Rouhani Reiterates 'Promise to Lift House Arrest'; 'I Will Pursue It with All My Might'

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, in response to a request from a group of attendees during his speech in Kerman, promised to 'transfer' this request and 'pursue it with all my might.' Lifting the house arrest was among Rouhani's promises during the 2013 election, which he was unable to fulfill. On the same day, Ebrahim Raisi, another presidential candidate, severely criticized the government's economic programs, stating that 'the weakness of executive management has reached an unbearable point.' On Saturday, May 9, as part of his election campaign, Rouhani traveled to Kerman and Yazd, and in response to chants for lifting the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, he said, 'I promise to convey your message and pursue it with all my might.' Previously, the children of Mehdi Karroubi had criticized Rouhani, accusing him of not adhering to his electoral promises regarding lifting the house arrest of Iran's opposition leaders. During Rouhani's speech in Yazd, several attendees also raised the issue of lifting the house arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi. In recent days, the topic of the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders has been brought up in presidential election campaign meetings. In this context, Mohammad Reza Khatami, the former Secretary-General of the Participation Front and brother of Mohammad Khatami, said on Saturday at an election meeting that they are 'grateful' for Rouhani's efforts to lift the house arrest and 'are aware of the obstacles.' He also addressed Rouhani, stating, 'You are the representative of the majority of Iran and the voice of this nation within the establishment, and you must be a decisive action and a loud voice reflecting this national demand within the establishment.' On Saturday, Zahra Eshraqi, a reformist figure, also stated in another meeting that 'our first request from Rouhani is to lift the house arrest, and after that, we request the lifting of Khatami's media ban.' On Sunday, May 3, a group of attendees at Rouhani's speech also called for lifting the house arrest, but Rouhani did not directly respond to this issue in his speech, only stating that 'we do not want to keep Iran under house arrest, and we want to lift it forever.' On the same day, Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the Hope faction in Parliament, called for the President to 'negotiate' for lifting the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders and ending Khatami's media ban. The house arrest of the leaders protesting the results of the 2009 presidential election continues, while Hassan Rouhani, during his 2013 election campaign, promised to resolve the 'house arrest issue' if elected. In this regard, several political figures, including Ali Motahari, have continuously emphasized the illegality of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, although Motahari, who has discussed the issue of lifting the house arrest with the Supreme Leader, believes that the main opponent to ending the house arrest is Ayatollah Khamenei. Meanwhile, 101 university professors recently stated in a letter that issuing an order to lift the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi by Ayatollah Khamenei 'to avoid political blockage and increase social cohesion' would be 'very appropriate and effective.' Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, who protested the results of the 2009 presidential election, have been under house arrest since February 2011 without a trial, and the ban on publishing images and news of Mohammad Khatami has been in place since winter 2014. However, at the beginning of his speech in Yazd, Rouhani referred to the former President of Iran, saying, 'We are in the city of my dear brother Mohammad Khatami.' In his speech in Kerman, Rouhani also remarked that supporters of filtering social networks are 'pioneers' in using these networks during elections. He added, 'If these networks are bad, then it should be bad for you as well. If these networks are a good tool for you, why shouldn't they be a good tool for our people?' This presidential candidate promised that 'we will not allow a security atmosphere to dominate our universities again.' He also stated, 'For years, we have heard false and incorrect statistics and statements, and we have seen our country on the brink of disaster, and today our people are no longer ready to hear new lies in the country.' Rouhani also stated in the election debates on Saturday that if his government had not been in power, the virtual space would have been blocked, and candidates would not have been able to use this opportunity for their campaigns. On Tuesday, April 21, referring to efforts to block social networks, he said, 'If it were not for the efforts of the President and the government, you would not see a network that is alive and sacrifices everyone.' These statements come at a time when the human rights situation in Iran during Rouhani's four-year presidency, according to international organizations, has not improved, and student organizations within the country continue to protest against pressure and repression in universities. In this regard, Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner, has described Rouhani's government record on respecting legal freedoms as 'very weak' and criticized him for not making 'any changes' in the Ministry of Intelligence contrary to his electoral promises. The 'Freedom House' organization has also identified Iran as one of the 10 unfree countries in terms of media freedom in its latest annual report. On Saturday, Mustafa Mirsalim, a candidate from the Coalition Party in the presidential election, also stated that 'a network of corruption has elected and established its elements in all three branches of government.' According to the IRIB news agency, Mirsalim emphasized in a speech that corruption in the Islamic Republic has transformed from individual to group, then to network, and 'now we have reached institutionalized corruption.' He also stated that 'none of the officials in the executive branch' have shown any will to combat corruption 'on their own.' Mirsalim raised the question, 'Why should so many judges and prosecutors be trapped in the judiciary?' and added, 'These have been led into temptation by the corrupt elements of the executive branch.' Previously, some officials and experts have spoken about the 'institutionalized' and 'systemic' nature of corruption in Iran. For instance, Ahmad Tavakoli, a representative from Tehran in the ninth parliament, reported in May 2016 that 'corruption has become widespread, networked, and systemic,' stating that during the presidency of Sadegh Larijani over the judiciary, 170 judges were dismissed due to economic corruption. Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, criticized these statements and said, 'Anyone who says corruption is systemic should show evidence so we can pursue it.' After these remarks, Ahmad Tavakoli emphasized that the meaning of systemic corruption is that the responsible bodies for combating corruption have 'themselves encountered problems.' On Saturday, Ebrahim Raisi, a principlist presidential candidate, also stated to his supporters in Tehran that 'the weakness of executive management has brought the country's conditions to an unbearable point.' Raisi emphasized that the current situation 'requires a serious transformation in the executive management of the country.' This presidential candidate also reiterated his promises to reduce the unemployment rate to eight percent, triple the subsidies for low-income individuals, and build housing for young people. Ebrahim Raisi, addressing his supporters in Tehran, promised to create five million jobs and pay 250,000 tomans to the unemployed, which were also mentioned in the programs of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, another presidential candidate. Both principlist candidates have emphasized that their promises in this regard are feasible, but some economists have deemed the implementation of these promises impossible, stating that the cost of implementing these promises is several times the total budget of the country. In this context, on Friday, Ahmad Tavakoli, a principlist figure and former parliament representative, criticized the promises of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Ebrahim Raisi in a note. Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, and several political figures have also stated that some of the candidates' promises 'are not feasible at all' and that candidates should not make statements solely to attract votes. The competition between Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Ebrahim Raisi to attract votes from principlists and other segments of the population comes at a time when two traditional principlist organizations, namely the Combatant Clergy Association of Tehran and the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, have yet to express support for any of the candidates. Meanwhile, while Mohsen Faqihi, a member of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, stated on Saturday that the majority of members of this group supported Ebrahim Raisi's candidacy in the presidential election, Ali Ebrahimi, the director of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, denied this news and stated that this group has not yet declared a position regarding the candidates.