In a public appeal earlier this month, former President Muhammad Khatami called on “the authorities” to end the house arrest of former presidential candidates Mir Hussein Mousavi and Mehdi Karorubi before President-elect Hassan Rouhani takes office in August. Even from the point of view of the regime’s interests, Khatami’s appeal makes sense. If the new president starts work while the dissident leaders are still under house arrest, Rouhani would not be able to claim that his election had helped ease tension in the country. If, on the other hand, the two men are set free after Rouhani is sworn in, the impression would be that they were locked up by outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 10:03:47 +0000