Arrest of Several Individuals on Charges of 'Theft of Organizational Documents' by an Election Headquarters

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic, announced the 'arrest of some individuals' due to the 'theft of certain organizational documents' at the request of 'one of the election headquarters.' According to Mehr News Agency, Mr. Ejei stated on Tuesday, May 16, that 'one of the election headquarters had requested some individuals to steal documents from their organization to obtain evidence against their rival, and some individuals have been arrested.' The spokesperson and first deputy of the Judiciary added that this incident occurred in 'two cases.' Mr. Mohseni Ejei did not specify which election headquarters made such a request, but he reported 'electoral violations by more than 60 government and executive managers, including governors, mayors, district governors, and heads of government departments.' The spokesperson explained: 'Unfortunately, numerous reports have been received by the Judiciary regarding violations by some executors, officials, and government managers who should not have interfered in electoral matters. Additionally, some election headquarters, candidates, and others have committed violations that have been reported to the courts and are under investigation.' Mr. Ejei also mentioned that 'the number of violations by village heads is very high, which is contrary to the law.' The statements of the Judiciary spokesperson could be seen as a reaction to the severe criticisms from Hassan Rouhani, the President, and Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President, directed at the Judiciary and its spokesperson. Hassan Rouhani and Eshaq Jahangiri implicitly accused the Judiciary spokesperson of undermining them during the election debates. Senior Judiciary officials have also responded to these remarks, with the head of the Judiciary stating that he will respond to these comments after the elections. The Judiciary spokesperson accompanied his remarks on Tuesday with a clear threat, warning that 'executive and government managers and those who are somehow affiliated with government agencies should be careful not to act excessively. Election day will end, and then the troubles will remain, and tomorrow it will be those who have committed violations. If they want to take risks and act against the law, they should think about their families and not expect anything tomorrow.' In this context, Ghalibaf withdrew from the competition in favor of Raisi, a criticism from a member of parliament regarding the support of the Guardian Council's clerics for Ebrahim Raisi, reactions and speculations about the fate of Ghalibaf's potential voter base after his withdrawal, Rouhani: people should choose between a judge and a lawyer; Ebrahim Raisi warned.