Mehdi Karroubi

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Mehdi Karroubi
Chairman of Parliament
In office 3 May, 1989 – 3 May, 1992
Preceded by	Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Succeeded by	Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri
In office 3 May, 2000 – 3 May, 2004
Deputy	Behzad Nabavi
Preceded by	Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri
Succeeded by	Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel
Chairman of National Trust Party
Incumbent
Assumed office  5 August 2005
Preceded by	New Party
Chairman of Association of Combatant Clerics
In office 16 March 1988 – 20 June 2005
Preceded by	New Party
Succeeded by	Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha
Born	26 September 1937 (1937-09-26) (age 72) Aligoudarz, Lorestan, Iran
Political party	National Trust Party
Spouse(s)	Fatemeh Karroubi [1]
Alma mater	Tehran University (B.A. in Theology and Law)
Religion	Twelver Shi'a Islam
Website	tagheer.net

Mehdi Karroubi (Persian: مهدی کروبی, Mehdī Karrūbĩ; born 26 September 1937 in Aligoudarz, Lorestan) is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.

He is a founding member and former chairman of the Association of Combatant Clerics party. Karroubi is a critic of the Guardian Council and Iran's Judicial System and calls himself a follower of Iran's ex-leader Ruhollah Khomeini. By appointment of the Supreme Leader, he was a member of the Expediency Discernment Council and an adviser, posts he held until resigning from all his posts on June 19, 2005 after the first round of the 2005 presidential election.

Karroubi considers himself a pragmatic reformist. He is now the head of the Etemad-e-Melli party (National Trust or National Confidence party).^[2] He has been described as a "moderate" with a "mostly rural" base of support.^[3]

Contents 1 Education and early career 2 Domestic policies 3 Foreign policies 4 2005 presidential campaign 5 2009 presidential election 5.1 Post-election human rights activity 5.2 Attack on his vehicle 6 See also 7 Footnotes 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Education and early career

Mehdi Karroubi is from a Shia clerical family in Aligoudarz, a city in the western part of Lorestan province.^[1] He has a brother, Hassan. He married Fatemeh Karroubi, the daughter of an Aligoudarz mercantile family, when she was 14.^[1]

Karroubi studied theology and Islamic studies at seminaries in Qom and Tehran. He studied under notable figures such as Hossein-Ali Montazeri and Ruhollah Khomeini. Karroubi was promoted to Mujtahid on the recommendation of the Grand Ayatollah Yousef Sanei and others. He also studied theology and law at Tehran University.^[4]

Karroubi was imprisoned several times by the government of the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, during the 1970s, including a stint at the Qasr Prison in Tehran.^[1] His wife, Fatemeh, later recalled that she took their second son, Taghi, to meet his father at Qasr Prison for the first time when he was six months old.^[1]

Karroubi was the head of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and the Martyr's Foundation shortly after Iranian revolution.^[5]

[edit] Domestic policies

During his first term as speaker of Parliament, Karroubi was among the maktabi or "radical" faction of the majlis who contested the policies of President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. While Rafsanjani favored foreign investment and market reforms, Karroubi and others "sought to promote mass political participation and maintain state control of the economy". In fall of 1989 several radical clerics founded the Association of Combatant Clerics of Tehran, which Karroubi headed. Karroubi eventually left this association in 2005 and founded his own party, Etemad-e-Melli.^[6]

His wife, Fatemeh, served as his social affairs advisors when he served as the chairman of the Majlis of Iran from 2000 until 2004.^[1]

Among politicians in the Islamic Republic, he has been one of the leading supporters of civil rights for citizens.^[7]

Karroubi was long an advocate of women's rights and the presence of women in all social activities. He has been supportive of women taking leadership roles within their political groups.^[8]

Mehdi Karroubi, an ethnic Lur, supports an approach where all people regardless of their gender, religion, or ethnicity can feel that they are part of Iranian government. He was outspoken in supporting the rights of religious and ethnic minorities. He visited churches, synagogues and Zoroastrian temples during his time as speaker of Parliament.^[8]

Mr Karroubi is a critic of the Guardian Council and on numerous occasions wrote letters to the council expressing his concerns. He criticized the nature of the Guardian Council's supervision over the elections, saying in 2009 "I have opposed the notion of 'approbation supervision' power since it was introduced 20 years ago … But, today the problem goes beyond 'approbation supervision'. What goes on today is not 'supervision' at all. Guardian Council inspectors hold absolute authority and control over the elections".^[9]

[edit] Foreign policies

Karroubi and the National Trust Party support the idea of dialogue with the United States aiming at resolving long standing conflicts. Early after the election of Barack Obama as US president, Karroubi stated that the changes from the United States have been positive. "An important step has been taken…. I will take steps forward in this relation in accordance with national interests and national pride", he said.^[10]

Karroubi has been a critic of President Ahmadinejad's foreign policy and his infamous remarks about the Holocaust. Karroubi said: "The Holocaust is an event which did take place."^[11] He believes that the president's remarks cost Iran a great deal.^[12]

[edit] 2005 presidential campaign

Karroubi was among the reformist candidates in the presidential election of 2005, where he finished third in the vote count, closely following the front runners, ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. As neither gathered a majority of the vote, a run-off election was held on June 24, 2005, and won by Ahmadinejad.

