Wife of Iranian opposition leader condemns harassment of family
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 2 September 2010 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Wife of Iranian opposition leader condemns harassment of family, 2 September 2010, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4cb83e6b23.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 02, 2010
Fatemeh Karrubi, the wife of Mehdi Karrubi
The wife of Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi has written an open letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemning the harassment of her family by the Basij militia and Revolutionary Guards, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.
Fatemeh Karrubi's letter was posted on the Sahamnews website, which is run by Karrubi's Etemad-e Melli party, on September 1. In it, she says the hard-liners had surrounded their Tehran home for three consecutive nights.
Today, the same website reported that the harassment continued for a fourth night and suggested the "brutal attacks" on Karrubi's home are aimed at intimidating him ahead of Quds Day rallies on September 3, when officially sanctioned demonstrators typically heap scorn on Israel. Karrubi had expressed his intention to participate in rallies.
More than 50 members of the Basij militia and men in civilian clothes, armed with tear gas, handcuffs, and batons, began assembling in front of Karrubi's home late last month.
Fatemeh Karrubi said in her open letter that they used "vile language against my husband and family, writing slogans on the walls of our building and vandalizing property."
Addressing Khamenei, she wrote that "these manifest crimes were committed in the name of support for Your Excellency and in front of the police."
Mehdi Karrubi, who ran unsuccessfully in the June 2009 Iranian presidential election, has repeatedly criticized the Iranian leadership, saying recently that one cannot rule a country by "inflicting horror on people and intimidating them."
Karrubi's wife in her letter to the supreme leader asks, "What do my husband's disagreements with you have to do with our family's right to live?"
According to Sahamnews, following the publication of the open letter, the Basij militia assembled in front of Karrubi's home on September 1 for the fourth consecutive night, chanting slogans against him. It said they threw stones and fired paintballs at the building, breaking some windows.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
