Azari Jahromi Threatens to Pursue 'Accusations of Interrogation and Inspection'

Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, the proposed Minister of Communications and Information Technology, denied reports regarding his role in the 'interrogation' and 'inspection' of the homes of several protesters from the 2009 presidential election and announced that he would 'pursue this accusation.' On Thursday, August 17, he wrote on Twitter: 'My job has never been interrogation or technical consultation or inspecting homes.' He claimed that the reason for these accusations against him is that his presence in the position of Minister of Communications and Information Technology 'takes bread from many people.' In recent days, there has been significant criticism of the proposed Minister of Communications and Information Technology on social media. In this context, the International Human Rights Campaign reported on August 14 that Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi had 'responsibilities in wiretapping and eavesdropping' and had been responsible for the 'technical interrogation' of some political prisoners. According to this report, Azari Jahromi, along with 'a team of Ministry of Intelligence agents,' was present during the arrest of 'at least five members of the Qeytarieh headquarters (Mir Hossein Mousavi's headquarters)' at their residence, where they collected 'computers, mobile phones, and other technology-related tools' and subsequently conducted 'technical interrogations' of them. Previously, on August 13, he stated in an interview with Iran newspaper that from 2005 to 2009, he worked as a 'technical expert' in the Ministry of Intelligence and in 2009 was the director of the security of communication systems at the Regulatory Authority. Based on this interview, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi was transferred from the Ministry of Intelligence to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in 2013 at the request of Mahmoud Vaezi, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology. Also, according to the House of Representatives news agency, affiliated with the parliament, the proposed Minister of Communications and Information Technology stated on August 11 that 'the country needs wiretapping' and said that 'during my tenure, I did not have the responsibility for wiretapping but was responsible for the technical infrastructure of the equipment industries related to this matter, and I take pride in that.' Regarding the reason for the country's 'need' for wiretapping, he said the country is facing 'security issues and problems.' Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi pointed out that there is a 'law' regarding wiretapping, adding: 'The law has been ratified by the parliament, and in Article 150 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the wiretapping organization has been reviewed, which must be established in the general offices of all judiciary departments, and the judge is also the head of the judiciary.' Previously, Elias Naderan, a former parliament representative, wrote on Twitter addressing Hassan Rouhani: 'With the appointment of the technical deputy of the Ministry of Intelligence, whose inherent duty is wiretapping and arrests, do you want to free the virtual space?' In response to this issue, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi tweeted: 'The Ministry of Intelligence does not have a general department for wiretapping. Political affairs are not pursued in the technical deputy.' Meanwhile, Mohammad Ali Pourmokhtar, a principlist parliament representative, expressed concern during the qualification review of proposed ministers that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology could become a 'second Ministry of Intelligence.' Criticism of Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi has arisen at a time when his defenders claim that he has been involved with the judiciary regarding the filtering of social networks while serving as Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Intelligence, which is at the center of the controversy, issued a statement defending its actions. This statement says that while the process of the parliament's vote of confidence for the proposed ministers is underway, 'some suspicious currents and anti-revolutionary media are trying to inflame the community by fabricating information and spreading false accusations and news.' The Ministry of Intelligence ultimately emphasized that 'all actions of this ministry are carried out within the framework of sacred Sharia, law, and with adherence to Islamic ethics.'