Member of Parliament Expresses Hope for Lifting House Arrest by Nowruz

A member of parliament expressed hope that before the Nowruz holiday, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi would be released from house arrest. Gholamreza Heydari, a member of the Hope faction and the committee for lifting house arrest, wrote on Twitter on Thursday: "Based on the latest meetings and negotiations we have had with the esteemed leaders of the branches of government and Mr. Shamkhani, our inference has been that there will be an opening for meetings with the detainees, and God willing, the house arrest will be lifted by Nowruz." Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest since March 2011 following protests against the presidential election results. Previously, officials from Hassan Rouhani's government had promised to pursue the lifting of the house arrest, which has so far been without results. Heather Nauert, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, on Thursday, February 15, called for the release of Mousavi, Rahnavard, and Karroubi, as well as all political prisoners who are "unjustly" imprisoned, on the seventh anniversary of their house arrest. During their house arrest, Mousavi, Rahnavard, and Karroubi have been transferred to the hospital several times due to health issues, raising concerns about their well-being. Meanwhile, Qasem Mirzaei Neko, a representative from Damavand, on Friday, March 4, in the margins of the memorial ceremony for Ehtiram al-Sadat Nobaveh Safavi, Rahnavard's mother, referred to Gholamreza Heydari's remarks and told ILNA news agency: "Some officials have given us promises, and part of the atmosphere has opened up." Ehtiram al-Sadat Nobaveh Safavi, Rahnavard's mother, passed away on Tuesday, March 1, at the age of 93; Mousavi and Rahnavard were briefly allowed to be present at her body with the presence of agents but were barred from attending her funeral on Wednesday. Qasem Mirzaei Neko, referring to the memorial ceremony for Rahnavard's mother, said: "Today's ceremony was also held with wisdom and rationality, and nothing has happened and will not happen, and I hope to witness an improvement in the atmosphere." Many reformist groups and figures have issued messages of condolence for the passing of Rahnavard's mother. Meanwhile, Alireza Rahimi, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Parliament, in his Telegram channel stated that "the demand for lifting the house arrest has become a widespread and significant demand," writing: "So far, no security or judicial official has made a decision or promise regarding the lifting of the house arrest... It is clear that one cannot convey to the people the definite promise of lifting the house arrest by Nowruz based on the repeated and unfulfilled promises of some officials in private negotiations." He emphasized that his colleagues expressed their personal inference regarding the lifting of the house arrest and stressed that "a rigid and pessimistic approach towards lifting the house arrest still exists among decision-makers."