Hassan Rouhani's Reaction to Report on Grave Sleepers: It Was Very Painful for Me

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, reacted to a critical letter from renowned filmmaker Asghar Farhadi regarding families who, due to extreme poverty in Iran, seek refuge in graves at night, calling this issue "very painful." According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Mr. Rouhani stated on Wednesday, January 8, "I read a letter from one of the artists yesterday that was very painful. We had heard that some people become cardboard sleepers or sleep under bridges due to poverty, but we had heard less about grave sleepers..." The Islamic Republic official continued, "Who can see in such a large society like Iran, with its great culture and love for the family of the Prophet, that some of his fellow beings have suffered social harm and, due to being homeless, have taken refuge in graves? Previously, it was said that people were buried alive, but now individuals bury themselves to withstand the cold... This issue is intolerable for the government and the people." On Tuesday, the Tehran-based newspaper Shahrvand published a report about the lives of about 50 women, men, and children who sleep in graves at the Nasirabad cemetery near Shahriyar County. This report received widespread attention on social media, and Asghar Farhadi, in a letter to Hassan Rouhani, expressed shame and emphasized that all those who have held responsibility in Iran over the past thirty years should share in this "shame." Mr. Farhadi also suggested in his letter to the President and other Iranian officials that they should "go among the people unaccompanied and anonymously" to see the "red faces of the impoverished dignitaries." However, in response to this report and its reflection in his speech on Wednesday, Rouhani indicated that the solution to this issue lies in the unity of the nation and the government, fighting corruption, and avoiding factional issues and disputes. He stated, "To solve problems, we all must come together. The government and the people are all responsible, and we are all accountable for corruption. The greatest power to combat corruption is public oversight." These remarks come as the newspaper Qanoon reported that following the publication of the report regarding the grave sleepers in Nasirabad, officials "beat and removed the cardboard sleepers from the cemetery." Rouhani also indirectly addressed the Babak Zanjani case in his remarks on Wednesday, criticizing Iranian oversight bodies regarding this matter. He revealed that he had suggested from the beginning of this case that the Ministry of Intelligence should handle it instead of the judiciary "to ensure transparent information and a well-prepared case before it is handed over to the judiciary, but this did not happen." The Iranian President stated, "Why, despite all these oversight bodies, are we still witnessing major violations? How is it possible that a massive violation of about three billion dollars occurs in Iran during the previous government? There were so many oversight bodies, but which one was not strong in its oversight? Either our laws are flawed, or the individuals responsible for oversight have issues." He added, "Can one person alone embezzle three billion dollars? Who was he connected to? Who helped him, and who were his partners? How did oil, assets, and hundreds of millions of dollars come to be in his possession?" Babak Zanjani, who was responsible for selling Iran's oil during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency and the peak of sanctions related to the nuclear program, is accused of failing to return about 2.5 billion euros from oil sales to the government. He has been sentenced to death in court, and his sentence has also been confirmed by the Supreme Court. However, Rouhani emphasizes the importance of recovering the money from oil sales rather than executing Babak Zanjani. He stated, "I do not discuss the judiciary and its ruling on that individual, as this pertains to the judiciary, and the judge has examined it and reached a ruling. But the people's question remains. Now, if an individual is executed, then what? What happened to the money? Where did the money that was in this person's possession go? Who were the influential people and what roles did they play?" Babak Zanjani was arrested following protests by the officials of Hassan Rouhani's government in December 2013.