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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iranian opposition leader under house arrest |
| 2011-02-12 |
| TEHRAN — Authorities placed one of Iran’s opposition leaders under house arrest Thursday, posting security officers at his door and detaining one of his aides, in response to his calls for a rally in support of anti-government demonstrations in Egypt, his website said. Iran’s hard-line rulers — who have also tried to capitalize on the uprising against their regional rivals in Egypt’s US-allied regime — are seeking to deprive their own opponents at home of any chance to reinvigorate a movement swept from the streets in a heavy military crackdown. The leader confined to his home, Mahdi Karroubi, had joined Iran’s other top opposition figure, Mir Hossein Mousavi, in asking the government for permission to hold a Feb. 14 rally in support of the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. State Prosecutor Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi rejected the demand on Wednesday and warned of repercussions if the rally takes place. Instead, he said those seeking to show solidarity with Egyptian protesters should join a state-organized rally marking the 32nd anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution on Friday. Security officers were stationed at the entrance of Karroubi’s house in Tehran on Thursday and prevented relatives, including his children, from meeting him, according to Karroubi’s website, sahamnews.org. A security official informed Karroubi that the restrictions would remain in place until after Feb. 14. He and Mousavi are the main political adversaries of the hard-line leadership. Both men ran against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in an election in June 2009 that the opposition believes was heavily rigged. Mousavi, who campaigned on a platform calling for social and political reforms, maintains he was the rightful winner and that Ahmadinejad was declared the winner through massive vote fraud. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 What, he is still alive? Wussies, quaking in fear. |
| Posted by: Mike Ramsey 2011-02-12 09:53 |