Letter from 70 Academic Figures to Rouhani Protesting Silence on House Arrest

Seventy academic figures residing in the United States and Canada have sent a letter to Hassan Rouhani protesting against his 'silence and indifference' regarding the 'illegal' house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi. This letter, which includes signatories such as Noam Chomsky, Ervand Abrahamian, Janet Afary, Nira Touhidi, Ali Mirsepassi, and Michael Walzer, was published on the anniversary of the 2009 protests. The full text of the letter was released on Wednesday (June 16) on the 'Kaleme' website, and the signatories emphasized that they understand the lifting of the house arrest of these three individuals is beyond the powers of the executive branch. They stated that their protest against the punishment that these three have endured for over six years, along with serious illnesses, is 'above all a humanitarian and ethical demand.' The letter also addresses Rouhani as a 'jurist' and reminds him that 'in no legal system in the world, including Islamic jurisprudence, is punishing critical citizens without a competent court ruling ever legally justified.' It mentions that Mousavi and Karroubi protested in 2009 along with 'a significant portion of the Iranian people against the fraud in the electoral process and the manipulation of the results,' which was not tolerated. The signatories added that 'if the peaceful protest of such prominent figures is not tolerated in the Islamic Republic, then by extension, the peaceful protests of ordinary citizens will also not be tolerated.' They wrote to Rouhani that until 'effective steps are taken to resolve this issue, the international community cannot affirm your government's determination to implement internal reforms.' The letter also clearly asks the Iranian president to at least 'prepare the grounds for the trial of the accused in a competent public court.' In another part of the letter, Rouhani is urged to 'fulfill his commitment to bring freedom to all political prisoners who have been unjustly imprisoned.' This letter comes at a time when Hossein Karroubi, the son of Mehdi Karroubi, stated last week that he doubts the lifting of the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders before the 2017 elections. Ali Motahari, a member of parliament, also reported in July 2015 that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic opposed the trial of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi. During his 2013 election campaign, Hassan Rouhani repeatedly promised, both directly and indirectly, to lift the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders if he attained the presidency. Nearly three years after Rouhani came to power in Iran, this promise has not yet been fulfilled, and some government officials have stated that the government has no authority in this regard. Meanwhile, on June 3, Ardshir Amir Arjamand, an advisor to Mir Hossein Mousavi, said the government could do something regarding the house arrest. Mr. Amir Arjamand stated that 'in our opinion, it can do something, including, and most importantly, clarifying the legal status of the house arrest.' Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard have been under house arrest since February 14, 2011, and efforts to lift their house arrest have so far been fruitless.