Mir Hossein Mousavi photograph emerges in Iran

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/13/mir-hossein-mousavi-photograph-emerges

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An image has emerged of Iran's opposition leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi, who remains under house arrest despite growing fears for his health.

It appears to be the first picture of the former presidential candidate for three years, ever since he was confined to his house in Tehran.

Those guarding Mousavi have strictly restricted his movements and communications. The photograph was taken when Mosavi was taken to hospital recently suffering a heart condition. It appeared on the opposition website Kaleme on Tuesday, Iran's national father's day.

Mousavi has been under house arrest with his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, also an outspoken critic of government. The couple and another former presidential candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, were placed under house arrest in February 2011 after they called for street protests in solidarity with pro-democracy movements in Egypt and Tunisia.

Both had disputed the 2009 Iran presidential election result, which gave Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a second term in office, and alleged the results were rigged.

Mousavi and Rahnavard's three daughters have become alarmed about their father's health in recent weeks, and have called for immediate care.

Earlier this month one daughter, Nargess Mousavi, posted on Facebook that the authorities were refusing to give any updates on her father and that they had not been able to meet or speak since the opposition leader was taken to hospital a few weeks ago. Mousavi has been treated with angioplasty, a technique used for widening arteries. "We, the children of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, have no news about the situation of our mother and father since then," Nargess posted on Facebook.

Both Mousavi and Karroubi are suffering age-related medical complications: both are over 70 and were taken to hospital a number of times last year. Neither has been put on trial nor publicly charged, prompting some to claim that their house arrest is illegal.

Senior hardliners in the regime have signalled that they could be freed if they repent but Mousavi and Karroubi have so far refused.

The election of President Hassan Rouhani last year had raised hopes for their release but the new leader has so far remained silent

Although the terms of their house arrest have been relaxed – for example, their families have been able to visit them more frequently – the confinement has not been lifted.

Karroubi's son, Mohammad Taghi, told the Guardian in February that his father is allowed to watch national television and can read two state-run newspapers selected by the authorities, but has no access to a telephone or satellite channels. Immediate family members can visit him once a week, he said at the time.