Guarantee Safety of Opposition Leaders in Wake of Karroubi Assassination Attempt
Family Member Reveals Evidence of Revolutionary Guard and Basiji Involvement
(8 January 2010) Today’s assassination attempt against Iranian opposition leader and cleric Mehdi Karroubi bears signs of being organized by official structures, which then coordinated with the official Fars News Agency to control information about the crime, according to a member of Karroubi’s family, who spoke to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
“These observations show that opposition figures are in danger of being eliminated by the Revolutionary Guard and Basiji militias acting incognito, to make the assassinations look like crimes by zealous citizens,” stated Hadi Ghaemi, a spokesperson for the Campaign.
“We are calling on Iranian authorities to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of this crime, and to guarantee the safety of other members of the opposition,” he said.
A family member of Mehdi Karroubi told the Campaign:
“Members of the Basij and Revolutionary Guards gathered at their garrisons prior to Mr. Karroubi’s arrival. As soon as he entered Qazvin, they appeared. Their actions were fully coordinated with Fars News Agency. As soon as Mr. Karroubi entered the private home where he was staying, Fars News reported it. The coordination between the Revolutionary Guards and Fars News was extensive.
When the Basij and Revolutionary Guards members assembled to protest Karroubi’s presence in Qazvin, two bullets were fired at his car. Fortunately the car was bullet proof. The front windshield was much stronger and only cracked. Otherwise the bullets would have entered the car and caused serious injuries.
I believe the message to Mr. Karroubi is that he is not safe anywhere he goes and if he doesn’t restrict himself to his house, he will be targeted.”
Local sources in Qazvin confirmed to the Campaign that those protesting Karroubi’s presence in Qazvin, in plain clothes, were well-recognized members of the Basij and Revolutionary Guards.
