Iran prevents opposition cleric's son from flying to London

Tehran - Iranian police have prevented the son of leading opposition cleric Mehdi Karroubi from leaving the country, opposition websites reported Saturday. Mohammad-Taghi Karroubi, a university lecturer, was leaving Iran on Friday for London for reportedly academic purposes, when the police at the IKA airport in Tehran seized his passport without explanations, the websites said.

In line with the opposition, Karroubi has accused the government of fraud in June's presidential election and not yet acknowledged the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Karroubi, who is the head of the moderate party Etemad (Trust), has gradually turned into one of the leading opposition figures in the post election era.

His other son Ali was reportedly beaten severely by pro-government agents during last month's protest gatherings.

While both his newspaper and website have been blocked for months, a press watchdog affiliated to the culture ministry withdrew the permission of the weekly magazine "Irandokht" whose publisher was his wife, Fatemeh Karroubi.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/312795,iran-prevents-opposition-clerics-son-from-flying-to-london.html.