Continued Drip-Feed Information from the Judiciary: 'The Assailant was Single'

More than a week after the killing of two notorious judges of the Islamic Republic, government officials are not only failing to provide transparent information regarding the details of this case but have also turned into a machine of denial, as in many other instances. In this context, today the 'Media Center of the Judiciary' of the Islamic Republic continued its series of denials by publishing a text. The Judiciary of the Islamic Republic announced in response to the aftermath of the killings of Ali Razini and Mohammad Mogheiseh, two well-known judges of the Supreme Court, that these two were 'killed by an infiltrator' and that 'the assailant was single.' According to repeated statements from the Mizan news agency affiliated with the Judiciary, Hossain Ali Niri and another known judge were not present at the scene, and reports of their being killed or injured are not true. The Judiciary's news agency also stated that the arrest of several employees of the Justice Palace and the Supreme Court at the prosecutor's order is 'false and baseless.' The Mizan report emphasized that the images released in relation to this event are old and unrelated to this incident. Mizan also stated that the information published quoting the 'wife of the assailant' was also incorrect, asserting that this individual was single. This claim by the Judiciary's news agency comes despite earlier statements by Asghar Jahangir, the spokesperson for the Judiciary, who had reported the 'identification, summoning, or arrest' of individuals related to the killings of Ali Razini and Mohammad Mogheiseh, two well-known government judges. In a television interview, Jahangir did not specify the number or identity of those arrested but mentioned that 'investigations' had begun with them. It was also reported that Mohammad Kazem Mohammadi Azad, the Attorney General of the Islamic Republic, had ordered that with 'the coordination of agents, for the identification and arrest' of what he termed the 'background' of the killings of the two judges, this case should be investigated swiftly. In this context, the Khabar Online website published an interview with a security individual on the 'Ensaf News' website, where this 'former' Ministry of Intelligence employee made interesting claims. This individual, identified as 'Nasser Razavi, a former agent of the Ministry of Intelligence,' stated regarding the assailant: 'This individual had depression and had changed his job classification from administrative to service, resulting in a reduction in salary. He was nervous due to this and on the day of the incident went after Mr. Niri after Mr. Mogheiseh and Razini, but got into a confrontation with the bodyguard and was ultimately killed.' This security agent of the government, in part of his interview, pointed out that the assailant 'had no relevant history with the [Mojahedin-e Khalq] organization' and claimed that 'similar cases in earlier years were linked to the Mojahedin organization, but there was no evidence or documentation to prove it.' He also referred to the shooting incident against Hashemi Rafsanjani at the grave of Ruhollah Khomeini in Bahman 72, stating: 'The perpetrator of this act also had no connection to the 'Mujahideen' but there was insistence to attribute him to the 'organization.' Mohammad Mogheiseh and Ali Razini, two well-known and notorious judges of the Islamic Republic of Iran, had issued numerous death sentences and long-term prison sentences for government opponents during their tenure. More than a week after the killing of these two notorious judges of the Iranian government, no group has claimed responsibility, and the officials of the Islamic Republic have not provided transparent information regarding the identity of the assailant. Meanwhile, 'the examination of the details' of this incident will take place according to the agenda published in the parliament during the Sunday session of the 'National Security Commission.'