Free Rahnavard, Mousavi, and Karroubi

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International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
by International Campaign fo...
08-Feb-2012
 

Supreme Leader Directly Responsible for Illegal Detentions of Opposition Leaders

(8 February 2012) Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, should immediately release the three opposition leaders who have spent the last year under illegal house arrest and stop using extrajudicial and inhumane methods to silence political opponents, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today.

Today, nearly one year since the house arrest began, the Campaign released a multimedia project containing a detailed timeline, “News of a Kidnapping,” accompanied by a short video and a letter-writing campaign calling for the release of former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, former speaker of Parliament Mehdi Karroubi, and prominent political advisor and university chancellor Zahra Rahnavard.

“Khamenei bears the ultimate responsibility for these house arrests, which indeed are nothing short of a kidnapping,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the Campaign’s spokesperson. “Khamenei is operating above the law of the land, and the intelligence and judicial apparatus are tools of repression in his hands, operating with impunity and without any regard for the law or the constitution,” he added.

These house arrests are illegal under both Iranian and international law. Iranian law does not contain any provisions authorizing house arrests. Any detentions must be followed by proper charges and prosecution in a court of law. Authorities have not applied any of these steps in the cases of Rahnavard, Mousavi, and Karroubi.

Moreover, the detainees have not even had access to basic rights normally afforded to prisoners, such as regular visitations, proper health care, or access to lawyers. Since their house arrest, the three leaders have had minimal access to and communications with their immediate families, raising fears for their mental and physical health. For instance, during the first seven months of his confinement, Mehdi Karroubi was allowed access to fresh air only once.

No Iranian official has directly accepted responsibility for the house arrest of these opposition leaders. However, it has become apparent that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is ultimately responsible for ordering the arrests and their continuation.

On 28 January 2012, in an interview with the semi-official Fars News Agency, First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad Reza Bahonar said that Khamenei was the final decision-maker in ordering the house arrests.

“These continued illegal detentions demonstrate the epic hypocrisy of Iranian leaders,” said Ghaemi. “On the one hand, they want to claim the mantle of Arab uprisings against dictatorships, and on the other hand they are kidnapping opposition leaders and keeping them under house arrest without any due process whatsoever.”

The United Nations General Assembly, in a resolution adopted 21 November 2011, “Express[ed] deep concern at … [t]he continuing and sustained house arrest of leading opposition figures from the 2009 presidential elections.”

Calls for the release of the three leaders have been increasing in Iran. On 25 January 2012, 39 prominent political prisoners published a statement that said, “We call upon all freedom-loving citizens across the globe to create public awareness regarding the upcoming sham and rigged parliamentary elections in February, and to continue to do everything in their power to ensure that the detained leaders of the Green Movement are released in the month of February.”

On 26 January 2012, Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi supported this call and urged the international community to advocate for the release of the opposition leaders from their house arrest.

The Campaign calls on all international actors with access to the Iranian government to urge the release of Rahnavard, Mousavi, and Karroubi. In particular, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon should call on Iranian authorities to end the unjust and illegal house arrest of the opposition leaders.

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two presidential candidates in the disputed June 2009 election, along with Zahra Rahnavard, an outspoken critic and Mousavi’s wife, have been under house arrest since 14 February 2011, when they called for demonstrations in support of the Arab Spring. Fatemeh Karroubi, a social activist and Karroubi’s wife, was also put under house arrest at the time but has since been released due to medical reasons.

During a brief visit by his daughter on 7 September 2011, Mousavi told her that if she wanted to comprehend his condition, she should read Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s News of a Kidnapping, which details the kidnapping of ten notable Colombians by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. This comparison inspired the title of the Campaign’s timeline.

“When prominent figures from within the establishment are treated in such an extrajudicial and inhumane manner, the fate of regular prisoners of conscience, captive to intelligence and judicial operatives, is many-fold worse,” Ghaemi said.

The Campaign reiterated its call for the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience held unjustly in Iranian prisons solely for their peaceful opinions and beliefs.

