Ahmadinejad's Letter to Khamenei Against the Larijani Brothers

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stated that the Larijani brothers have inflicted "irreparable damage to the trust of the people, the revolution," the parliament, and the judiciary. He called for Ayatollah Khamenei to intervene in the case of Hamid Baghaei, his former deputy, and to prevent "injustice" against him. The former Iranian president accused the Larijani brothers of insisting on the "destruction and elimination" of him and his associates from the political landscape. The Larijani brothers include Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, Ali Larijani, the speaker of parliament, and Mohammad Javad Larijani, the international deputy of the judiciary. Ahmadinejad also indirectly referenced recent protests, writing: "You are aware of the irreparable damage the Larijani brothers have inflicted on the people, the revolution, and your trust in the system and the revolution, and what calamities they have brought upon the country, especially the judiciary and parliament." He added: "You should have received necessary reports about their living conditions and families." Ahmadinejad's reference to the "living conditions and families" of the Larijani brothers comes as he and his associates had previously spoken about the "espionage" of the daughter of the head of the judiciary. Meanwhile, Sadegh Larijani accused Ahmadinejad of "lying" and stated that he told the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council that the daughter of the head of the judiciary was "detained and we know the exact location of her detention." Judiciary officials have denied reports regarding the "espionage" of Zahra Larijani, the daughter of the head of the judiciary. Ahmadinejad also wrote that the British Foreign Secretary made "recommendations to some individuals" during his recent visit to Tehran, which he hoped had been communicated to Khamenei. The former president implicitly linked this visit to the Larijani brothers' efforts to eliminate Ahmadinejad from the political landscape, adding that "they want to break the pen and voice of my supporters by any means necessary." On November 7, Ahmadinejad also claimed, without naming names, that "one of the representatives of the eighth parliament had connections with a British intelligence officer." The sentence against Hamid Baghaei is "unprecedented in the Qajar and Pahlavi eras." In his letter, Ahmadinejad emphasized Baghaei's "innocence" and reminded that the Supreme Leader had ordered his release from "inhumane solitary confinement under harsh conditions" last year. Ahmadinejad accused the judiciary of intending to "secretly condemn Baghaei and publicly condemn him and his friends through extensive propaganda" to eliminate them from the political scene. He stated that the sentence issued against Baghaei is "unprecedented in all eras of Qajar, Pahlavi, and the Islamic Republic and perhaps in the world, and it brings disgrace to the republic." The former president reiterated his previous accusations against the judiciary, emphasizing that this institution has become "a tool for the powerful and government agents against the people." In conclusion, Ahmadinejad urged the Supreme Leader to intervene in Baghaei's case and "prevent injustice and oppression with decisive action and restore the rights of the oppressed." According to reports, Hamid Baghaei, Ahmadinejad's deputy during his presidency, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in the initial trial. Following the formation of Baghaei's court and the summons of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad and his associates have used terms like "oppressor," "dictator," and "deviant" regarding judiciary officials. In response, the judiciary spokesman called Ahmadinejad a "liar" and "thug" and implicitly labeled him as insane. Ahmadinejad's new letter to the Supreme Leader was published shortly after Ayatollah Khamenei indirectly accused him of "doing the enemy's work inside." One day after these remarks, during a trip to Bushehr, Ahmadinejad responded to criticism from some Basij youth by saying, "If the leader had an opinion and someone had a different opinion, should he die?" The former president had also criticized the performance of the three branches of government, especially the judiciary, in a letter to the Supreme Leader in November. Some of Ahmadinejad's critics question why he remained silent during his presidency regarding the judiciary's actions and the 2009 crackdowns. However, he has stated to a group of students that "we did not know some issues. We really did not know and later became informed."