Editor’s Note: The following letter was written by Mehdi Karroubi’s son, Mohammad Taqi Karoubi, in response to an interview President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave to Charlie Rose. The letter is an attempt to defend Mehdi Karroubi, the prominent opposition figure who is facing mounting calls for his trial and imprisonment. The letter also draws attention to the distortion in Iran’s state-run media, particularly at a time when most opposition media outlets have been banned.

Source: MashroteNews http://www.mashrotenews.com/?p=7096
Date: Thursday, October 8, 2009
Dear brother, Mr. Zarghami, honorable head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

Greetings,

As you are well aware, Mr. Ahmadinejad’s interview with Charlie Rose was broadcast on Channel1 [IRIB1] on Tuesday. When speaking of post-election events, the host of this American TV network pointed to the subject of prison rape. Mr. Ahmadinejad replied as follows: “It is Mr. Karroubi himself who made these allegations and when a three-member judiciary team refuted them, he grew very angry and had nothing to show for it”.

It is quite unfortunate that a culture of lying has become an inseparable part of the executive branch. I don’t know what it is about New York that brings out this personal attribute of the president. It is also unfortunate that the Islamic Republic’s broadcasting service has been transformed into a medium that spreads this vile culture, which has resulted in great sacrifices to its credibility.

[Mehdi] Karroubi goes on to deny Mr. Ahmadinejad’s claims and to clarify the issue for the people of Iran, he writes:

I want the dear people to know that some very shocking news was reported to me about the state of the children of this nation who were held in legal and illegal detention centers for simply demanding their legal rights. It was my religious, legal, civil and human obligation to say something; to prevent the violation of people’s rights and the trampling of their honor to become a norm in the Islamic Republic. I had some productive meetings with the judiciary team after its members were announced. I gave them my documentation while trusting that they were intent on pursuing the cases and prosecuting those who were responsible. But I was suddenly and viciously attacked by traitors who shut down my office, as well as that of Etemad Melli. Soon, yet another copy of the documentation was in the hands of the officials. The accusations made in Ahmadinejad’s interview are pure lies and I am still actively pursuing those cases – they are stories that hurt the conscience of any free human being. I ask the so-called national media to give me or one of my representatives a third of the time they gave those judiciary members, so I can publicly convey the extent of these atrocities. It is important that the nation – the real owners of this land – become a jury and judge both my words and yours. The late Imam [Khomeini] said that he would sacrifice his life for the people of this nation. So, why are these same people now considered to be outsiders and why do they not have the right to hear of what is happening to their own children through their own medium?

Mr. Zarghami,

I know you to be an honest, intelligent individual. This is why I recommend that you overturn the great wall of mistrust that has surfaced between the people and their national media (which, today, more resembles the officials’ personal media). The interests of the people and the nation lie in their being accurately informed of events. Moreover, there is no one around these days who doesn’t know that despite all efforts, technology has broken borders and allowed people unrestricted access to information.

I ask the lord for your health and well-being,

With thanks,

Mohammad Taqi Karroubi