Iran's Karroubi under house arrest after calling for rally

TEHRAN: Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi has been put under house arrest according to his official website after calling for a rally in support of Egypt and Tunisia, the BBC reported.

Karroubi and Hossein Mousavi, another opposition leader, submitted a request on Saturday to hold a peaceful rally on February 14 to support the Arab uprisings. Authorities called it a political move and refused permission.

Security officials at the premises say the measures will last until February 14, and no one is being allowed to enter the house except his wife. His sons told the BBC that they each tried to enter the house to see their father, but were stopped from doing so.

Although Iran's establishment supports the Egyptian popular protests, a spokesman for Iran's judiciary said on Wednesday that Iranians should show their solidarity by taking part in official rallies this Friday to commemorate the anniversary of Iran's revolution.

Karroubi, a 72-year-old cleric and former parliament speaker, ran against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the disputed 2009 election which returned the hardline leader to power. The February 14 rally would have been the first mass opposition rally in Iran since 2009.

(Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. )