The June 12 election coup entered a new phase yesterday as security forces sealed shut the offices of Mehdi Karoubi, the E’temad Melli (National Trust) Party and Karoubi’s advisor, Moteza Elviri, as well as Mousavi’s senior advisor, Dr. Alireza Beheshti. 

Agents from Tehran prosecutor’s office confiscated documents at Mehdi Karoubi and the National Trust Party’s offices and sealed both shut.  According to the National Trust Party’s spokesperson, Esmaeil Gerami-Moghaddam, “At about 3:30 pm yesterday (Monday], agents from Tehran prosecutor’s office appeared at Mr. Karoubi’s office near the Sa’ad-Abad Palace in northern Tehran, kicked out Mr. Karoubi and people who sought to visit him, and sealed the office shut after interrogating the staff and confiscating office documents, papers and equipment.”

He also reported the arrest of Mohammad Yavari, editor-in-chief of the website Saham News, the National Trust Party’s mouthpiece. 

Noting that documents related to the torture and abuse of prisoners were present in Mehdi Karoubi’s office, Karoubi’s son, Hossein Karoubi, said, “Documents are kept in other places as well.  It’s not as if all documents are lost because they confiscated those here.”

Hossein Karoubi told ILNA, “They want to scare Mehdi Karoubi into not pursue these issues, and to show him that they will eventually confront him as well.  On the other hand, they want those who were tortured to be fearful of visiting Mehdi Karoubi.” 

Morteza Elviri and Alireza Beheshti Arrested

Following the closure of Mehdi Karoubi’s office, agents from Tehran prosecutor’s office appeared at Morteza Elviri’s house and arrested him after searching his house.  Morteza Elviri was Mehdi Karoubi’s advisor and ran Karoubi’s Committee to Protect Election Integrity.  He also served on committees to investigate detainee conditions.

A few hours after the closure of Karoubi and National Trust Party’s offices, and Morteza Elviri’s arrest, Dr. Alireza Hosseini Beheshti, son of Ayatollah Mohammad Hosseini Beheshti, was also arrested.  Dr. Beheshti was Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s senior advisor and the spokesperson for the committee to investigate detainee conditions.

Warning

Following the recent developments, on Tuesday Alireza Nourizadeh, Mohsen Sazegara and Mohsen Makhmalbaf published a note warning the Iranian people of the imminent arrest of Mousavi and Karoubi.  The note states, “The coup government seeks the imminent arrest of Messers Mousavi and Karoubi to, in its own imagination, complete the coup and suppress the green movement’s leadership.  In that case, the Iranian people will pour onto the streets until all political prisoners are released and, in the absence of Messers Mousavi, Karoubi and Khatami, the green movement’s leadership will be transferred to outside Iran in order to deprive the dictatorship of a sound sleep.”