Attack by Plainclothes Forces on Ahmadinejad's Associates at Abdul Azim Shrine

The Telegram channel 'Dolat Bahar', close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, reported that plainclothes forces organized an attack on three of Ahmadinejad's managers and their supporters who were sitting in protest at the Abdul Azim Shrine in Shahr-e Rey. On Wednesday, November 15, Hamid Baghaei, Ahmadinejad's deputy during his presidency, announced his refusal to attend his court hearing and stated that he, along with Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad's advisor, and Habibollah Khorasani, the former financial officer of the presidency, were staging a sit-in at the shrine in protest against the judiciary's behavior. Meanwhile, on Saturday evening, November 18, the Dolat Bahar Telegram channel reported that a number of plainclothes forces attacked these three individuals and their supporters, beating some and stealing their mobile phones. The channel also published videos of the clashes, in which attackers prevented one of Ahmadinejad's supporters from filming them. In one of the videos, Hamid Baghaei addresses the attackers, saying, 'You have a problem with me; why are you hitting these kids?' According to the Telegram channel, during the clashes at the Abdul Azim Shrine, 'there was no sign of police forces that had been positioned around the shrine in previous days.' The attack on this gathering occurred while Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, had briefly been present among these three former managers. Ahmadinejad had previously stated in the presence of his three managers that 'we oppose the Larijani brothers' and addressed the judiciary officials, saying, 'You are either not Iranian or you do not know Iran.' He threatened that if they wanted to convict Hamid Baghaei, his former deputy, 'they would have to go over my dead body.' Ahmadinejad also criticized the judiciary's behavior in an interview, stating that the powers of this branch are 'greater than those of the Supreme Leader.' Telegram channels close to Ahmadinejad reported on Wednesday that the official website of Ahmadinejad and the site known as 'Dolat Bahar' had been filtered, although both communication channels are still accessible. Meanwhile, Amir Mohabian, the director and editor-in-chief of the Arya news agency, reported on Friday that this news agency had been filtered due to the publication of a video of Ahmadinejad's speech in Shahr-e Rey. On the third day of their sit-in, Baghaei, Javanfekr, and Khorasani requested that Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council, be appointed to investigate their case. Baghaei was arrested in 2015 on financial charges, and it was later reported by Ahmadinejad's associates that he was released on the orders of the Supreme Leader. He was also arrested in July of this year and released on a bail of 20 billion tomans. Baghaei and Ahmadinejad had run for the presidential election in 2017, but the Guardian Council rejected both of their qualifications. The accusations against Baghaei include 'requesting a total of 300 million tomans in bonuses for 16 members of the government,' 'aiding the International University of Iranians,' 'aiding the Iranian House Organization,' 'aiding the state newspaper Iran,' and 'colluding in contracts and transactions of five companies.' However, Baghaei has denied these accusations, stating that they and the evidence in his case are 'illegal.' Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, the head of the former president's office, has also been summoned to the prosecutor's office on charges of 'insulting' the leadership, 'illegal appropriation of state property,' 'insulting system officials,' and 'spreading falsehoods.'