Detained opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi was allowed a visit from his family on the occasion of Iranian New Year celebrations.
Karroubi, who was visited by his sons and wife after four months of complete isolation, has been under house arrest since February of 2011 and is currently being held in a small apartment where the visit took place, according to Saham News.
Hossein Karroubi wrote about the visit on his Facebook page, saying they spent about 12 hours with his father on Tuesday, the first day of the New Year.
According to Hossein Karroubi, this was the first visit with his father that was not supervised by security officials. He also indicates that they discussed several issues around the country’s political situation.
Hossein Karroubi reports that his father’s morale is still high despite the isolation from his family and the outside world.
Karroubi has reportedly told his family that he still stands firmly by his political convictions, adding that “the higher the costs, the more we will appreciate our accomplishments later and will work harder in preserving our achievements.”
Mehdi Karroubi together with MirHossein Mousavi, another reformist presidential candidate, challenged the results of the 2009 presidential election and accused the state of vote fraud. Those allegations led to mass demonstrations, which were met with severe violence by the Islamic Republic establishment. Many deaths and arrests culminated in the house arrest of Karroubi and Mousavi along with their wives, Zahra Rahnavard and Fatemeh Karroubi.
Fatemeh Karroubi was denied the right to stay with her husband after he was moved to a smaller apartment.
Karroubi reportedly sent a message of congratulations to the Iranian people on the occasion of the New Year and conveyed his hope to see the “people and the country’s success and victory in the near future.”
