Washington, Jumada I 30, 1439, Feb 16, 2018, SPA -- US Department of State has called on Thursday Iran to release detained presidential candidates, who have been under house arrest since 2009. The statement was announced to commemorate the seven-year anniversary of the detention of 2009 Iranian presidential election candidates Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, as well as Mousavi’s wife and women’s rights advocate Zahra Rahnavard. "Continued house arrest of these three individuals contradicts Iran’s international obligations, including those under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to provide minimum fair trial guarantees and not to subject citizens to arbitrary arrest or detention," State Department's statement declared, adding that "The United States calls on Iran to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals, in Iran, consistent with its international obligations, including ensuring the fundamental right of peaceful freedom of expression and the right to participate in civil society and in the political process without fear of arbitrary arrest and detention or denial of fair trials." "We join the international community, in condemning the continued arbitrary detention of these three individuals, without charges or fair trials and in calling for their immediate release and for the release of all prisoners of conscience unjustly detained in Iran," the statement concluded. -- SPA 21:15 LOCAL TIME 18:15 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w613572