Ahmadi Moghadam Resigns; Hossein Ashtari Appointed Commander of Police Force

According to the state news agency IRNA, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, appointed Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari as the commander of Iran's police force on Tuesday, March 9. Mr. Ashtari had been appointed as the deputy commander of the police force in June. Prior to that, he was the head of the police's information and security department. Just hours before the official announcement of this order, Brigadier General Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam confirmed his dismissal from the command of Iran's police force. He stated, 'My departure from NAJA was at my own request, and today the order for the new commander will be issued.' Mr. Ahmadi Moghadam added, 'Last Esfand, I reached out to the Commander-in-Chief and requested that another individual be appointed to this position, but he did not agree.' He emphasized, 'In the presence of the Commander-in-Chief, I announced that if you are not tired, the people are tired.' In recent days, following Mr. Ahmadi Moghadam's apology regarding the events at the Kahrizak detention center, some news websites in Iran had reported his dismissal. On Tuesday, March 3, Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam stated, 'We have no language other than apology in the face of this incident, and we can only compensate for part of its bitter consequences.' He stressed that the 'bitter' Kahrizak incident had awakened the police. In 2009, official reports, such as those from the Islamic Consultative Assembly, reported widespread beatings of prisoners at the Kahrizak detention center. Mohsen Rouh al-Amini, Mohammad Kamrani, and Amir Javadi Far lost their lives due to torture and psychological pressure at Kahrizak following the protests over the results of that year's presidential election. Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam was appointed as the commander of Iran's police force in 2005 after the resignation of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf to run in that year's presidential election. Reports indicate that Mr. Ahmadi Moghadam's presidency over the police force was extended for two years in 2012 and for one year in June 2014. He had previously stated that his command would end on July 9, 2014.