Iran opposition leader placed under house arrest

Mehdi Karroubi, an Iranian opposition leader, has been placed under house arrest, according to his own official website.

Reportedly, the arrest will remain in force until next week, with only his wife permitted to enter his home.

Karroubi, 72, and another prominent opposition figure, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, recently called for a public demonstration in Tehran as an expression of support for the anti-government protesters in Egypt and Tunisia. However, Iranian rulers forbade the request.

While the Iranian authorities officially support the popular uprising in Egypt, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary suggested Iranians can demonstrate their support for anti-Mubarak forces by
commemorating the anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution this Friday.

According to the state-run IRNA news agency, a senior commander of the Revolutionary Guard in Tehran, Hossein Hamedani, said that opposition members will be dealt with by force if required.

The seditionists are nothing but a dead corpse and we will strongly confront any of their movements,” he said.
“The seditionists should know that no one will be fooled by them anymore to protest against the result of the vote. We definitely consider them as counterrevolutionaries and spies, and we will strongly confront them.”

Similarly, State Prosecutor Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei said that the opposition’s wish to hold a rally in support of Egypt (separately from the anniversary of Iran’s own revolution) was politically motivated.

“Choosing another day would mean that they have separated themselves from the people and that would lead to divisions and discord,” he said. “This is a political act, but the people have to be aware, and if required, they will respond to them.”

Karroubi, a cleric and former parliament speaker, is head of the National Trust Party and ran against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the 2009 election – Ahmadinejad’s victory in that campaign led to widespread unrest throughout Iran.

Moreover, according to Sahamnews, another opposition member, Taghi Rahmani, was also recently arrested. Rahmani had campaigned for Karroubi ahead of the disputed 2009 presidential vote.