Judiciary Official Calls Calls for Lifting House Arrest 'Foreign Words'

Mousa Ghazanfarpour, the head of Tehran's Revolutionary Court, referred to requests for lifting the house arrest and trial of the leaders of the Green Movement as 'the words of foreigners' and stated that the Expediency Council cannot make decisions on this matter, emphasizing that the National Security Council and the Judiciary are the relevant authorities. According to Tasnim News Agency, on Wednesday, September 1, Ghazanfarpour stated that the requests for lifting the house arrest and trial of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard are 'not the words of those who care for the system' and that 'some who say these things may be unaware, but these are foreign words.' He claimed that the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders was implemented for their 'protection,' as 'enemies of the system and the revolution may create a threat to these individuals due to their own exploitation.' Ghazanfarpour announced that the house arrest of these three individuals is a 'decision of the Supreme National Security Council' and that they will 'regret' their request for trial, as 'the court and the system do not have any favors to anyone and carry out their legal duties with decisiveness, power, and precision.' Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, along with Zahra Rahnavard, have been under house arrest since February 2011 without trial, and requests for their release have not yielded results. Both Mousavi and Karroubi have repeatedly called for a public trial, but Judiciary officials have opposed this request, stating that their house arrest was decided by the Supreme National Security Council. In contrast, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, has stated that the Supreme National Security Council did not have a resolution regarding their house arrest. Previously, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, had stated that this body cannot provide a report on the house arrest of these three individuals. Meanwhile, Mohsen Rezaei, the Secretary of the Expediency Council, also stated on Tuesday that the 'relevant authority' for this matter is the National Security Council and the Judiciary. He emphasized that the Expediency Council cannot take action in this regard and can only address issues that are 'assigned to it.' The Expediency Council makes decisions on disputes between the Parliament and the Guardian Council or on issues assigned by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Some political figures in Iran, including Ali Motahari, have also called for the lifting of the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders or their trial, but Motahari previously reported that the Supreme Leader opposed this request, stating that their verdict would be 'heavy' if a trial were held. Meanwhile, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the Judiciary spokesperson, announced on Sunday, August 20, that the house arrest was implemented by a resolution of the Supreme National Security Council. In response, Ali Motahari, in a letter to the Judiciary spokesperson, reiterated that the continuation of the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders by the resolution of the Supreme National Security Council is 'against the Constitution' and questioned whether the opposition to their trial 'does not create a suspicion of fear of revealing the truths?' The Human Rights Defenders Center, led by Shirin Ebadi, also stated in a statement on February 25, 2015, that the Supreme Leader and the Supreme National Security Council do not have the legal authority to issue a ruling for the 'house arrest' of individuals. Previously, some political figures, including Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri, have stated that the decision regarding the lifting of house arrest is solely in the hands of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, Mohammad Khatami, the former President of Iran, requested on Sunday that Ayatollah Khamenei issue an order regarding the lifting of the house arrest of the leaders of the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election. In recent weeks, following Mehdi Karroubi's transfer to the hospital, several members of Parliament, including Mostafa Kaveh Kabi and Parvaneh Salahshouri, have called in public sessions for attention to the living conditions and health of those under house arrest. Additionally, while the Judiciary spokesperson dismissed reports about security agents leaving the location of Mr. Karroubi's house arrest as 'absolute lies,' Es'hagh Jahangiri, the First Vice President, stated that 'this must have happened, and what can be said will be announced by security officials.' Lifting the house arrest has been one of the main demands of Hassan Rouhani's supporters in the two presidential elections in 2013 and 2017, and in both elections, Rouhani made explicit or implicit promises regarding lifting the house arrest. However, during the four years of Rouhani's first government, not only was there no public action to fulfill this promise, but restrictions on figures like Mahmoud Khatami were also increased.