Alamolhoda Calls for Firm Action Against Ahmad Montazeri Due to Audio File Release

In response to the release of explicit criticisms by Ayatollah Montazeri regarding the 1988 executions, Ahmad Alamolhoda, representative of Ayatollah Khamenei in Khorasan Razavi, described the dissemination of these remarks as 'brazen' and called for decisive action against Ahmad Montazeri. In his Friday prayer sermon on August 12, Alamolhoda characterized the release of the audio file of Ayatollah Montazeri's remarks as an affront to Ayatollah Khomeini and a declaration of war against the revolution. He referred to Ahmad Montazeri as a 'corrupt element' who, 'claiming to be a secretary, is a deceived being who has come close to hell,' and has 'brazenly broadcast his own dissonant tape.' The website of Ayatollah Montazeri released an audio file on Tuesday containing his remarks during a meeting with a four-member committee that decided on the execution of political and ideological prisoners in the summer of 1988, which included explicit criticisms from the then-deputy leader of the Islamic Republic regarding the execution process. Based on this newly released document, Ayatollah Montazeri referred to the 1988 executions as 'the greatest crime in the Islamic Republic,' which will portray Ayatollah Khomeini as 'a ruthless and bloodthirsty figure' in the future. Now, the representative of Ayatollah Khamenei in Khorasan Razavi has likened the release of this audio tape to the 'tearing' of Ayatollah Khomeini's image in 2009, stating that 'this act is a declaration of war against this revolution, because the founder of the revolution, the one who took this torch and showed Islam to the world, was our great Imam.' He then called for executive and judicial bodies to take decisive action regarding the publication of Ayatollah Montazeri's remarks 'so that no one in this country dares to be insolent towards the Imam.' The audio tape released on Ayatollah Montazeri's website was removed at the request of the Ministry of Intelligence one day after its release but has had widespread repercussions on news websites and social media, including calls from the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization for 'the trial of the regime's leaders and those responsible for the 1988 massacre for genocide and crimes against humanity.' The publication of this audio file has also provoked reactions among members of Ayatollah Khomeini's office at the time. On Wednesday, Mohammad Ali Ansari, a member of Ayatollah Khomeini's office, stated in an interview with the Jamaran website that the audio file of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri's remarks about the 1988 executions was 'full of errors and distortions' and 'unfair,' which had been 'implanted' in him by 'malicious associates.' The Jamaran website, affiliated with the institute for the compilation and publication of Ayatollah Khomeini's works, also published statements from Mohammad Mousavi Bojnourdi on Friday, who claimed that the remarks published by Ayatollah Montazeri were based on 'incorrect information' that had been 'maliciously' conveyed to him. Mr. Mousavi Bojnourdi also told Jamaran, 'I do not understand how the publication of Ayatollah Montazeri's remarks at a time when the hypocrites, executioners, and murderers have become tools of the Saudi rulers and are practically seeking to revive the current of hypocrisy, has any rational, national, or religious backing.' This high-ranking judicial official's reference is to the speech of Turki Al-Faisal, a prominent Saudi prince, at the annual meeting of supporters of the National Council of Resistance in Paris, which was met with strong reactions from Iranian officials. Regarding the 1988 executions, most officials of the time in the Islamic Republic have remained silent, and only on the eve of the June 2009 elections did Mir Hossein Mousavi state in a Q&A that he and Ayatollah Khamenei, as the then Prime Minister and President, were unaware of these executions. However, some officials of the time, including Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the then Speaker of the Parliament, and Abdolkarim Mousavi Ardebili, the then Head of the Supreme Judicial Council, referred in Friday prayer sermons in the summer of 1988 to the necessity of executions under those circumstances, without directly linking these references to the mass executions of summer 1988. Nevertheless, according to the released audio file, Ayatollah Montazeri criticizes Mr. Mousavi Ardebili during his meeting with the decision-making committee regarding executions, stating that despite not agreeing with the executions, he chants slogans differently in Friday prayers. Mohammad Mousavi Bojnourdi, in his interview with Jamaran, also reacted to Ayatollah Montazeri's criticisms of Mr. Mousavi Ardebili, stating that 'Ayatollah Mousavi Ardebili never acted against his beliefs and always had the courage to express his opinion.' The decision-making committee regarding the 1988 executions was formed by the order of Ayatollah Khomeini and included members such as Hossein Ali Niri, Morteza Eshraqi, Ebrahim Raisi, and Mostafa Pourmohammadi, and the members of this committee attempted to justify the execution process during their meeting with Ayatollah Montazeri, but their remarks were repeatedly interrupted by Ayatollah Montazeri's objections.