Iranian opposition leaders in danger, group says

The claim by the group, International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, indicates a serious escalation in the Iranian government's effort to silence the opposition movement that grew out of protests over the disputed presidential election in June 2009.

The two - Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi - had been under house arrest since calling for a Feb. 14 rally in solidarity with the protesters in Egypt who had just ousted President Hosni Mubarak. The demonstration, which authorities had warned was illegal, was the largest show of strength by Iran's opposition in more than a year, and three people were killed in clashes with security forces.

Mousavi ran for president in the 2009 election against the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was declared the winner despite widespread charges of irregularities. Karroubi, an ex-speaker of the Iranian parliament, also ran on a pro-reform platform in the election.

While under house arrest, Iranian security forces patrolled the streets in front of their houses and kept visitors and relatives from entering.

The New York-based human rights group said in a statement Sunday that a neighbor and a witness reported that the security personnel at both houses are gone, and there was no sign that the leaders or their wives were still in their homes.

The group quoted an unnamed source as saying the two leaders and their wives had been taken to a "safe house" in the Tehran area. The group said that in the Iranian context, a "safe house" is often a place where detainees are mistreated by Revolutionary Guards forces as a way to extract confessions without any judiciary oversight.

In a stormy Feb. 15 session of the Iranian parliament, members clamored for the two to be put to death. Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the rights group, said their disappearance under these circumstances means they are in danger.

"Given the lynch-mob-like calls for their execution by numerous Iranian politicians and clerics, there is reason to be deeply concerned for their safety and well-being," he said.

This article appeared on page A - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle

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