What Does 'They Will Be Freed One Day' Mean?

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, in an exclusive interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, responded to a question about lifting the house arrest of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, leaders of the protests against the 2009 election results, with a single sentence: 'They will be freed one day.' The freedom of these two leaders of the protests six years ago, known as the Green Movement, was among the political demands of Rouhani's supporters and even featured in his electoral promises. However, more than two years after the start of his administration, this electoral promise has not been fulfilled. Ardshir Amir Arjamand, a former advisor to Mir Hossein Mousavi in Paris, stated that there has been no visible external manifestation of government actions to lift the house arrest so far. During his electoral campaign, Rouhani had stated that 'preparations' were necessary for their freedom, identifying the need to exit what he termed a security atmosphere as a prerequisite. Qasem Shole Saadi, a lawyer and political activist in Tehran, believes that Rouhani's promises should be examined within the framework of the power structure and governance in the country. He remarked that expectations from Rouhani should be limited, given his long-standing role in security matters and that he is not a figure like Nelson Mandela or Mahatma Gandhi. If any promises have been made that are currently unachievable, people understand that the power structure does not permit it, and any small stance he tries to take will face pushback from various authorities, including the judiciary and higher officials. In January of last year, 230 members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly issued a statement declaring that not only do they consider the house arrest of what they termed 'the leaders of sedition' to be a legal action, but they also expect the judiciary to make serious decisions regarding this case after the expiration of the National Security Council's deadline. Meanwhile, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the Minister of Justice in Rouhani's government, has denied the legality of the house arrest issue. Ardshir Amir Arjamand believes that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic is the final decision-maker in this matter: 'If there is a rule of law, no one, including the Minister of Justice, can claim that imprisoning several individuals for an extended period is not a legal matter.' However, as seen in the nuclear issue, public pressure can lead to the Supreme Leader's consent to agreements, and similar occurrences could happen in other matters. Masih Mohajeri, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Jomhouri Eslami, stated in July of this year that what we heard from the leadership about Engineer Mousavi before the 2009 elections was praise. Despite this, last Wednesday, the Supreme Leader of Iran, in remarks to university officials without naming specific individuals, said that the reason for many people's lapses in what he termed 'the sedition of 2009' was a lack of insight, although he described them as 'not bad people.' Ardshir Amir Arjamand stated that the leader of the country, who is responsible for guiding the nation and has repeatedly announced that the overall policies of the system are under his authority, must also accept responsibility. Ali Motahari, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly who has consistently followed the issue of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, quoted Ayatollah Khamenei last July, stating that from the Supreme Leader's perspective, the crimes of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi are very serious, and if they are tried, heavy sentences await them. Qasem Shole Saadi remarked that the movement that emerged at that time quickly became disruptive and exceeded the boundaries represented by those leaders, which is why they could no longer lead that movement. While Mousavi, Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard remain loyal to the structure, the system, and the Islamic Republic, their only issue is with the Supreme Leader, and not all of his positions. This is why they are not freed, as the political motivations that existed in 2009 may still persist and could have additional elements. If a competent judicial authority wishes to try them, I am ready to defend them as their lawyer. Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011 based on a resolution from the National Security Council chaired by then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.