Human Rights Defenders Call for the Dismissal of Sadegh Larijani

The Iran Human Rights Defenders Association has called for the dismissal of the head of Iran's judiciary due to his "direct responsibility for all injustices, corruption, and insecurities in the judicial system and society" and urged members of parliament to demand the "prosecution" of Sadegh Larijani. This organization, led by Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate, also called on the public, including human rights and civil activists, to unite in saying "no to the head of the judiciary" and support the demand for Larijani's removal from office. According to the statement, the judiciary, which was handed over to Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi in a "ruined" state, has today "not only failed to improve but has become a playground for individuals who, in the name of religion or under the pretext of security, trample justice and soil rights and fairness with hypocrisy, flattery, murder, case fabrication, and lies." The Human Rights Defenders Association emphasized that "the result of such a process is the reversal of the roles of the criminal and the free man." The statement notes the issuance of long prison sentences for civil activists, dissenters, lawyers, and critical thinkers, stating that "criminals and oppressors, embezzlers, and serial killers are engaged in accumulating wealth and worldly pleasures in the security and shelter provided by this corrupt judicial system." Recent issues such as the hunger strikes of political prisoners have further intensified criticism of the judiciary's performance. Many political and civil activists and human rights organizations have repeatedly emphasized that even the laws of the Islamic Republic are not respected regarding prisoners, especially political prisoners, who are deprived of fair trials. Previously, some political prisoners and human rights organizations have described the sentences issued by the Revolutionary Court against political and civil activists as "unjust" and "illegal," stressing that these sentences were issued under "pressure" from security agencies on judges. Meanwhile, the Human Rights Defenders Association, in its statement, referred to the hunger strike of Ali Shariati, emphasizing that "the acid throwers are preoccupied with eating and sleeping in the safe haven that the judiciary has created for them," while protesters against acid attacks, like Ali Shariati, are imprisoned. The association questioned, "Has there ever been a judicial institution in the history of Iran as weak and powerless, a plaything of security forces - the Ministry of Intelligence and the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - as it is today?" The Human Rights Defenders Association has deemed the head of the judiciary responsible for all these injustices, corruption, and insecurities in the judicial system and society, and has deemed his dismissal necessary. The association, referencing Article 76 of the Constitution and the parliament's right to investigate "all matters of the country," has called on parliament members to "fulfill their supervisory responsibility over this institution and, with all this evidence and living witnesses, demand the prosecution of the head of the judiciary." The statement from the Human Rights Defenders Association comes at a time when tensions between the government and the judiciary in Iran have intensified, with officials from both branches implicitly or directly accusing each other of financial corruption. In conclusion, the Human Rights Defenders Association emphasizes that although the head of the judiciary is appointed by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, this institution believes it has the right to "take small steps, however minor, towards justice-seeking demands" to "perhaps take a step towards holding the judiciary accountable." Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, appointed Sadegh Amoli Larijani for another five-year term as head of the judiciary on August 14, 2014. In addition to the protests from political activists and human rights organizations, some conservative figures, including Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri and Ahmad Tavakoli, have also criticized the judiciary's performance in addressing economic corruption. In recent years, allegations of economic corruption against Fazel Larijani have also been raised, and the head of the judiciary has denied claims of supporting his brother.