Iran Interview: Mehdi Karroubi "The Green Movement Runs Very Deep" (13 October)
Laura Secor of The New Yorker interviews Mehdi Karroubi by e-mail:
LAURA SECOR: There is a widespread perception outside Iran that the Green Movement has been defeated. We no longer hear about millions-strong demonstrations, and a great many opposition figures have been imprisoned or forced out of the country. Is there still a Green Movement in Iran? Does it have an organized structure and a strategy for achieving its goals?
MEHDI KARROUBI: Because of heavy government suppression, people are not visible in the streets, chanting and demonstrating. But the movement runs very deep. If the government allowed any kind of activity in the streets, the world would see millions of people. The authorities know it, and that is why they have cracked down for the last sixteen months, shutting down any kind of opposition in the most brutal ways. The government has many problems at the moment…. The economy and foreign policy are both sources of conflict. All of this makes it very hard for the current administration to accomplish anything. In the first months and days after the election, many officials from the top down were sent to prison, and this has continued. These are clear signs that the movement is still alive.
SECOR: The Iranian diaspora includes a great many young people who were politically active when they left Iran (many of them very recently), and who wish to be involved with the Green Movement from outside. What role, if any, can these Iranians living abroad play?
KARROUBI: Iran belongs to all Iranians, from those who left Iran years ago to all who reside in Iran today. I have always stressed that Iranians outside the country should retain their identity and stay in touch with their homeland. I cannot tell Iranians outside the country what to do, but I can say that it would be good for them to try to convey Iranian public opinion and elite thought to the outside world, to help project the voices of those who are voiceless in Iran.
SECOR: If it were up to you, what would be the attitude of the United States government toward the Green Movement?
kARROUBI: We look to our own people, to our own country and its interests. We try to avoid any dependence on other countries, nor would we suggest any strategy for them. This movement is our own responsibility, and we do not expect other nations or governments to do anything for us. But if they feel a humanitarian obligation to support us, that is another thing.
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