Head of Fars Judiciary: No One Has the Right to Intervene in Mehdi Hajati's Case

The head of the Fars Judiciary mentioned that supporting Bahais and 'public crimes' are the accusations against Mehdi Hajati, a detained member of the Shiraz City Council, and stated, 'We will not allow interference in this case.' Ali Al-Qasi said in an interview with the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, that 'media hype will have no effect on the proceedings of this case.' Regarding the accusations against Mr. Hajati, he said: 'Regardless of whether this individual has had any connection with a misguided sect or defended this misguided sect, there are other accusations related to public crimes against him.' The head of the Fars Judiciary did not refer to the details of the accusations made by this institution against Mr. Hajati. Mehdi Hajati, a member of the Shiraz City Council, was arrested on the evening of October 5 after his tweet about following up on the detention of two Bahais in the city. Mr. Hajati had written: 'I have knocked on every door in the past ten days to free two detained Bahai friends and have not succeeded.' Abdul Karim Hassan Zadeh, head of the Citizen Rights faction in Parliament, wrote on Twitter in protest against Mr. Hajati's arrest: 'Certainly, the Speaker of Parliament is responsible for the members of Parliament and the City Council, which is elected under his supervision. Yesterday, Sepanta Niknam, today Mehdi Hajati, how long must we witness disrespect for the people's vote? If his freedom is not achieved as soon as possible, do not doubt that we will not remain silent in the public session of Parliament.' Meanwhile, Bahram Parsai, a representative from Shiraz in Parliament, mentioned that the reason for Mr. Hajati's arrest was 'following up on the destruction of historical sites for the development of the Shah Cheragh shrine' and noted that he had been threatened several times before due to this follow-up. Mr. Hajati had stated last Esfand that according to the Shah Cheragh shrine development plan, 57 hectares, including several historical houses, are to be destroyed. According to Shia beliefs, the burial place of Ahmad, the brother of Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha, the eighth Shia Imam, known as Shah Cheragh, is located in Shiraz. The burial place of Seyyed Alaeddin Hossein, the son of the seventh Shia Imam, is also one of the pilgrimage sites for Shia Muslims in Shiraz. A 57-hectare construction project is underway along the one-kilometer route between these two Imams in southeastern Shiraz.