Ejei's Implicit Reaction to Gilan's 'Sexual Scandals': Problems Must Be Solved Within the Family

The head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic reacted to the leaked sexual relationships of several government officials in Gilan province, describing the videos as 'distraction' by the enemy to 'divert the minds' of the people. Mohseni Ejei stated on Monday, August 1, during a meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council: 'It is observed that distractions are taking place in the country to divert minds from addressing main and priority issues. The enemy's front engages minds every day with a rumor and a mix of truth and falsehood to prevent the country from progressing and solving problems.' He implicitly referred to the exposure of sexual corruption among government officials and advocates of chastity and hijab, stating that the destruction of individuals and institutions is the 'enemy's agenda' and added: 'We see that every day a rumor is created about a person and disseminated, and through psychological operations, they aim to confuse the people; the enemy's goal is to create doubt and division among the people, officials, and powers.' The chief judge of the Islamic Republic reiterated terms like 'insight' and 'insider and outsider,' stating: 'We must enhance our insight, recognize priorities, distinguish between insiders and outsiders, and be careful not to play into the enemy's hands because we are all members of one family, and if there are problems, we must solve them through synergy and prudence within the family; we must not allow outsiders to take the lead and let the incompetent and infiltrators take charge.' This reaction from the highest judicial authority of the Islamic Republic comes while the scandal involving Reza Taqati, the director of the Culture and Islamic Guidance Department in Gilan, is still fresh, and news of a sexual relationship involving the deputy of the 'Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice' in Gilan with his 'brother-in-law' has heated up in cyberspace. According to these reports, this individual, named Mehdi Haqshenas, who is the deputy of the 'Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice' in Gilan and a cleric supporting mandatory hijab, has had sexual relations with a family member who is said to be his 'brother-in-law.' Notably, domestic media have published images of official meetings between Reza Taqati and Mehdi Haqshenas. The dimensions of moral scandals in the Islamic Republic have become so extensive that on the first working day of the new week, many Western media outlets have reported on these events. Media from various countries such as Britain, Israel, and the United States have described these scandals as 'hypocrisy' and stated that under the prevailing Sharia in the Islamic Republic, the punishment for same-sex relations can be death. Peyman Behboudi, the editor of 'Radio Gilan,' who exposed the sexual relationships of Gilan officials, previously told Voice of America that these revelations come at a time when the Islamic Republic 'determines the fate' of citizens in 'the most private matters' of their lives, yet officials 'act as if they are above reproach' and 'consider themselves infallible.'