Khamenei on the 2009 Protests: Some Say a Statement Was Made Back Then, Let's Move On

Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, on Sunday, August 21, referred to the protests following the announcement of the results of the 2009 presidential election, stating: "Everyone saw how the election became an excuse to attack and deny the essence of the regime." According to the website of Ayatollah Khamenei's office, he made this remark during a meeting with mosque leaders in Tehran Province. In this speech, he said: "In the early days of the sedition, I told one of the leaders of the sedition that you appear to be with the regime and, as you say, are protesting the election, but know that the management of this movement will fall into the hands of foreigners, and they will use your actions to target the essence of the regime." The leader of the Islamic Republic and his close associates refer to the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election as 'sedition' and call Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, who are under house arrest, 'leaders of the sedition.' Khamenei added: "They - of course, if we look at the matter optimistically - did not understand my words and entered the fray, and everyone saw how the election became an excuse to attack and deny the essence of the regime." He continued: "Some say a statement was made back then, let's move on; however, it should be noted that if a statement is made in support of someone that contradicts their words and positions, that person must declare their opposition; otherwise, it will be attributed to them." The leader of the Islamic Republic, who is said to have ordered the house arrest of dissenting figures, has repeatedly launched severe attacks on the protests of 2009 and the protesters in public speeches. On Sunday, July 3, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei emphasized in response to a student’s question about the house arrest that he remains sensitive to the protests against the 2009 presidential election. Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest without trial for nearly two thousand days, and since February 2011, the only change in their situation has been the transfer of Mehdi Karroubi's house arrest from the Ministry of Intelligence's 'safe house' to his home in Jamaran in February 2014. Recently, Mehdi Karroubi, in a letter to Hassan Rouhani, requested that the 'tyrannical regime' hold a court for him to explain the events that occurred to the detainees of the 2009 protests 'in legal and illegal detention centers,' to clarify his reasons regarding 'fraud' in the election, and to determine who is 'dishonorable.' Previously, some political parties and figures in Iran, including the Society of Teachers and Researchers of Qom Seminary, former President Mohammad Khatami, and Tehran MP Ali Motahari, have called for the lifting of the house arrest of these three individuals. Mr. Motahari has also called for the simultaneous trial of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, in response, 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. Although the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council has said that this body cannot report on the house arrest situation under current conditions.