Ebrahim Raisi Appointed as New Head of Iran's Judiciary

On Thursday, March 7, the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran issued an order appointing Ebrahim Raisi as the new head of the judiciary, calling for a "powerful start to a new era" that he claims should be "worthy of the second phase of the revolution." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mentioned qualities such as "jurisprudence, knowledge, experience, integrity, trustworthiness, and efficiency" as characteristics of Ebrahim Raisi, stating that his "long service and background" in the judiciary and "complete familiarity with all its aspects" were among the reasons for his appointment. He also provided Raisi with "eight important recommendations." Khamenei said he had "considered" Raisi's proposed "judicial transformation document" and found it "useful and effective," but advised that there should be "neither haste nor procrastination" in its implementation. He emphasized that there should be no hesitation in combating corruption within the judiciary, which he claimed is a source of pride for most judges. Khamenei advised Raisi to "not consider the opinions of others in judicial matters" and to utilize "young, righteous, revolutionary, and knowledgeable individuals" in the judiciary. He also recommended collaboration with the executive and legislative branches, stating they are also obliged to cooperate with him. Khamenei stressed the importance of respecting judges and courts, noting that a sense of dignity and honor in judges serves as a strong barrier against motivations for corruption and deviation. According to Article 157 of the Islamic Republic's Constitution, the head of the judiciary is appointed for a five-year term and must be a "just jurist, knowledgeable about judicial matters, and a manager and administrator." Ebrahim Raisi is the sixth head of the judiciary in the history of the Islamic Republic, following Mohammad Beheshti, Abdolkarim Mousavi Ardebili, Mohammad Yazdi, Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, and Sadegh Amoli Larijani. Shirin Ebadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, commented on Raisi's appointment to Reuters, stating that while Sadegh Larijani's performance was unacceptable, replacing him with Raisi, who has been involved in extrajudicial executions and the massacre of political prisoners, further tarnishes the judiciary. Political analyst Akbar Ganji also emphasized that given Raisi's history as a "historical criminal" and "liar," he cannot be a "just jurist." Ebrahim Raisi, 57, was born in Mashhad and began working as a deputy prosecutor in Karaj at the age of 20. He has previously served as the prosecutor of Tehran and head of the General Inspection Organization. Raisi, who is under EU sanctions, was a member of a four-person committee that decided on the executions of political prisoners in 1988. Human rights groups estimate that over five thousand individuals were executed during the summer of 1988 under the orders of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, due to their political beliefs, with three thousand of them being members of the People's Mojahedin Organization. Ahmad Montazeri released an audio file in August 2016 in which his father, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, referred to these executions as the "greatest crime in the history of the Islamic Republic" and stated that "history will condemn us for this crime." Raisi has also served as the first deputy of the judiciary for ten years and as the Attorney General of Iran from 2014 to 2015. Following the death of Nasser Vaez Tabasi, he was appointed by the Supreme Leader as the custodian of the Astan Quds Razavi. Raisi has been a member of the conservative "Society of Combatant Clergy" since 1997. He ran in the 12th presidential election last year but was defeated by Hassan Rouhani. Rouhani repeatedly highlighted Raisi's judicial past during the campaign, stating that "the people of Iran declare that they do not accept those who have only known executions and prisons for 38 years." Raisi is the first head of the judiciary in the history of the Islamic Republic to have lost an election. The news of his potential appointment has drawn significant reactions on social media and from human rights organizations and the U.S. State Department. Robert Palladino, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, described Raisi's appointment as "shameful" due to his membership in the committee responsible for the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988. The Iran Human Rights Campaign stated that even the mention of his name as a candidate for this position is a "catastrophe for the rule of law and the administration of justice in Iran." Mostafa Tajzadeh, a former Deputy Minister of Interior and head of the election headquarters for Khatami's government, stated that without the judiciary becoming independent, expecting improvement is futile. He wrote on his Twitter page that anyone who believes that Hashemi Shahroudi was able to restore the judicial ruins left by Mohammad Yazdi and that Sadegh Larijani could meet the needs of society should not expect Raisi to modernize and make the judiciary efficient. Iran needs an independent, impartial, and accountable judiciary. Ebrahim Raisi succeeds Sadegh Amoli Larijani, who has been the head of the judiciary since August 2009 and was appointed to the Expediency Discernment Council in January of this year. During Larijani's tenure, he was frequently involved in political disputes and consistently commented on international issues. Under his leadership, political and "security" prisoners were deprived of the right to have their chosen lawyers and were only allowed to use a few lawyers trusted by the judiciary. The courts for the protesters of the 2009 elections, attacks on the humanities, restrictions on the internet and cyberspace, arrests of civil, labor, environmental, and political activists, clashes with the media, deaths of prisoners, executions of convicts, economic special courts, and verbal confrontations with officials of the Ahmadinejad and Rouhani governments are among the events and actions recorded in Sadegh Larijani's record.