Security Forces Transfer Mousavi to Hospital Twice in 24 Hours, But Refuse Hospitalization

Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest for nearly 1,000 days.

Over the past 24 hours, Mir Hossein Mousavi was transferred twice to the Tehran Heart Center. According to Kaleme website, after a two-month delay, on Tuesday, July 2, Mir Hossein Mousavi was transferred to the Tehran Heart Center for some medical tests. The Committee of Human Rights Reporters reported that Mousavi was again transferred to the Tehran Heart Center at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 3, due to severe blood pressure fluctuations. He was released at 11:00 p.m. after his vital signs improved. On both occasions, a large group of security forces escorted Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard, both of whom have been under house arrest since February 27, 2011. Despite orders from specialists on Tuesday, security forces refused to allow Mousavi’s hospitalization and he was taken away from the hospital after the tests. Mir Hossein Mousavi suffers from dizziness and drops in blood pressure.

Mir Hossein Mousavi suffered cardiac problems in August 2012, and was transferred to the Tehran Heart Center’s Cardiac Care Unit, where he underwent angiography. According to Kaleme, Mousavi should have received his medical tests two months ago, but was only taken to the hospital yesterday.

According to the Kaleme report, while at the hospital and in presence of the Heart Center’s medical personnel, Zahra Rahnavard objected to the security forces’ refusal to allow the couple to visit with their daughters. Over the past eight months, with the exception of two short visits, Mousavi and Rahnavard’s daughters have not been allowed to visit with their parents and the couple have not been allowed to make phone calls to their children.

On February 27, 2011, security forces arrested Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two presidential candidates, along with their wives Zahra Rahnavard and Fatemeh Karroubi, in the aftermath of the disputed 2009 election. Fatemeh Karroubi was later released, but Mousavi, Rahnavard, and Karroubi have remained under house arrest since then. Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi are hopeful that the new Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, may end their house arrest.