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“My Vote Under Arrest” Support for Iran's Opposition Leaders

Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Profile image of ‘My Vote Under Arrest’ Facebook page

Iranian former presidential candidates and Green Movement leaders, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, and Mehdi Karroubi, along with Mousavi's spouse Zahra Rahnavard, have been under house arrest for around 650 days.

A group of Iranian netizens who call themselves “Green Movement supporters” have turned to social media to raise awareness and push for the release of these prisoners of conscience. A page has been launched on Facebook named My vote is under arrest.

A recent post on the page links to a flyer (pdf) that it suggests should be downloaded, printed and circulated during the upcoming religious ceremonies of the month of Muharram held across the country. The flyer quotes, among other things, an open letter by Mehdi Karroubi's family to the Islamic Republic's judicial authorities expressing their grave concern over Karroubi's state of health. In the letter, they say they hold the authorities responsible his physical well-being. The flyer reads: “They finally agreed to take Mr. Karroubi to the hospital.”

Iranian opposition websites had already reported that Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi were both shortly hospitalized on November 19, 2012. Meanwhile, prisoner of conscience Ahmad Zeydabadi, a journalist and secretary general of a reformist student organization was also taken to hospital due to critical lung problems. Mousavi suffers from serious heart problems due to which he had to undergo surgery in late August. Karroubi reportedly suffered from sudden weight loss, nausea, lack of appetite and vertigo.

Screen capture of a pro-Mousavi Blog called “chenin-goft-mirhossein” [Thus said Mir-Hossein]

The Iranian blogosphere reacted once the news made rounds. A pro-Mousavi blogger [fa] addresses the Islamic Republic leader: “Seyyed Ali [Khamenei]! Mirhossein [Mousavi] is your last chance! As long as there is still time, hand over the administration of the country to him so that perhaps the nation will forgive you. Otherwise, the ashes under this fire will haunt you!” [link to video of protest included in the original post]

It is not the first time Iranian netizens remember the two jailed opposition leaders. For their 600th day of detention they published this video on YouTube:

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