Motahari: The Leader's Opinion is to Continue House Arrest, Other Officials Do Not Intervene

Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, stated on Wednesday, November 10, regarding the continued house arrest of Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Zahra Rahnavard, that since Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, supports the continuation of their house arrest, other officials do not intervene in this matter. In a press conference at the Press Exhibition, the Deputy Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly noted that 'continuing house arrest without a judicial order is unconstitutional and illegal.' He commented on the efforts of representatives to lift the house arrest, saying, 'Sometimes we express our views on lifting the house arrest, but how much impact it has in practice depends on the decisions of high-ranking officials. Of course, these statements are not without effect on public opinion. The important point is that since the Leader's opinion is to continue the house arrest, other officials do not engage in this issue.' Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard, as well as Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, have been under house arrest since 2010. According to Kalemeh, Ali Motahari also responded to a question about Hassan Rouhani, who 'became president with the reformists' ticket but does not even talk about lifting the house arrest,' stating: 'Rouhani has also had activities regarding lifting the house arrest, having spoken with the Leader several times, or even about the media ban. However, I believe he should have acted more decisively from the beginning. He has acted somewhat passively, and this is a criticism that can be made against him.' The Deputy Speaker also criticized the artificial red lines that have been created, such as house arrest and media bans, reminding that criticism of the judiciary in our country is met with backlash, and fewer media outlets dare to criticize the judiciary. Hassan Rouhani, the President, repeatedly promised during his 2013 election campaign to resolve the house arrest issue. He stated during his election campaign: 'I believe that the future president should fundamentally seek to reduce distances and eliminate the security atmosphere in the country so that not only those who are under house arrest are freed, but also those imprisoned due to the events of 2009 are released.' Ali Motahari had previously criticized the continuation of the house arrest of the leaders of the protests against the 2009 presidential election results. He had stated in July 2014 that in a meeting with Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader described the 'crime' of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi as significant and stated that if they were tried, a 'very heavy sentence' awaited them. Despite these threats, the leaders of the protests against the 2009 election results have repeatedly called for their trial, and Mehdi Karroubi, in a letter to Hassan Rouhani, emphasized that he does not consider lifting the house arrest to be 'in his hands,' asking him to request the 'tyrannical regime' to try him in a 'public court.' In this context, Khatami called for lifting the house arrest and 'transforming the security atmosphere into a political one.'