The United States Calls for the Release of Rahnavard, Mousavi, and Karroubi

Heather Nauert, the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, on Thursday, February 15, marked the seventh anniversary of the house arrest of Zahra Rahnavard, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Mehdi Karroubi, calling for their release and that of all political prisoners who are "unjustly" imprisoned. The statement noted that this week coincides with the seventh year of the detention of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, two candidates from the 2009 Iranian presidential election, as well as Zahra Rahnavard, Mousavi's wife and a women's rights activist. The U.S. State Department spokesperson emphasized that the continued house arrest of these three individuals violates Iran's international obligations, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees fair trials and prevents arbitrary detention and imprisonment of citizens. The statement added, "The United States urges Iran to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all individuals in Iran, including ensuring the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and the right to participate in civil society and political processes without fear of arbitrary detention or deprivation of a fair trial." The spokesperson reiterated that the international community condemns the continued house arrest of these three individuals without being informed of the charges or having a fair trial. The U.S. Department of State also called for the immediate release of these three individuals and all those in Iran imprisoned due to political or religious beliefs. Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011, and requests to end this house arrest have not yielded results. Meanwhile, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the Deputy Chief Justice, stated on February 1 this year that as long as the Supreme National Security Council's resolution regarding the house arrest of these leaders of the "Green Movement" remains in effect, the judiciary cannot take action to lift their house arrest. The legal basis for the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders has recently become a challenge between the government and the judiciary. Judiciary officials claim that the house arrest of these three individuals was carried out based on a resolution from the Supreme National Security Council, but Hassan Rouhani, the President and head of this council, denies the existence of such a resolution. Nevertheless, the judiciary spokesperson had previously stated that "Resolution 544 of the Supreme National Security Council approved the house arrest and specified that the Ministry of Intelligence should take actions regarding the detainees under the judiciary's supervision." Meanwhile, some representatives supportive of the recent government have reported gradual reductions in some restrictions on the house arrest of these three individuals. In this context, the Khabar Online website, close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, reported two weeks ago that the restrictions on visits for Mr. Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard by their immediate family members have been lifted, and their daughters can now visit them without "weekly scheduling." Additionally, a member of the "Committee for Following Up on the Lifting of House Arrest" in Parliament previously announced the request for a meeting with Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, stating that "the government has concluded that the continuation of house arrest will only bring losses to national interests." Gholamreza Heydari, a member of the Reformist faction known as the Hope faction, expressed hope that "the restrictions on the detainees will be lessened by the New Year." Following the suppression of protests against the results of the 2009 election, Iran has recently witnessed a series of widespread protests that began with economic grievances and then took on a political hue, spreading to over a hundred cities across the country. The suppression of these new protests has resulted in at least 25 deaths and thousands of arrests. In this context, Mehdi Karroubi, in an open letter to the Supreme Leader on Tuesday, held him responsible for the current political, economic, cultural, and social situation in Iran and called for "creating the conditions for structural reform of the system." He wrote in this letter: "Given your level of presence and influence in the highest echelons of the system's power, you must accept that the current political, economic, cultural, and social situation in the country is a direct result of your strategic and executive policies."