Iranian MP Ali Motahari says that if the daughters of detained opposition leaders MirHosein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard have been assaulted, then the intelligence ministry must apologize to the Mousavi family and the people of Iran.
Motahari said in an interview with Ghanoon daily that he intends to write to the minister of intelligence and, if no satisfactory response is forthcoming, he will begin procedures for summoning the minister to Parliament.
“We have to identify who the assailant was,” Motahari said; “If it is established that the individual is a ministry employee, then that person has to be disciplined and apologies must be rendered.”
He added that the families of political prisoners are already under severe strain and should not be subjected to further hardships.
Mousavi and Rahnavard’s daughters reported last week that they were assaulted by security personnel at their parents’ home. The sisters were visiting their parents, who have been under house arrest for over two years.
In response, the intelligence ministry announced that the Mousavi sisters were in fact the assailants.
Motahari went on to criticize the opposition leaders’ situation under house arrest, saying arrest without a trial is illegal and the issue needs to be resolved through fair legal procedures in an open court.
Mousavi, Rahnavard and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest since February 2011 for challenging the outcome of the 2009 presidential election with allegations of vote fraud.
