Judiciary's Readiness to Trial Leaders of 2009 Election Protesters

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, on Tuesday, December 7, discussed the fate of the leaders of the 2009 election protesters, stating: "The National Security Council has approved that these individuals remain under house arrest for now, and this resolution remains in effect." Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard, as well as Mehdi Karroubi, have been under house arrest since 2010. According to reports, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, speaking at a ceremony for Student Day at the University of Tehran, responded to a question about the lack of resolution regarding the leaders of the 2009 election protests by saying: "During the 2009 sedition and the turmoil they caused, and the issues we are all aware of, and the corruption and crimes that arose at that time, the National Security Council was formed, and this council decided that these individuals should remain under house arrest and not be tried, and this resolution remains in effect." Mohseni Ejei added: "The judiciary has announced both then and now that we are ready to prosecute them if the National Security Council changes its resolution, and we believe that the leaders of the sedition have committed accusations and crimes that are prosecutable." Previously, in response to the house arrest of Mousavi, Karroubi, and Rahnavard, he stated: "If it were not for Islamic clemency and the considerations of the Supreme National Security Council, the leaders of the sedition and their followers should have been prosecuted as criminals and sentenced to the maximum punishment." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, who is said to have ordered their house arrest, has repeatedly referred to the protests against the 2009 election results as sedition and the leaders of the protests as leaders of sedition. Meanwhile, despite threats regarding the prosecution of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, they have repeatedly called for their own trial, with Mehdi Karroubi in a letter to Hassan Rouhani emphasizing that he does not consider the lifting of the house arrest to be "in his hands," asking him to request the "oppressive regime" to try him in an "open court." Concurrently with the statements of the judiciary spokesperson, Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, on Tuesday, in a speech on Student Day at Amir Kabir University in Tehran, stated: "I think the issue of house arrest should be resolved as soon as possible." Mr. Motahari added: "We cannot keep gathering every so often and bring this issue up. Currently, lifting the house arrest is among the demands of a large part of our society." The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, referring to "talks for the creation of national consensus" on this issue, said: "One of the problems with the freedom of these individuals is the views and opinions of some officials who believe that if they do not apologize or repent, the system and leadership will be harmed. It is not an issue that some have a different opinion about 2009 than the opinions of those under house arrest, but the fact that they have been under house arrest for six years is neither in accordance with the law nor with religious teachings." The house arrest of Mr. Mousavi, Mr. Karroubi, and Ms. Rahnavard continues despite Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, having repeatedly promised during his 2013 election campaign to resolve the issue of house arrest. Mr. Rouhani has stated: "I believe that the future president should fundamentally seek to reduce distances and eliminate the security atmosphere in the country so that not only those under house arrest are freed, but also those imprisoned due to the events of 2009 are released." Previously, some political parties and figures in Iran, including the Society of Teachers and Researchers of Qom Seminary, Mohammad Khatami, the former President of Iran, and Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the Parliament, have called for the lifting of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi. However, these requests have so far been fruitless.