Reuters: Rouhani Under Pressure to Improve Human Rights Situation in Iran

Reuters reported in an article titled "Rouhani Under Pressure to Improve Human Rights Situation" that Hassan Rouhani criticized the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the judiciary with critical slogans and tone in the days leading up to the presidential election, which was unprecedented for officials in the public forums during the life of the Islamic Republic. The report, published on Tuesday, June 9, states that from the perspective of Rouhani's supporters, the time to fulfill these promises has arrived. Millions of supporters of Iran's new president want him to take serious actions to improve the human rights situation. Hadi Ghaemi of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran in New York says, "The majority of Iranians have proven that they want to improve the human rights situation and their expectations in this regard are very high." According to Reuters, at a gathering of Rouhani's supporters after his election victory, the people's emphasis on this issue was evident. The slogan "Ya Hossein - Mir Hossein" was repeated many times, referring to the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the candidate from the 2009 presidential election. Human rights organizations state that during the crackdown on protesters following the 2009 election results, dozens of demonstrators were killed and hundreds were arrested. Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard, as well as Mehdi Karroubi, a reformist cleric, have been under house arrest since then. However, experts believe that if Hassan Rouhani wants to pressure for their freedom, he will face severe resistance and sabotage from hardline factions aimed at undermining his second presidential term. According to the Iran Human Rights Center, prior to the presidential election, several journalists and political and civil activists were arrested, and the fate of these individuals has been highlighted again by Rouhani's supporters. Human rights groups report that many political prisoners are held in solitary confinement and have long been denied the right to visit their families. Iran is among the countries that issue and carry out the death penalty at a high rate. According to a United Nations report, at least 530 executions were carried out in Iran in 2016. Rouhani's supporters expect him to strive for the basic and fundamental rights of citizens that affect their daily lives, including preventing harassment of women by police regarding hijab issues or the cancellation of concerts by the judiciary. Reuters wrote that during his first presidential term, Hassan Rouhani prioritized achieving a nuclear agreement that led to the lifting of most sanctions against Iran after the signing of the JCPOA. As a result, human rights issues were effectively sidelined. However, now that the nuclear agreement has been implemented, Rouhani's supporters are waiting for a change in this regard. His decisive victory in the election may provide him the opportunity to finally address human rights issues. However, evidence suggests that the hardline faction is also preparing for a battle. The head of the judiciary harshly attacked Rouhani on Monday, June 8, due to his mention of the house arrest issue. According to the judiciary-affiliated news agency Mizan, Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani said, "What business do you have to break the house arrest?"