After the announcement of the election results, Karroubi alleged that a network of mosques, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and Basij militia forces had been illegally used to generate and mobilize support for Ahmadinejad. He then explicitly alleged that Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, was among the conspirators. Ayatollah Khamenei wrote to Karroubi, characterizing these allegations as "below his dignity" and warning that they would "result in a crisis" in Iran, which he would not allow. Karroubi responded in an open letter, resigning from all his political posts, including that as adviser to the Supreme Leader and as a member of Expediency Discernment Council, both of which he had been appointed to by Khamenei. The day after, on June 20, distribution of the reformist morning newspapers Eghbal, Hayat-e No, Aftab-e Yazd, and Etemad were stopped by the prosecutor-general of Tehran, Saeed Mortazavi, for publishing Karroubi's letter, with Eghbal being completely banned from publication.^[13] It was claimed that Karroubi was subject to house arrest because of his letter.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who ranked first in the first round, also pointed to organized and unjust interventions, alleged manipulation of the vote, and supported Karroubi's complaint.^[14]

Karroubi has been described as "the best-organized" among the main candidates. He has his own party, his own newspaper and has always followed a clear political stance.^[11]

[edit] 2009 presidential election

Immediately after the 2005 presidential election Karroubi founded Etemad-e Melli Party, and along with it Etemad-e Melli Newspaper. In the 2009 election he ran as the head of his party. However, many non-party figures have also endorsed him.

He claimed to be the first candidate to announce his candidacy for the presidency. During the last months before the election, he refused a call for him to withdraw in the support of Mohammad Khatami or later Mir-Hossein Mousavi. After Khatami withdrew from the race in March, Karroubi said "I have neither signed contracts with anyone nor have been promised anything. Mr. Khatami withdrew his candidacy by virtue of his personal decision. In my meeting with Mr. Mousavi I persuaded him to join the fray."^[15] Later, both Mousavi and Karroubi stated that a union among reformists would only help Ahamadinejad's reelection, claiming that reformists needed a massive turn out in order to win and that more candidates would advance their interests.

Karroubi publicized his policies by publishing four electoral declarations. According to a paper handed to his supporters during the campaign his main policies are:

1. Returning to the planned-based system of governing and using the elite and experts in decision making process
2. Organizing financial policies and increasing the effect of national budget
3. Protecting human rights and people's privacy
4. Improving women's social status
5. Nationalizing oil profits
6. Supporting NGOs
7. Supporting the right of religious or tribal minorities
8. Supporting the domination of law and opposing and criticizing illegal behavior
9. Supporting the press and free access to the information and internet

In a 2009 interview with the AFP, Karroubi also promised to expand women's rights if successfully elected president of Iran.^[1] Among the reforms which he planned to introduce were elimination of Iran's morality police street patrols, which force an Islamic dress code on Iranian women.^[1]

He questioned mandatory Islamic dress code and proposed that Hijab needs to be optional.^[16]

His foremost economic program is for broad public ownership of the national oil and gas companies. According to this plan, adopted from the economist Dr. Massoud Nilli, company stock and profits would be shared among Iranians above 18 years of age, without the right to sell. He has predicted that this will add 70000 Tomans a month to every Iranian's income.

His campaign slogan was "Change for Iran", a word visible on his banners and other advertisements.

Former Tehran mayor Gholamhossein Karbaschi was among the first to endorse him, and was Karroubi's campaign manager. Karroubi has promised to appoint him vice president if elected.

Karroubi also gained endorsements from journalist Abbas Abdi, now his political advisor, and Jamileh Kadivar, former member of the parliament and his advisor on women's issues. Other notable supporters include: Ata'ollah Mohajerani, historian, politician, journalist, and author and former culture minister during Khatami's presidency; Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, President Khatami's chief of staff, then his Vice President for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, and finally his advisor; Mohammad-Ali Najafi, Iranian politician and university professor and former minister of education; Emadeddin Baghi, the founder and head of the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners' Rights and the Society of Right to Life Guardians, and winner of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders; Abdolkarim Soroush, philosopher and professor.

