Mousavi’s Premiership Era Documents Confiscated During Raid

Mir Hossein Mousavi, and his wife Zahra Rahnavard, were visited for the first time by two of their daughters on Tuesday, 8 March. Mousavi and Rahnavard have been incommunicado for almost a month. During the meeting, Mousavi told his daughters that during a raid by security forces on 14 February, the day their contact was cut off completely, numerous papers and documents from his time as Prime Minister that he described to as “documents which should not be in anybody’s possession but his,” were taken. Security forces also confiscated numerous papers, books, and CD’s pertaining to Zahra Rahnavard’s work as an artist, faculty member at arts universities, and Chancellor of Alzahra University. Mousavi also told his daughters that security forces inspected personal items such as family photograph albums as well.

“We were reassured that our parents are more determined than ever before to the commitment they made to the people,” Mousavi’s two daughters wrote in a letter published on Kaleme Website about their visit.

Mousavi’s daughters stated in the letter that their meeting was held under tight monitoring by security forces, who prevented them from discussing political issues with their parents. Security forces further asked the daughters to keep silent about the meeting. They also stated that their parents’ house arrest is just like any other imprisonment where “prisons are in the hands of armed forces.”

“After weeks of absolutely no news, on Tuesday, 8 March 2011, during separate telephone calls, security authorities contacted our aunt and uncle, summoning them for providing information. A similar event happened for only one of us, the daughters [of Mousavi and Rahnavard].  During these security meetings, it was said that the possibility of meeting with our parents was only made possible for her. They also offered the same thing to our aunt and uncle, which they did not accept. This offer was both dubious and pleasant. Really, after all these painful rumors, what daughter would resist such an offer after the bitterness of separation from one’s parents, no matter how dubious the offer? They also insisted that flowers be bought and we went to see our parents,” stated part of the letter.

“After making us make promises and emphasizing that we were not to speak about political issues, we entered a home in Pastor [neighborhood], and after passing through the house’s courtyard which was filled with security forces and a van with black windows, we entered the only room in the house. We embraced our parents who, it was clear were unaware of this meeting, with indescribable excitement. Our father’s same kind and full of compassion face. The same peace created by mother’s presence….More abusive than the ten pairs of security forces’ eyes who were watching us through the glass door, was the presence of a security force who was sitting among us self-righteously, as if he were a member of our family, ending our discussions in the way he liked with his remarks,” continued the letter.

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard’s children refer to the meeting as a big victory for the people of Iran. They have further criticized the illegal house arrest and imposed limitations on their parents, demanding the removal of the illegal measures.