Ahmadinejad Gives Judiciary 48-Hour Deadline to Release Documents Related to His Conviction

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former President of Iran, in a video message to Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, "gave a 48-hour deadline to publish documents related to his and his associates' convictions." According to the "Dolat Bahar" website, Mr. Ahmadinejad stated in this message that "if the judiciary is reformed, the entire country will be reformed," adding: "Unfortunately, the esteemed head of the judiciary, who should be the most committed to the Constitution and ordinary laws, repeatedly violates" Articles 36 and 37 of the Constitution. Article 36 states that the condemnation and punishment of individuals and the execution of penalties must only be done through a competent court and according to the law. Article 37 states that the presumption of innocence is fundamental, and no one is considered guilty under the law unless their crime is proven in a competent court. In his video message, the former president referred to the remarks made by the head of the judiciary in a meeting with students last week, stating that Ayatollah Larijani "attributed criminal titles to me and my colleagues. He introduced us as instigators, deviants, and supporters of Mr. Babak Zanjani and accused us of these charges." According to the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, in this meeting held on December 22, defended the performance of the judiciary and accused Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his close associates of weakening the judiciary and thereby weakening the system. He also stated that a significant portion of the "loss of trust" in the judiciary "is rooted in the planning and actions of Western intelligence and security services." The head of the judiciary also accused Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his associates of "instigating unrest" and said: "The actions of those who are currently making various accusations against the judiciary and blackening its image are a kind of sedition... The leaders of sedition said they did not accept the elections and the Guardian Council, and these people say they do not accept the judiciary. They called for unrest, and these people are also trying to create a narrative and unrest through sit-ins." Hamid Baghaei and several former officials of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government were sitting in protest against the judiciary at the Shah Abdol Azim shrine in the city of Rey. According to the Bahar website, the former president of Iran, referring to Babak Zanjani, who has been in prison for nearly four years and is being tried in secret, added: "We have no information about what has happened there. Moreover, we have repeatedly stated that if any members of our government or any other government have any connections with him, they should announce it with evidence, which has not been done." Mahmoud Ahmadinejad further asked the "head of the judiciary" to "publish the documents of our conviction as instigators, deviants, or supporters of Mr. Babak Zanjani within 48 hours." Mr. Ahmadinejad added: "I do not say in a competent court because I do not expect that from you, but even if we have been convicted of these criminal titles in a nominal court under your command, publish the documents within 48 hours so that everyone knows." He warned that otherwise, he would share his views on the head of the judiciary and his performance over the past eight years with the public and would take appropriate measures to seek justice. The former president of Iran has previously called combating what he described as the "blatant and naked injustice" of the judiciary his "priority" and stated that "they must leave, and they will soon." According to the text and video published on the Dolat Bahar website, on Saturday, December 25, Mr. Ahmadinejad announced to a group of students that he is currently dedicating more "time and pressure" to "defending the oppressed against the judiciary," and this issue is "currently a priority and key." The former president emphasized: "This is a point that if we pass well, other issues will also be solvable. Because here, it is clear and blatant injustice." The conflict between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the judiciary has intensified following the trial of Hamid Baghaei and the summons of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, with the former president and his associates using terms such as "oppressor," "dictator," and "deviant" regarding judiciary officials in recent weeks. On December 2, Mr. Ahmadinejad also accused the judiciary of "violating the Constitution" and stated that "if we were to have a dictatorial judiciary, we would not have had a revolution." In response to these remarks, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, on December 22, in a meeting with several students, accused Mr. Ahmadinejad and his associates of "sedition, inciting unrest, and lying." Mr. Ahmadinejad also stated in a meeting with students that some individuals who are "purely a minority insist on violating the rights of the majority of the nation." The former president of Iran, without naming names, accused judiciary officials of considering criticism of themselves as "insulting the system and the revolution" and added that "they must leave, and God willing, they will soon." He further stated: "Of course, some think they have firmly nailed themselves down, holding each other's hands tightly, and no one can shake them! ... I do not want to say that the nation is a flood, an earthquake, a storm; the nation is an unparalleled and indisputable divine power, and if this outcome of the will of the nation is focused somewhere, whatever stands in the way will be uprooted." Previously, Hamid Baghaei, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's executive assistant, on August 4, just minutes after being released from prison, told judiciary officials that "you will soon be overthrown." Some of Ahmadinejad's critics ask why he remained silent during his presidency regarding the actions of the judiciary and the crackdowns of 2009. Saeed Mortazavi, one of the main defendants in the Zahra Kazemi case and the Kahrizak detention center, was insisted upon by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be appointed as the head of the Social Security Organization. However, Mr. Ahmadinejad responded to these criticisms by saying that "we did not know about some issues. We really did not know, and we later became informed." He added: "Just as those friends who criticize us do not know many issues or some issues, and God willing, they will soon become informed." The Supreme Leader and the institutions under his supervision had always supported Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his government until the issue of the dismissal of Heydar Moslehi, the Minister of Intelligence, but after the dismissal of the Minister of Intelligence and the famous incident of Ahmadinejad's "11-day house arrest," some of Ayatollah Khamenei's close associates attacked him.