Mohseni Eje'i Calls Reports of Security Forces Leaving Karroubi's House 'Absolute Lie'

While the family of Mehdi Karroubi reported last week on the promise of Hassan Rouhani's government to remove security agents from the house arrest location, the spokesperson of the judiciary on Sunday, August 20, dismissed the reports as 'absolute lie.' Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i, in a press conference responding to a question, said, 'Who said' the promise to remove security agents from Mehdi Karroubi's home 'has been implemented? This is an absolute lie.' Meanwhile, Mohammad Taghi Karroubi, Mehdi Karroubi's son, tweeted in response to Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i's remarks: 'The government has committed to ensure that security agents leave the house when my father returns to the place of house arrest and that the control of the house arrest will be conducted from outside.' He also shared a photo of his father's surgery on Twitter, stating: 'Instead of referring to a resolution that Rouhani denies, Eje'i should focus on the inherent duties of that branch and hold a public trial so that whoever has a flaw in them will be disgraced.' In the meantime, the judiciary spokesperson emphasized that those who 'incite' regarding the house arrest of the leaders of the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election should be dealt with. He stated: 'We will not act under the influence of media hype and sometimes this hype harms the person they think they are helping (Mehdi Karroubi).' Mr. Karroubi has been on a hunger strike since Wednesday, August 16, and has demanded the removal of security agents from his place of detention and a public trial. Mehdi Karroubi's hunger strike has received widespread attention on social media, with several political and civil activists calling for the fulfillment of his demands. Following the 'agreement to remove security agents' from Mehdi Karroubi's house arrest by Rouhani's government, Mohammad Taghi Karroubi announced the end of his father's hunger strike and stated that the government would make every effort to fulfill the second condition, which is a public trial for Mr. Karroubi. Prior to the hunger strike, Mehdi Karroubi had been transferred to the hospital due to a heart condition, and Mohammad Taghi Karroubi announced on August 6 that after two angiographies due to his father's low heart rate, a pacemaker was installed in his heart. The judiciary spokesperson also announced on Sunday that 14 managers of Telegram channels have been sentenced to three months to five years in prison. Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i added that the verdict for eight managers of Telegram channels has been issued, but he cannot announce it due to the lack of finality of the verdict. His reference to the issuance of a verdict for eight managers of Telegram channels may refer to managers of Telegram channels close to the government and reformists who were arrested last March. These arrests prompted 30 members of parliament to question the Minister of Intelligence about the status of the detainees, the reasons for their arrest, the process of handling their charges, and the reasons for their continued detention and uncertainty. In this context, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, criticized the detention of managers of several Telegram channels on April 10 and threatened to publish the Ministry of Intelligence's report on this matter. Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence, also stated that the government opposes the detention of managers of Telegram channels. However, Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i reacted to these remarks by saying that 'there are issues related to the Minister of Intelligence himself in this case,' and he cannot prepare a report on this case. In response, the Minister of Intelligence said: 'I do not recognize any crime for the admins that I should be an accomplice to. It seems they are my accomplices. Defending the government is not a small crime.' Following this, Mahmoud Naqvi Hosseini, the spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament, announced that one of the detainees was an admin of the Minister of Intelligence's Telegram channel. International organizations advocating for freedom of expression, including Reporters Without Borders, have repeatedly named Iran as one of the enemies of the internet. The spokesperson of the judiciary also announced that a new verdict has been issued for Mohammad Ali Taheri, the founder of the Circle of Spirituality, but he cannot disclose the details due to the lack of finality of the verdict. Mr. Taheri established an institute called 'Circle of Spirituality' in 2001 and engaged in activities related to 'Iranian complementary medicine, spiritual healing, and Scientology.' He was arrested in 2011, and the initial sentence issued for him was 'death.' However, his death sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2016, and the case was referred back to the Revolutionary Court for reconsideration.