Members of the Parliamentary Committee for Lifting House Arrest Call for Meeting with Mousavi, Rahnavard, and Karroubi

A member of the "Committee for Lifting House Arrest" in the Parliament announced that the committee members have requested a meeting with Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, stating that "the government has come to the conclusion that continuing the house arrest will only bring loss to national interests." According to ISNA news agency, Gholamreza Heydari, a member of the reformist faction known as the Hope faction, expressed hope on Tuesday, February 9, that "the restrictions on the detainees will be lessened by the New Year." Heydari also mentioned in an interview with Etemad Online that "it seems the government has also concluded that continuing the house arrest will not benefit national interests." In response to reports about lifting the "restriction" on Mousavi and Rahnavard's visits with their daughters, he said, "They reached this decision late, but we still thank them for not delaying it further." This parliamentary representative expressed hope for a "complete lifting of house arrest" and added that he hopes "the Islamic Republic will move towards a direction where there are no political prisoners." The Khabar Online website, close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, reported on Sunday, February 8, that the restrictions on visits for Mr. Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard, leaders of the 2009 protests, have been lifted for their immediate family, allowing their daughters to visit them without a "weekly schedule". Previously, Hossein Karroubi, Mehdi Karroubi's son, announced on October 19 that the Supreme National Security Council had "approved" that some individuals could meet with his father, and based on this resolution, Ismail Doosti, a member of the National Trust Party, met with Mehdi Karroubi. It was also announced that Mojtaba Zolnoor, a representative from Qom in the Parliament and a member of the Stability Front, met with Mehdi Karroubi on the evening of Thursday, November 16. Meanwhile, Heydari announced on Tuesday that the Committee for Lifting House Arrest of the Hope faction has requested a meeting with Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi. He added, "The first time we requested, they said that the detainees themselves should make this request and provide names. When we contacted their relatives and children, they said that no, they determine this matter themselves, and there was no request from us." The Committee for Lifting House Arrest was formed to follow up on the situation of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, and its members have had meetings with Iranian officials, including the head of the judiciary. Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, announced on December 19 that "the decision made regarding creating openings in the situation of Mr. Karroubi and Mousavi (leaders of the protests against the 2009 election results) and Ms. Rahnavard is being implemented gradually." On November 1, he stated that the leaders of the protests against the 2009 election results are not under house arrest and can meet anyone they wish. These statements were met with protests from the families of Mr. Mousavi and Karroubi and several political and civil activists. Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011. Their requests to attend a public trial have not been accepted so far, and military and hardline clerics have threatened them with heavy sentences, including execution. Lifting house arrest was one of the main slogans during Hassan Rouhani's electoral rallies in 2013 and 2017, and he made promises regarding lifting house arrest, either explicitly or implicitly, in both elections. Nevertheless, several political activists have criticized Hassan Rouhani's government for not taking practical steps to lift the house arrest.