Karroubi Son Says Iran FM ‘Lying’ Over Arrest Of Opposition Leaders

Following recent claims made by Ahmadinejad’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi over the arrest of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi; Mahdi Karroubi and their wives, Karroubi’s son Mohammad Taghi Karroubi has written a letter to the minister criticising him for his outright lies regarding the matter.

In an interview with Euronews in Geneva on Thursday, Salehi claimed that Karroubi and Mousabi are “in their homes, they are living their ordinary lives.”

Authorities have been holding Mahdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Fatemeh Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard incommunicado and have deprived them of their liberties since 14 February, when hundreds of thousands of Iranians held protests in support of the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings. However, on Tuesday, Mousavi’s official website Kaleme.com reported that all four had been transferred to Heshmatiyeh Military Prison in Tehran.

“Yesterday, you were cited as claiming that the Mr Mousavi and Karroubi are free and their families [can] meet with them. The propagation of this false report was both surprising and unfortunate. Hearing this news from a figure such as yourself under the watchful eyes of the international press and the wise people of Iran, amazed everyone. You are fully aware that on 11 February, not a single member of the Karroubi and Mousavi family was allowed to see their parents, indeed, for twelve days now, they don’t know what has happened to them. I doubt whether there is a single Iranian who is unaware of the disappearance of these great people. Have you not read the aching letter of Mousavi’s children? Have you not heard the protests of the people these days? Have you not followed the news about the condemnation of these acts by a number of clergymen and well-known figures in the country?”

Karroubi questioned the extent of Salehi’s ability in managing the country’s foreign policy apparatus while adding, “can anyone believe that the country’s foreign policy chief is unaware of the most important event in his country which has become one of the most controversial issues in the international media?” he asked. “If we accept this assumption, we must ask if a person unfamiliar with the most self-evident facts about his own society can protect the national interests of a country with honour, goodwill, and wisdom in today’s complex world.”

He continued, “Are such a person and his team of associates really able to gain the trust of the international community when it comes to the peacefulness of the country’s nuclear programme?”

“Your family’s position, [your] education, [your] position as a university professor and more importantly, your soul and conscience must prevent you from resorting to such methods,” Karroubi added. “Yes, I know that for years, you’ve been active as a diplomat in Europe and know the harm that comes with such behaviours, but we do not believe that resorting to deceit is the way out.”