PHOTO: Detained Green Movement leaders Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Zahra Rahnavard
Iran’s opposition leaders, under strict house arrest since February 2011, have renewed their call for a fair trial.
Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi — both candidates in the disputed 2009 Presidential election “won” by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — and Mousavi’s wife, academic and artist Zahra Rahnavard, were detained amid regime fears of renewed mass protests. Despite calls by reformists and some MPs, the Supreme Leader has rejected any legal hearing over the claims of their “sedition”.
Karroubi’s son Mohammad Taghi passed on a message from his father, in an interview with the International Center for Human Rights in Iran:
[He] has always wisely welcomed a trial because he wants history to record the fact that the leaders of the Green Movement were not afraid of being tried. He has no fear of going to trial… as the Persian saying goes, “Let their shame be exposed.”
Despite its repeated blocking of any legal process for the detained trio, the regime offered an opening earlier this month when judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei suggested that the leaders could finally be tried:
The [National Security Council’s order [for house arrest] still stands, but if it decides to change its decision and put the leaders of the sedition on trial, the Judiciary is prepared to do so because we believe they have committed crimes that they should be prosecuted for.
Mohammad Taghi Karroubi then wrote the head of judiciary, Sadegh Larijani:
Since the 2009 crisis, my father has directly and indirectly asked 11 times to be put on trial based on Article 168 of the Constitution. For the umpteenth time my father asks [you] to definitely act on this promise—or threat.
He has always been ready to face trial, but unfortunately the Islamic Republic has preferred to continue its unlawful behavior and Hassan Rouhani’s Government has not taken any steps in this regard to carry out its duty in defending the Constitution.
Mehdi Karroubi passed another message through his son:
Ask the people to pray for [judicial officials] so they could gain the courage to try me in an open court and reveal who committed crimes.
Was it us with our civil protests? Or was it those who dragged down the country and the revolution for short-sighted gains?
During his house arrest, Mehdi Karroubi has undergone six operations. He is suffering from spinal disc problems.
President Rouhani said in his 2013 campaign that he would seek the end of the house arrests, but he was quickly blocked by hardliners, including the Supreme Leader.