Date : 13/02/2012
LONDON, Feb 13 (KUNA) -- British Foreign Secretary William Hague called
Monday for the immediate release of Iranian opposition leaders.
In a terse statement, Hague said "It is now a year since Iranian opposition
leaders Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi were placed under house arrest
along with their wives, Zahra Rahnavard and Fatemah Karroubi".
On February 15, 2011, members of the Iranian Parliament called for their
execution on allegations of spurious political offences, it added.
"Iran has repeatedly ignored calls from the international community for
their immediate release," the minister noted.
Today they all remain in detention without charge, with the exception of
Fatemah Karroubi. They are only allowed fleeting and usually supervised
contact with their children, the statement said.
"Iran has claimed this is for their own safety, but it is clearly a cynical
attempt to silence their voices and those of their supporters," the statement
added.
"I call again for their immediate release. Freedom of expression and
assembly are universal and inalienable rights that lie at the heart of
progressive societies and I condemn Iran's continued attempts to suppress
these rights," he stressed.(end)
he.mao
KUNA 132106 Feb 12NNNN