Conservative Iranian MP Ali Motahari has once again urged the Islamic Republic government to release MirHosein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi and Zahra Rahnavard, the opposition leaders who have been under house arrest since February 2011 for challenging the legitimacy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory in the 2009 election.
Ali Motahari stated that it is not in the interests of the system to keep these figures under arrest, adding that the only solution is that all three are brought to court in an open and public trial.
He stressed once more that according to the law, anyone who is arrested must be informed of the charges against them within 24 hours. He went on to say that these figures cannot be held in custody without a court order.
He said that dismissing these people as “traitors and seditious elements” is not enough, and a court must weigh the charges against them.
The three figures have been held under house arrest for triggering widespread protests. and since February 2011 have been held practically incommunicado except for rare visits from close family members.