HRW: Iranian Opposition Figures Denied Adequate Health Care

The families of two former opposition presidential candidates in Iran say that they are being denied adequate care despite deteriorating health while under house arrest, Human Right Watch (HRW) says.

The former candidates -- Mehdi Karrubi and Mir Hossein Musavi and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard -- have been under house arrest in Tehran since February 2011 for challenging the government over the disputed 2009 presidential vote and also for highlighting alleged human rights abuses.

"Iranian officials have deprived Musavi, Karrubi, and Rahnavard of their most basic rights for more than six years, all without a judicial order or even the pretense of due process," Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East director, said in an August 2 statement.

"Iran’s authorities should stop denying Musavi and Karrubi the care they need, grant immediate access to a specialist medical facility, and end their house arrest," it said.

Karrubi was hospitalized for the second time in a week due to a heart condition, his wife said on July 31.

Musavi and Rahnavard are also suffering from health problems, their daughters have said.