Ejei Reports Existence of 90,000 Cases Related to 2022 Protests

The head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic announced the closure and expedited processing of 90,000 cases related to the nationwide protests of 2022. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stated during the Student Day ceremony at the University of Science and Research, "Actions were taken in 2022, and there may have been mistakes." Ejei also claimed regarding the "pardons granted" that "after the pardons were applied, two agencies," which he did not specify, protested to the judiciary that "some of the pardoned convicts" were members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization - referred to as "hypocrites" in government language - and "or Takfiri groups." He claimed that these "agencies" provided the judiciary with a "150-person list in this regard." The head of the judiciary emphasized that from that 150-person list, "there was one person who had the charge of hypocrisy and had one month left of his sentence, and due to good behavior in prison, he was pardoned for one month of his imprisonment." The nationwide protests of 2022 began in response to the death of Mahsa Amini on the evening of September 16 of that year in front of Kasra Hospital in Tehran, intensified with the significant presence of citizens at her funeral in Saqez, and in the following days, gained a national scope, continuing for months in public spaces, schools, and universities. Criticism from three artistic institutions regarding the mandatory hijab law: the homeland is becoming a prison. Tomaj Salehi, a protesting singer, was released from prison. A woman protesting against the mandatory hijab was released after being "whipped." Experts: Legalizing the imposition of hijab increases social tensions. Arsham Rezaei's letter from prison: the "medieval" act of execution should end. Mourning mothers in Boukan held the second anniversary of their loved ones' killings.