The U.S. Condemns Continued House Arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi

On the eighth anniversary of the house arrest of Zahra Rahnavard, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the protests following the 2009 presidential election, the U.S. State Department condemned the continuation of their house arrest, stating it contradicts Iran's international obligations and is against the laws of the Islamic Republic. Robert Palladino, the deputy spokesperson for the State Department, in a statement released on Thursday, February 25, criticized the ongoing house arrest of these three individuals as inconsistent with conventions related to political and civil rights, which at a minimum require a fair trial. Zahra Rahnavard, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest since February 25, 2010, without a trial or judicial ruling against them. Several officials of the Islamic Republic, including Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, have repeatedly stated that the continuation of the house arrest of Mousavi, Rahnavard, and Karroubi is at the request of Ali Khamenei, and its end can only come with his order. Critics of Hassan Rouhani argue that although one of his main campaign slogans in both of his electoral campaigns was to end the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders, he has shown no will to do so. For instance, five months ago, Gholamhossein Karbaschi, the Secretary-General of the Executives of Construction Party, severely criticized Rouhani's government, stating that ending the house arrest was 'not a priority for Hassan Rouhani' and that he only focused on foreign policy. However, recently, the Saham News website, close to Mehdi Karroubi, reported that Hassan Rouhani had requested the lifting of the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders in a letter to Ali Khamenei, but the Supreme Leader opposed this once again. In recent months, reports about the lifting of some restrictions on the house arrest of these three individuals have emerged, but their relatives have denied these reports. The remarks of Hesamoddin Ashna, an advisor to Hassan Rouhani, indicating that 'only a shell remains' of the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders, also faced a reaction from judicial officials, and the Tehran prosecutor announced that a 'prosecution notice' had been issued for the speaker of these remarks, and the case had been sent to court. Robert Palladino, in his statement, also reminded that in addition to Mousavi, Karroubi, and Rahnavard, hundreds of people in Iran remain imprisoned for political reasons, and the extent of internal repression last year led to it being referred to as a 'year of shame' for the Iranian government. According to the statement, in addition to at least 26 protesters who died during protests or in prison, the Iranian regime arrested and imprisoned at least 7,000 individuals who engaged in peaceful protests last year, and the scope of its repression extended to farmers, journalists, ethnic and religious minorities, teachers, truck drivers, environmental activists, students, and women. The deputy spokesperson for the State Department called for the immediate release of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, as well as hundreds of prisoners who were arbitrarily detained and condemned without a fair trial.