09/22/2011
The Saham News website has published the critical letter addressed to the head of Iran’s judiciary and written by Fatemeh Karroubi, the wife of opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi, who has been under “house arrest” since last February. Together with the other opposition leader, MirHosein Mousavi, Karroubi rallied protesters to demonstrate in support of the recent Arab uprisings in the region.
In retaliation, Iranian security forces put Mehdi Karroubi and Fatemeh Karroubi under house arrest in their apartment complex. They were cut off from the outside world and denied any visitors, and security forces were deployed in their apartment.
Mousavi and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, were also put under house arrest in their home.
A few weeks ago, Mehdi Karroubi was transferred to a small apartment, where there was no room to accommodate his wife.
Fatemeh Karroubi writes that the former regime treated political prisoners more humanely than the Islamic Republic does. She writes that the former regime never raided people’s private homes without a warrant and, when people were put under house arrest, security forces were not deployed inside the home.
Fatemeh Karroubi goes on to write that her husband is being held under conditions that are even worse than those faced by a prisoner in solitary confinement. She adds that Karroubi is denied basic prisoner rights, with no access to books, newspapers, regular visits or even fresh air.
