A/HRC/19/82 Government, Hamidreza Katoziyan, the chairman of the Majlis Energy Committee and a conservative who supported the opposition candidate Mir Hussein Mousavi during the 2009 presidential elections, Dariush Qanbari, the spokesman of the Majlis minority faction, and Alireza Mahjoub, who is considered a representative of labourers, had been disqualified.37 Some Members of Parliament challenged the legality of their disqualification, although few of the above-mentioned candidates were reportedly reinstated. At least 28 Members of Parliament, who had called for the questioning of the President, were reportedly either disqualified or their candidature rejected.38 It was also reported that the Guardian Council reinstated a number of candidates only days before the election, thus depriving candidates of the possibility of conducting proper campaigns. Senior officials and the clergy have reportedly denounced reformist candidates and appealed for a high voter turnout in response to opposition moves to encourage a boycott of the polls. According to media reports, the judiciary has also announced that any statement calling for a boycott of the elections and endangering security is a crime. 39 28. In early November 2011, three reformist political parties (the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the Mujahidin of the Islamic Revolution of Iran and the Freedom Movement of Iran) reportedly had their licenses suspended and were banned from upcoming elections. On 4 November 2011, Solat Mortazawi, Chief of parliamentary election headquarters, announced that the three parties did not have relevant permits for political activities and were thus banned from running or presenting electoral lists for the election in March 2012.40 29. The Secretary-General is concerned that the two main opposition leaders, Mir Hussein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, remained under house arrest and had limited contacts with the outside world during the elections. Such restrictions adversely affect the holding of free, fair and participatory elections. The opposition leaders were put under house arrest after seeking permission from the authorities to stage a rally on 14 February 2011. On 16 November 2011, Mohammad Javad Larijani, Head of the High Council for Human Rights, publicly stated that the reasons for the confinement of the opposition leaders included incitement to violence and other illegal activities.41 30. Concerns continue about the continued crackdown on media professionals and the pervasive restrictions applied to freedom of opinion and expression. In its concluding observations on the report submitted by the State party, the Human Rights Committee expressed its concern at the arrest and detention of many journalists, newspaper editors, film maker and media workers since the presidential election of 2009, and that many newspapers and magazines had been closed. The Committee also expressed its concern about the monitoring of Internet use and contents, the blocking of websites carrying political news and analysis, the slowing down of Internet speeds and the jamming of foreign satellite broadcasts, in particular since the elections.42 31. During the reporting period, authorities continued to apply heavy restrictions to the media, in particular various newspapers, foreign broadcasters and websites, and arrested a 37 38 39 40 41 42 See www.tehrantimes.com/politics/94435-initial-report-on-approved-parliamentary-candidatesreleased. See ISNA, 25 February 2012. Available from www.isna.ir/ISNA/NewsView.aspx?ID=News1956345&Lang=P, ISNA, 2 January 2012. Available from http://isna.ir/Isna/newsView.aspx?ID=News-1923440. Aftab, 4 November 2011 Seewww.aftabnews.ir/vdchi6nzx23nxxd.tft2.txt. Press conference on human rights and regional development, 16 November 2011. Available from www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2011/11/press-conference-human-rights-and-regionaldevelopment.html. CCPR/C/IRN/CO/3, para. 27. 11