Karroubi: I am prepared to face anything

Mehdi Karroubi

In a meeting with representatives of the Human Rights Defenders Centre and National Council of Peace, Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi announced that he is ready for any eventuality .

The disputing candidate of Iran’s June presidential elections whose advocacy for the victims of alleged rape and torture in Iran’s prisons in the post-election events has made him the target of fierce criticism and anger from the conservative faction of the establishment, was informed earlier that the state is suing him for “fabricating evidence and making unfounded accusations” regarding abuses in the prisons. He has repeatedly announced that he welcomes an opportunity to appear in court as a chance to reveal every detail about the various violations committed against the detainees.

In his latest remarks on Monday in the meeting with the human rights activists at his home, Karroubi once more expressed his support for people’s protests and maintained “The activists of the Green Movement are after reform, not subversion.”

The post-election protests against the alleged fraud to secure Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory in the June presidential elections, has been referred to by many as the “Green Movement.” The government has confronted people’s peaceful protests with fierce violence resulting in tens of deaths and thousands of arrests. The authorities allege that the protesters are trying to topple the government, a claim that opposition leaders have repeatedly rejected.

Tagheer website reports that Mr. Karroubi's visitors expressed their concerns about the military atmosphere of the society, the violations of the constitution and the deepening of the economic crisis. They also expressed their regrets about the continued incarceration of numerous political activists such as Issa Saharkhiz, Abdollah Momeni, Ahmad Zeidabadi and Keyvan Samimi.

Mr. Karroubi maintained: “Those who thought they can terminate this business with such pressures have realized that they were wrong.”

In the election protests, a number of people were shot on the streets by the armed forces. A number of detainees were killed while in custody due to alleged torture and beatings.

Furthermore, over one hundred prominent detained reformists were presented in mass trials where many recanted their allegations of fraud in the elections and incriminated themselves in subversion. Opposition and human rights groups claim that the confessions were coerced.

Recently a number of these prisoners have been receiving long prisons sentences and a few were even sentenced to death.

Despite the pressures, tens of thousands of people once more joined an anti-government march on September 18, and since the opening of the universities, students have participated in various anti-government protests.

Another mass demonstration is planned for November 4th by protesters of the election outcome.

Mr. Karroubi and the representatives of the human rights groups also condemned the widespread ban of reformist publications and dailies in the recent months. Mr. Karroubi’s Etemad-e Melli daily was closed down for publishing reports of detainee rapes in the prisons and he is accused by many conservatives of tarnishing the image of the Islamic Republic regime.

In this regard Mr. Karroubi claimed: “I reject their claim that the system’s reputation has been tarnished by these reports. Revealing these issues aims at cleansing the system.”