Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Orders Re-examination of Death Sentence for Aghajari

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, has reportedly ordered the head of the judiciary to re-examine the death sentence of a dissenting professor for blasphemy. The newspaper Jomhouri-ye Eslami states that Khamenei issued this directive in response to a letter from hundreds of university professors protesting the sentence against their colleague, Hashem Aghajari. Over the past week, reformist students in the capital have been protesting the death sentence for Aghajari, who was convicted for questioning the absolute power exercised by the clergy. Jomhouri-ye Eslami reported today on its website that, following Khamenei's order, the task of thoroughly reviewing Aghajari's case has been assigned to an appellate court. According to reliable sources cited by the newspaper, Khamenei's directive to the appellate court emphasized the importance of life and justice in Islamic law, highlighting the necessity for a more careful examination of the issued sentence. Jomhouri-ye Eslami, known as a conservative newspaper, is famous for its absolute loyalty to the beliefs of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Late on Friday, Khomeini's grandson also urged protesters to exercise moderation regarding Aghajari. In a meeting with the condemned professor's family, Hojjatoleslam Khomeini expressed regret over the sentence issued against him. On Saturday, heads of twenty educational units at the Teacher Training College of Tehran University resigned, stating that they no longer feel secure following the sentence against Aghajari. The ruling clergy in Iran initiated the blasphemy case against Aghajari after he questioned the religious governance in the Islamic Republic during a speech earlier this year. Aghajari, a war veteran, has not yet requested a review of his conviction. A court in Hamadan found him guilty on November 6 and imposed the death penalty for stating that Muslims are not mere followers of clerics' orders without question. The only public support for this ruling was demonstrated on Friday, during a protest of about a thousand people who marched in front of Tehran University, demanding that authorities carry out the death sentence. Earlier this week, reformist President Mohammad Khatami stated that the issued sentence was incorrect and should not have been issued.