authority Do You Have to Break the House Arrest?

The Chief Justice of Iran, Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani, deemed the statements of some presidential election candidates regarding the end of the house arrest of the leaders of the protests against the 2009 presidential election results as 'against national security.' He stated, 'What authority do you have to want to break the house arrest?' During a meeting of senior judicial officials on Tuesday, June 8, he considered discussions about 'lifting the house arrest' to be outside the 'limits of candidates' powers' and said, 'The issue of lifting the house arrest has its own specific path, and assuming the Supreme National Security Council deviates from its resolution, the judiciary's work for judicial review will begin.' Previously, some judiciary officials had stated that the Supreme National Security Council had decided on the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard in February 2011. For instance, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesperson, said on December 16 last year regarding the fate of the leaders of the 2009 election protests: 'The National Security Council has approved that these individuals remain under house arrest for now, and this resolution remains in effect.' Ayatollah Amoli Larijani emphasized that 'the highest security institution of the country' has made a 'decision' in this regard, stating, 'Lifting the house arrest, like other resolutions of the Supreme National Security Council, has its own specific process for validity, and to incite public emotions to stand against such legal decisions is the same spirit and essence of the 2009 sedition.' He warned 'media and individuals' who, according to him, 'try to continuously repeat such issues in a chain-like manner and exert pressure this way,' saying, 'We warn that they should collect this mess, otherwise the judiciary will decisively collect this mess itself.' In the days following the elections in May, several political figures called for President Hassan Rouhani to strive for lifting the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard. Among them, Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, expressed hope on Tuesday, June 2, that given the people's demand in most election gatherings, 'the media ban and house arrest' would be resolved in the future. He stated, 'It seems to be an appropriate opportunity to resolve these issues in the next government.' Abdullah Nouri, the Minister of Interior during Mohammad Khatami's administration, also requested in a letter to Hassan Rouhani on June 6 to pursue the lifting of the house arrest of Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Zahra Rahnavard. Amoli Larijani also referred to the effort to create a 'populist movement' to stand against 'the legal decisions of legal institutions' and said, 'Reports from their think tanks indicate that they say as long as the election tensions remain and the atmosphere is heated, we should pursue our remaining agendas and make our voices heard. I smell the scent of sedition from such an atmosphere.' Hassan Rouhani, on May 27, during the last day of his election campaign in Mashhad, in response to the slogans of attendees for lifting the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, said: 'Let me say the last point indirectly. All the things you want will only come to existence with your strong presence at the ballot box.' Previously, during his presidential election campaign, he had responded to slogans for lifting the house arrest by saying, 'Give me strength with your vote.' He also stated in Tabriz that some promises cannot be fulfilled with '51 percent of the vote.' The call for efforts to lift the house arrest had begun before the election activities, including 101 university professors who, on April 14, published an open letter stating that issuing the order 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 among the people. In April of this year, Rasoul Montajebnia, the deputy secretary-general of the National Trust Party, stated that he, along with Mohsen Rahami, a member of the reformists' policy-making council, had a 'significant' and 'detailed' meeting with Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic. They discussed the issue of lifting the house arrest of Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Zahra Rahnavard during this meeting. 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 to lift the house arrest of the leaders of the protests against the 2009 presidential election results. Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, who protested the results of the 2009 presidential election, have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011.