//www.iranhumanrights.org/2012/02/house-arres...

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Maryam Hojjat

MPD & MG are Right

by Maryam Hojjat on

We must apply Internation LAWs to all our friends & foes.


bushtheliberator

said Senator Joe Biden of candidate Obama ::" a clean Negro "

by bushtheliberator on

Only two & half years here as Your Least Informed About Iran Visitor, but I've seen this same division repeatedly :: is Mousavi the center of  the righteous opposition, or just another blood-stained IRI thug to be hung from the same lamp post as the others ?

Maybe he's both,but he's not a unifying figure @ I-com.

I remain of the opinion that 'only the clerics have the arrows sharp enough to kill the Beast '. Can a charismatic cleric arise who will condemn the IRI as a failure ? a :clean Negro to unify Iranians ?


Bavafa

Well said deam MPD...

by Bavafa on

political freedom must not be only for our friends but also for our foes.  Only then we can have a democratic and free Iran.

'Hambastegi' is the main key to victory 

Mehrdad


Multiple Personality Disorder

All political prisoners,,,

by Multiple Personality Disorder on

,,, prisoners of conscience, and people under house arrest without a fair trail must be released immediately.


Jeesh Daram

آ

Jeesh Daram


آره  مادر، آزادشون کنید سر جدتون.  این بیچاره ها که کار بدی  نکردند. اولا که حامی صد در صد آرمانهای جمهوری اسلامی هستند،  سالها در خدمت رژیم بوده اند. به سهم خودشان جمهوری را تقویت کرده اند و مهم تر از همه اینکه ایشان کمک کردند شما هزاران نفر از مخالفین رژیم و دخالت اجانب در ایران را شناسایی کنید و سرشان را زیر آب کنید و به آمریکا و انگلیس نشان دهید و اطمینان خاطر بدهید که همه چیز تحت کنترلتان است و آنها نگران آزاد شدن ایران نباشند.  والله گناه است مادر جون که این افراد خادم  در زندان باشند.  اون دنیا جواب این معصیت رو کی میده؟  از فشار شب اول قبر بترسید 


Mash Ghasem

OY jaan I have opposed Musavy and IR all my adult life, but in

by Mash Ghasem on

order to properly and correctly put Musavy on trial for his crimes first we need to free him of IR's jails.

And unlike what Musavy did to my comrades and what IR is doing to Musavy now, he will have the opportunity to defend himself.

There's a vast difference between a civilized, 21st century judicial process, and what we (you and I and others ) accuse Musavy and IR of doing. I'm sure you agree with that.

At some point we need to say enough is enough, we will treat everyone according to international rules and standards, not our personal feelings. Unless we do this, we'll be forever stuck in the dark ages. Cheers

P.S. Sent you an email yesterday, did you get it?


Albaloo

I agree this type of mentality

by Albaloo on

I agree this type of mentality is what that has gotten us here. 

The action itself is illegal and should be stopped.  None of these people deserve to be treated that way. I totally support this campaign.  


Oon Yaroo

MG Jaan, Weren't 1000's of prisoners executed on Mousavi's

by Oon Yaroo on

watch in the late 80's?

Many of those poor souls were probably your friends and classmates?

What do you say to that?


Mash Ghasem

OY,your type of mentality is exactly what got us here

by Mash Ghasem on

You actually ask why they should be freed?

I ask you why not?

Since you're such an authority on human rights in Iran, please enlighten all of us and document all the crimes that Ms. Zahra Rahnavard has been involved in, that deserves such a treatment.

Today you're sitting behind your computer somewhere in US, Canada, or England and you are adamantly opposed to even freedom of your political opponents from jail. I wonder what would happen if you had an iota of authority in Iran, and could decide the ultimate fate of these people. Not a pretty picture my friend!

What is the difference between your take on political prisoners, and IR's approach? I don't see any difference.

When are we going to learn to apply one simple UNIVERSAL rule and approach to all citizens of Iran?


Oon Yaroo

Why? These people are criminals just like the rest of the IRR

by Oon Yaroo on

gang!