TEHRAN, IRAN—Since calling for additional public protests, the Iranian government has intensified its pressure on the leaders of the opposition movement by placing them under house arrest. Witnesses in Iran report that iron bars have been placed in front of Mousavi’s residence, restricting access to his house.
Mehdi Karroubi, another leader of the Green Movement, is also under house arrest. Karroubi’s home is guarded around the clock by Iranian security agents.
Neither men have been charged with a crime nor have they ever been convicted of a criminal offense.
In a recent statement, a conservative member of the Iranian parliament objected to placing Mousavi and Karroubi under arrest without the benefit of a public trial.
The conservative Iranian lawmakers as well as the cleric dominated Iranian judiciary have called for the arrest and prosecution of the opposition leaders. However, the Iranian government has been timid in its response to calls for their prosecution amid fears that their formal arrest might deepen the anti-government sentiments.
According to Sahamn News, an organization affiliated withKarroubi’s National Trust Party, about thirty government agents raided Karroubi’s residence on Monday. The government operatives arrived at the home of Mehdi Karroubi around 1:00 A.M and began shouting slogans in support of the Iran’s Supreme Leader. Shortly after their arrivals, the government operatives began attacking Karroubi’s property by breaking a window and throwing sound grenades into the complex.
Later, the same government thugs who attacked Karroubi’s home began beating an onlooker after she tried to take a picture of the disturbance at the Karroubi residence.
The government guards normally posted outside of Karroubi’s home were absent and no police presence was reported.
Karroubi’s website reported the government thugs also broke into the homes of his two sons and arrested Ali Karroubi and his wife. Government’s attempt to arrest Hossein Karroubi failed because he was not home at the time.
In the meantime, an opposition group spokesperson,Ardeshir Amirarjmand, demanded the unconditional release of both Mousavi and Karroubi. He told Kaleme website”"Incarceration and imposing restrictions on the proud friends of the movement, far from discouraging the people, create a fresh and stronger motivation for protesters to persist in attaining their legitimate demands."
Friends and relatives of Mousavi have expressed concern regarding the well being of the aging opposition leader and his wife. They have not been seen or heard from since the recent public uprising in Iran.
The Iranian government has cut off the opposition leaders’ contact with the outside world in an effort to quash the Green Movement and prevent further public protests.