Students During Rouhani's Speech: 'The House Arrest Must End'

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, on December 7, in response to students' chants during Student Day celebrations for the lifting of house arrest on leaders of the 2009 election protests, stated, 'Our path and our way is the same as we promised you from the very beginning. Our covenant with you is unbreakable.' During Rouhani's speech at Iran University of Medical Sciences, broadcasted by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, a number of students chanted, 'Our message is clear, the house arrest must end,' calling for the lifting of house arrest on Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. In response to the students' chants, Rouhani said, 'My wish is the same as you express.' Following these remarks, the students chanted, 'Rouhani, Rouhani, we support you.' Meanwhile, the Fars news agency criticized the slogans raised at the event, labeling it a 'one-sided ceremony.' The agency reported that before the ceremony began, some students sang the song 'Schoolmate' and national songs were played by the hall's officials. It added that the ceremony had very high security conditions, to the extent that students were given flower bouquets upon entering but were not allowed to bring them into the ceremony. Fars also noted that upon the President's entry to the hall, some students chanted, 'Long live Mousavi, hello Rouhani' and 'Long live Rouhani, long live Mousavi.' According to this report, after the students spoke, Rouhani's speech began. At the beginning of Rouhani's speech, some shouted, 'A thousand days have passed, Mousavi has not returned' and 'Our message is clear, the house arrest must end.' During Rouhani's speech, someone loudly shouted, 'Mr. President, you promised to break the house arrest.' Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the protests against the 2009 presidential election results, have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011. Previously, some political parties and figures in Iran had written letters to Hassan Rouhani, urging him to pursue the lifting of their house arrest. Fatemeh Karroubi, the wife of Mehdi Karroubi, stated on October 23, 'It seems that the house arrest and illegal imprisonments are not a priority for government friends.' Among them, Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran, on October 7, wrote a letter to Rouhani, asking him, as President and head of the Supreme National Security Council, to take action to lift the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, warning that if Rouhani 'neglects' this issue, it will be pursued in the form of a question in Parliament. Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Iran's Minister of Justice, on December 3, stated that lifting the house arrest of the leaders of the protests against the 2009 presidential election results is outside the 'decision-making authority' of Rouhani's government but added that the government has decided to actively engage in other areas where it 'has a share.' The Independent Islamic Student Associations did not participate in Rouhani's speech. The Etemad newspaper described Rouhani's presence at Iran University of Medical Sciences on Student Day as 'different,' noting that one of the differences this year was 'the composition of those invited to attend the ceremony,' which included 'winners of Olympiads, Quranic, cultural, and literary competitions.' The newspaper reported that during this ceremony, Rouhani would 'listen to the speeches of ten representatives of student organizations' that are 'not political.' This non-political aspect did not sit well with some student factions critical of the government, and on Saturday, the Independent Islamic Student Associations announced in a letter to Rouhani that they would not participate in Student Day ceremonies, citing that conditions for expressing opinions for legal student organizations were not provided. Rouhani continued his remarks on Sunday, stating, 'Hundreds and thousands of companies are waiting for future conditions to enter Iran and provide the country with investment and necessary resources, while we have a minority that is not very happy with this situation.' Rouhani expressed hope that this group would overlook their 'short-term interests,' asserting that the success of foreign policy is in the interest of the Iranian people and the stability of the country. Rouhani's reference to foreign companies' interest in investing in Iran comes amid recent controversy over the Iranian Ministry of Industry granting a license to Philip Morris to establish a cigarette factory in Iran with an annual capacity of 12 billion cigarettes, which has drawn protests from Ahmad Jannati, Secretary of the Guardian Council, and the Iranian Parliament's Article 90 Commission regarding the issuance of this license. Rouhani also stated, 'Those who are currently responsible for foreign policy, from the head of the government to the foreign minister and experts, are revolutionary individuals with backgrounds dating back to the early days of the revolution.' He remarked, 'A group of newcomers, whom we respect, should not be so worried about the future, the values of the revolution, and the values of Islam.' These remarks were met with applause and cheers from the students present. Rouhani also mentioned that 'the world' believes that Iran's nuclear negotiations with the 1+5 countries are 'serious, logical, and forward-moving.' Since the beginning of the nuclear negotiations under Rouhani's administration, hardliners, especially the radical branch of the Steadfast Front, have expressed severe criticisms of the nuclear negotiating team's performance, including a harshly worded attack on the team during a conference on July 14. A similar conference titled 'We Are Concerned' was held on May 3, attended by several representatives from the Steadfast Front in Parliament. On August 11, Rouhani criticized those who, according to him, fear the nuclear negotiations with major global powers, labeling them as 'politically cowardly.'