Mehdi Karroubi widely campaigned with his wife, Fatemeh Karroubi, during the campaign, which had previously been an unsual for a politician and his wife in Iran.^[1] Fatemeh Karroubi additionally served as the head of her husband's campaign in Tehran province and made separate speeches in support of her husband's candidacy.^[1] Karroubi's son, Taghi Karroubi, worked as one of his campaign managers.^[1]

[edit] Post-election human rights activity

On August 9 2009, in a letter to the Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, Karroubi demanded investigation of Iranian prisons for possible tortures and in particular sexual harassment of men and women.^[17][18] On August 19, he wrote to parliament speaker Ali Larijani, asking to meet with him, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and the state prosecutor to "personally present my documents and evidence over the cases of sexual abuse in some prisons."^[19]

Ali Larijani and Sadeq Larijani (Judiciary committee) both officially rejected his claims and Ali Khamenei's representatives and Vice Chairman of National Security Commission of the parliament demanded Karroubi's arrest.^{[20][citation needed]}

[edit] Attack on his vehicle

On January 8, 2010, Karroubi's son, Hussein Karroubi reported on Karroubi's Web site, Saham News, that shots had been fired at his armored car by pro-government demonstrators in Qazvin. Demonstrators also threw "bricks and rocks" at the flat where he was staying.^[21] The New York Times newspaper reported that he "has been pushed and shoved" and had a shoe thrown "at him — a grave insult in Iran" — since the election. "But this was the first time someone shot at him."^[21]

[edit] See also

• National Trust Party
• Green Movement
• The Green Path of Hope
• Abbas Vaez-Tabasi
• Mir-Hossein Mousavi

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mehdi Karroubi

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

• "Mehdi Karroubi: Iran’s Most Prominent Reformist Speaks". http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3&id=8613. 
• Jon Lee Anderson (April 13, 2009). "Can Iran Change? High stakes in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s reelection campaign.". New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/04/13/090413fa_fact_anderson?printable=true. 
• "Iran elections candidates: Mehdi Karroubi". Iran Focus. June 14, 2005. http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2392. Retrieved June 21, 2009. 
• Brumberg, Daniel (2001). Reinventing Khomeini : The Struggle for Reform in Iran. University of Chicago Press. p. 162. 

[edit] External links

• Official Personal Website
• Mehdi Karroubi's Campaign2009 Official Website
• Etemad-e-Melli (National Trust Party) Official Website

Political offices
Preceded by Hashemi Rafsanjani	Speaker of Parliament 1989–1992	Succeeded by Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri
Preceded by Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri	Speaker of Parliament 2000–2004	Succeeded by Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel
Preceded by None	Chairman of Association of Combatant Clerics 1988–2005	Succeeded by Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha
Preceded by None	Chairman of National Trust Party 2005–Incumbent	Succeeded by Incumbent

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v • d • e Chairmen of the Parliament of Iran since 1980 Era 1 and 2:Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (1980–1989) · Era 3:Mehdi Karroubi (1989-1992) · Era 4 and 5:Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri (1992-2000) · Era 6:Mehdi Karroubi (2000-2004) · Era 7:Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel (2004-2008) · Era 8:Ali Larijani (since 2008)

v • d • e Green Movement Goals Freedom  · Democracy  · Free Election  · Justice  · Law · Progress Events 2009 Iranian election protests  · 2009 Iran poll protests trial  · 2009 Iranian university dormitory raids  · Death of Neda Agha-Soltan  · Death of Sohrab Aarabi  · Death of Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani · The Green Scroll Campaign · Green Qods Day · Green 13 Aban · Green 16 Azar · Death of Ayatollah Montazeri · 2009 Ashura protests · Death of Seyed Ali Mousavi · Timeline of Protests Leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi  · Mehdi Karroubi · Mohammad Khatami Supporters Zahra Rahnavard  · Hussein-Ali Montazeri  · Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani  · Mohsen Sazegara · Mohammad Reza Khatami · Mohsen Makhmalbaf · Yousef Sane'i  · Jalal Al-Din Taheri  · Shirin Ebadi  · Alireza Nourizadeh · Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri · Hassan Khomeini · Abdolkarim Soroush  · Ebrahim Nabavi · Alireza Beheshti · Mohsen Kadivar · Akbar Ganji Organization The Green Path of Hope Parties Association of Combatant Clerics · Association of Islamic Women · Islamic Iran Participation Front · National Trust Party · Executives of Construction Party · Society of Forces Following the Line of the Imam · Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization · Islamic Labour Party · Workers' House · Iran Solidarity Party · Youth Party of Iran · Freedom Movement of Iran · Nationalist-Religious Forces · Clean Iran Party · Invite and Correction of Iran · Democrat Party of Iran · Democrasy Party · Islamic Al-Wefagh Party

v • d • e Iranian presidential election, 2009 and subsequent events Approved candidates Mahmoud Ahmadinejad · Mir-Hossein Mousavi (campaign) · Mohsen Rezaee · Mehdi Karroubi Proceedings Results · Stance of Marjas  · International reaction Protests Timeline of the protests · Death of Neda Agha-Soltan · Death of Seyed Ali Mousavi · Death of Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani · University raids · Sohrab Aarabi · Post-election trial · Ashura protest See also The Green Path of Hope · Green Movement · The Green Scroll Campaign · Iranian reform movement · Kahrizak detention center