Motahari's Persistence for Ending House Arrest

On Saturday afternoon, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani responded to a question about the house arrest of leaders of the protests against the 2009 election during his press conference, stating that the government alone cannot take action in such matters, but the problems that have arisen in society should not become permanent issues. On Friday, Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, had written a letter to Mohammad Yazdi, the head of the Assembly of Experts, requesting that the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders and the media ban on Mohammad Khatami, the former president of Iran, be placed on the agenda of the upcoming Assembly meeting. In this letter, Motahari expressed hope that, in his words, with the "wisdom and guidance of Ayatollah Khamenei, these two problems could be resolved." In his letter to Yazdi, Motahari stated, "Considering that the authorities responsible have not provided legal documentation or accountability regarding the media ban on the former president and the house arrest of the wartime prime minister and his wife, as well as the former speaker of parliament, it is appropriate for these two issues to be on the agenda of the upcoming Assembly of Experts meeting." According to the Islamic Republic's Constitution, one of the duties of the Assembly of Experts is to oversee the leader's actions, and this Assembly is the only body that can appoint or dismiss the Supreme Leader. Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard, as well as Mehdi Karroubi, two candidates who contested the results of the 2009 presidential election and are considered leaders of the post-election protest movement known as the Green Movement, have been under house arrest since February 2011. Based on the Guardian Council's interpretation of the Islamic Republic's Constitution, candidates for the Assembly of Experts and the Islamic Consultative Assembly must be vetted by the Guardian Council, while the members of the Guardian Council are directly or indirectly appointed by the Supreme Leader. Radio Farda sought the views of Ardshir Amir Arjamand in France, a former advisor to Mir Hossein Mousavi, regarding Motahari's letter and his request from Yazdi. Amir Arjamand stated, "The reason for the existence of the Assembly of Experts is to oversee the actions of the leader, and it was expected that this legal duty would be fulfilled. So far, this has not happened. We hope that the future composition of the Assembly of Experts will be such that it correctly fulfills this legal aspect. The house arrest of the leaders of the movement has been an act carried out by the leader. It has been a decision of the leadership, whether directly or through institutions under their supervision, which has not been clarified so far. In any case, these illegal and illegitimate actions must be monitored. Everyone expects the Assembly of Experts to carry out its only duty, which is its reason for existence. Another point is how Mr. Khamenei was able to reach an agreement with the international community, which they consider the Great Satan, but cannot reach an agreement with Mousavi, Karroubi, and Rahnavard, who were part of this system and contributed to its establishment, and cannot respect the law regarding them. This is very surprising, even for Mr. Khamenei's supporters." Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the parliament who is closely aligned with conservatives on the issue of hijab, defends reformist views on some other issues. He has stated that the involvement of the Revolutionary Guards in politics and elections is not in Iran's best interest, has described the attackers in Shiraz as having organizational orders, criticized the treatment of opponents and critics in the Islamic Republic as contrary to Islam, ethics, and the Constitution, and stated that the Prophet of Islam cannot rule that someone be under house arrest without trial except through revelation. Eisa Saharkhiz, an analyst and journalist in Iran, stated in an interview with Radio Farda regarding this matter: "Mr. Motahari has written a letter addressed to those who have effectively suspended their oversight role for years and consider themselves to be following the leader's orders. It is well known that the house arrest was a direct order from the leader that clarified this obligation. However, Mr. Jannati has stated that it has been clarified that the National Security Council did not make such a decision. Therefore, my interpretation of what Mr. Motahari has said is that it is a kind of exposure without looking to resolve the issue. He wants to throw the ball into the opponent's court. He wants the Guardian Council to react by saying that we are powerless in this regard and that it is the leader who must take such action. As a result, such an issue is raised in society and it becomes clear that Ayatollah Khamenei is behind this matter, the house arrest of the beloved citizens, Mr. Mousavi, Karroubi, and Mrs. Rahnavard. On the other hand, the media ban on Mr. Khatami has been imposed without any ruling. This, of course, would not have been possible without the order and opinion of the Supreme Leader." The issue of the media ban and the speech ban on Mohammad Khatami, the former president of Iran, was also raised in Ali Motahari's letter. Motahari had previously criticized this issue and in a letter to Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, he asked the Tehran prosecutor to clarify under which legal article and ruling of which competent court such an order had been issued. Radio Farda sought the views of Ali Asghar Ramadanpour, an analyst in Britain and a former deputy minister of culture in Khatami's government, regarding Motahari's letter and his request to address the issue of the media ban and speech ban on Mohammad Khatami: "The illegal decision of the prosecutor's office to ban Mr. Khatami from being in the media, when placed alongside the illegal house arrest of Mr. Mousavi and Karroubi, the former prime minister and speaker of parliament, without any possibility of due process, shows that in Iran, unfortunately, even the powerful cannot find accountability for their grievances, let alone ordinary citizens." Motahari's letter to the Assembly of Experts comes as the fifth term of this Assembly is set to take place on March 7, coinciding with the elections for the tenth term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly.