September 3rd, 2010

In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Mehdi Karroubi’s son Hossein Karroubi talked about the recent attacks on his father’s residence that was attacked by Basij forces on the eve of Qods Day. According to Hossein Karroubi, bullets were fired at the water pipes and the entire house was filled with water. The telephone lines in the entire building were also disconnected.

Deutsche Welle: Mr. Karroubi, it is currently approximately 12:30pm on Friday September 3rd. Is the area around your father’s house now calm or is there still commotion?

Hossein Karroubi: These gentlemen arrived at around 8:30am this morning and proceeded to surround the house. They completely surrounded the street from the north, south, east and west. As we speak there are approximately 200 people gathered outside here and they have started breaking the only windows that remain unbroken. They are breaking everything in site that they failed to damage last night since it was too dark. They have left nothing untouched.

DW: Is it true that they burnt down the main entrance to the building?

HK: Yes, they burnt down the door by pouring gasoline on it and setting it on fire. The body guards did however put the fire out immediately by pouring water on it. They also cut off all the telephone lines this morning. The land lines are no longer working. Last night we did not have water for approximately four hours. One of the shots fired hit a water pipe. The entire house was filling with water and as a result we had to turn off the main water supply. At 2:30am we finally had a specialist come over to repair the damaged water pipe. Currently we have both electricity and water!

DW: It was reported that special police forces intervened and dispersed the crowd. Is that true?

HK: This report is from last night. At around midnight, the police forces finally arrived. They didn’t really do much. When the police arrived, however, the others left. I suppose they were tired too. They had been chanting non stop from 9:30pm. They were very active, then became exhausted, and finally left. From 8:30am today, they have once again gathered with their buses outside our house.

DW: It was reported that the head of security for Mr. Karroubi was injured and transferred to the hospital. Can you tell us about his condition?

HK: When they began to fire shots toward the house, he went outside to ask them to stop shooting. They did not listen. Instead they attacked him and beat him severely. He sustained heavy injuries to his eyes, head, and ribs. We even heard that while he was being beaten he was trampled over and lost consciousness. The only news we have of him is that he was transferred to a hospital last night. We have no news today as no one can enter or leave the building.

DW: Are the Basij thugs or police forces still outside the house?

HK: The only people here right now are the Basij thugs.

DW: Did they shoot empty shells or real bullets?

HK: They were real bullets. They fired at least 10 to 15 shots at the elevator and walls. We have taken a video of the damages and will post the video shortly.

DW: A number of Mr. Karroubi’s supporters announced that they will be holding a silent protest tomorrow (Saturday September 4th) in front of his house. Of course, Mr. Karroubi has explicitly asked the people not to come. Would you like to speak to this issue on behalf of Mr. Karroubi?

HK: I would like to repeat my father’s message. He asked last night that I convey this on his behalf and request that no one gather here, because if anyone comes here they will undoubtedly be treated in a brutal manner. My father does not want to see any blood shed on his behalf. The situation here is so dire that if anyone comes here they will face armed altercations. These individuals are heavily armed. They used tear gas last night inside the complex. They are capable of anything right now!

DW: Your mother, Fatemeh Karroubi wrote an open letter to Ayatollah Khamenei regarding this matter. Has she received an answer to date?

HK: [Government forces] arrived last night and began destroying everything. Their behavior was extreme and they returned this morning. This is the only response we have received to my mother’s letter.

DW: Mr. Karroubi, how are your neighbors behaving? What has been their response? Have they complained? Are they not planning to at least complain about these altercations?

HK: We witnessed a number of neighbors complaining last night. They also broke their windows. They created fear and wreaked havoc with our neighbors. After their windows were broken, no one now dares to complain. They won’t even leave their homes!

DW: Except for the head of Mr. Karroubi’s security did any of your family members or Mr. Karroubi himself face any injuries?

HK: No, thank God everyone is okay. The daughter-in-laws, sons, Mr. Karroubi himself, my mother, and the nieces and nephews are all together and doing well.

Original source: http://persian2english.com/?p=13889