Watchdog

A second Iranian opposition figure who is under house arrest has fallen ill, Iranian news agencies report, citing family members.

Mir Hossein Musavi, 75, under house arrest since 2011, is suffering from irregular blood pressure and dizziness and is unable to walk without assistance, the opposition Kaleme website reported on July 26, citing information provided by his daughters.

This comes two days after reports that fellow opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi, 79, also under house arrest for the past six years, had been hospitalized due to a heart condition.

Karrubi’s son, Mohammad Taghi Karrubi, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda on July 24 that his father’s health problems have been caused by his detention.

Karrubi, along with Musavi and Musavi’s wife, Zahra Rahnavard, were placed under house arrest in February 2011 for challenging the establishment over the disputed 2009 presidential vote and also for highlighting human rights abuses.

Rights groups have repeatedly called for the release of the three opposition figures.

A relative moderate, President Hassan Rohani has promised to free political prisoners, but he has largely failed to fulfill the pledge that he first made during the presidential election in 2013.

During his re-election campaign earlier this year, Rohani said he would work for the release of Karrubi, Musavi, and Rahnavard. But he faces heavy opposition to the move from the country’s hard-liners.

Earlier this year, both Karrubi and Musavi pledged support for Rohani in the May 19 presidential election, in which Rohani easily won a new four-year term over a conservative challenger.

Based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, Kaleme, and Reuters

CHISINAU -- The Constitutional Court of Moldova says it will announce its ruling on July 27 about a presidential decree calling for a referendum in September on whether to expand presidential powers.

The court started discussing the issue on July 26.

Moldova's pro-Russia president, Igor Dodon, signed the decree in late March.

The decree calls for a nationwide referendum on September 24 about whether the president should be allowed to dissolve Moldova's parliament and announce early elections.

The referendum also asks voters whether the number of parliamentary deputies in the single-chamber legislature should be reduced from 101 to 71.

It also asks whether Moldovan history classes should be abolished at secondary schools across the country, and whether a law should be revoked that calls for public funds to reimburse finances that were misused by major banks during the last 25 years.

The Liberal Party of Moldova has challenged the decree, calling it unconstitutional.