The European socialist parties have called for the release of Iranian opposition leaders MirHosien Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and all Iranian political prisoners.
Kaleme website reports that at a conference in Tunisia the European socialist parties expressed their support for the “freedom movement of Iran” and condemned its “cruel oppression” by the government.
Kaleme adds that Daryoosh Amirarjmand, MirHosein Mousavi’s senior aide, participated in the conference, which had been organized around the agenda of “supporting the democratic movements of the region.”
Mousavi and Karroubi have been under house arrest since February for rallying demonstrations in support of Arab uprisings in the region.
People responded en masse, prompting the government to forcefully quell the demonstrations, which led to the death of at least two protesters.
The Iranian establishment refers to Mousavi and Karroubi as the “leaders of the 2009 sedition” because they challenged the outcome of the 2009 presidential elections, which triggered mass demonstrations for several months. The events revealed deep rifts in the Islamic Republic government, and the conservative government responded with a severe clampdown on protesters and the reformist faction of the establishment.
Most recently, the reformist Islamic Iran Participation Front party urged that people reject the “illegal and unjustifiable” house arrest of the opposition leaders and their wives lest such actions become accepted and commonplace.
Several senior members of the Iranian clergy have also challenged the opposition leaders’ house arrest, calling it contrary to the principles of Islam.
