Ahmad Khatami: Media Conflicts Among Officials Are Not in the Interest of the Revolution

A number of Friday prayer leaders in Iran have urged the President and the Head of the Judiciary not to express their differences in the media, while also supporting the Judiciary and labeling criticism of it as a 'new sedition' and its undermining as part of the 'enemy's plan'. According to the state news agency IRNA, Ahmad Khatami, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, called for Islamic Republic officials to have 'patience regarding their differences' and to 'avoid slander and lies'. Khatami emphasized that 'media conflicts among officials are not in the interest of the revolution' and that 'the outcome for enemies is that they claim corruption in Iran has become systematic'. He also stated that until the presidential elections in 2016, 'the enemy will work on creating divisions in society, undermining legal institutions of the regime, especially the Judiciary, and filling cyberspace with lies'. Recently, the President and the Head of the Judiciary have implicitly accused each other of financial corruption. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, has called for transparency in the Judiciary's accounts, while in response, Sadeq Larijani, the Head of the Judiciary, has threatened that officials from Rouhani's campaign will be summoned and possibly arrested if necessary, citing claims of Babak Zanjani's financial support for Rouhani's 2013 election campaign. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson and first deputy of the Judiciary, has also called for the disclosure of the expenses of Rouhani's 2013 campaign, stating that the increased 'pressures' on the Judiciary are due to actions taken against 'corrupt offspring of powerful individuals and major offenders'. Meanwhile, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran has called for the Judiciary to handle corruption cases 'with more speed and precision' and to issue 'decisive rulings'. Mohammad Shahcheraghi, the Friday prayer leader of Semnan, stated that 'steering public opinion to criticize' the Judiciary is a 'new sedition'. According to Fars news agency, he emphasized that 'Britain has given the order to attack the Judiciary, while the Judiciary has prevented sedition and corruption'. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and his close associates refer to the protests against the 2009 presidential elections as 'sedition'. Meanwhile, the Friday prayer leader of Ardabil remarked: 'People are asking why these claims are made during election season? Were these not the rights of the people? Does this not mean creating division in society and moving towards polarization?'. According to Tasnim news agency, Hassan Ameli added: 'There is no doubt that we must prevent injustice to public funds, but raising it from official platforms has no justification'. This recent conflict is not the first confrontation between the officials of the executive and judicial branches in Iran, as there have been previous instances of verbal disputes between the heads of these two branches and subsequently high-ranking officials from both branches. In recent years, several principlist members of parliament have accused Hossein Fereydoun, Rouhani's brother, of 'economic corruption', and on January 5, 46 principlist representatives asked the President to introduce his brother to the Judiciary. Hossein Fereydoun has also previously announced that he has filed complaints against several representatives who have made allegations of 'financial corruption' against him. In recent years, allegations of economic corruption against Fazel Larijani, supported by his brother Sadeq Larijani, have also been raised, but the Head of the Judiciary has denied claims of supporting his brother. Some principlist figures, including Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri and Ahmad Tavakoli, have also criticized the Judiciary's performance in dealing with economic corruption. Additionally, many political and civil activists and human rights organizations have criticized the Judiciary's performance in political cases, repeatedly emphasizing that even the laws of the Islamic Republic are not respected regarding prisoners, especially political prisoners, who are deprived of fair trials. Meanwhile, the Iranian Human Rights Defenders Association called on January 5 for the dismissal of the Head of the Judiciary due to his 'direct responsibility for all injustices, corruptions, and insecurities in the judicial system and society' and requested that parliamentarians demand 'legal action' against Sadeq Larijani. In this context, Hassan Rouhani has stated to Amoli Larijani: 'The Judiciary must be accountable to public opinion'. Rouhani: 'The government is willing to clarify its accounts, and the Judiciary should clarify its accounts as well'.