Iran's Judiciary Accuses Ali Motahari of 'Spreading Falsehoods'

On Tuesday, January 6, the Public Relations Office of Iran's Judiciary deemed a letter from Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran, to the head of the Judiciary as falling under the 'criminal title of spreading falsehoods' and accused him of being unaware of 'the laws and the position of the Supreme National Security Council in the Islamic Republic of Iran.' On January 1, Sadegh Amoli Larijani, the head of Iran's Judiciary, had described the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two leaders of the protests against the 2009 presidential election results, as 'legal' and in accordance with the defined duties in Article 176 of the Constitution for the Supreme National Security Council. In his letter dated January 4, Motahari wrote to him: 'The signature of this resolution by the then head of the Supreme National Security Council, Mr. Ahmadinejad, who, according to your own words, wrote twice for the release of the detainees, is questionable.' According to ISNA news agency, the Judiciary's Public Relations Office responded to Motahari's statements by stating: 'It is not expected from a member of parliament, who is a legislator himself, to attribute such falsehoods to the esteemed heads of the branches of power who are effective members of the Supreme National Security Council and to create doubt in the resolutions of one of the country's highest authorities; especially with baseless conjectures.' The Judiciary added that Sadegh Larijani, while denying Motahari's statements, expressed ignorance about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter for the release of Mousavi and Karroubi and deemed the existence of this letter as 'unlikely.' According to the Judiciary's statement, Amoli Larijani added: 'The letter, of which I am somewhat aware, pertains to the early stages of the sedition and its subject is entirely different.' The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and his close associates refer to the protests against the 2009 presidential election results as 'sedition' and call Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi 'leaders of the sedition.' The Judiciary's Public Relations Office further stated: 'Such false attributions are both contrary to piety and practical commitment to the luminous decrees of Islam and fall under the criminal title of spreading falsehoods.' In his letter to the head of the Judiciary, Ali Motahari also emphasized that issues like the house arrest of individuals are not defined within the duties of the Supreme National Security Council in Article 176 of the Constitution. He wrote to Amoli Larijani: 'If we accept your reasoning, the Supreme National Security Council can condemn any accused to imprisonment or even execution under the mentioned titles without going through judicial proceedings, which means undermining the Judiciary and the Constitution.' The Judiciary's Public Relations Office responded to this part of Motahari's statements by asserting: 'He does not understand the difference between imprisonment and house arrest and the imposition of penalties... or he is neglecting it, or his inclination to unconditionally support the leaders of the sedition has prevented him from paying attention to legal standards.' In this announcement, referring to the duties of the Supreme National Security Council to 'utilize the material and spiritual resources of the country to confront internal and external threats,' it emphasized that the house arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi 'is aimed at removing one of the threats against the country's security' which 'has a historical precedent.' The Judiciary's Public Relations Office also clarified that the Supreme National Security Council 'is not a court' that can condemn someone to imprisonment or execution. The head of the Judiciary also stated last Wednesday that some comments from the protesters regarding the 2009 presidential election results, claiming 'the outcome of the trial does not matter to them at all, and they want a platform to express their views,' were among the reasons for the Judiciary not holding a trial for Mousavi and Karroubi. Motahari, referring to these comments from the head of the Judiciary, wrote in his letter: 'It is clear that this reasoning is unacceptable because it is natural for any accused person to want to convey their words to the people, and this is their right.' The Judiciary's Public Relations Office accused Motahari of having a 'misconception' about the inherent duty of the court and the principle of public trials. According to this office, the duty of the court is adjudication, 'not to create a platform for others to speak and convey their words.' This announcement, referring to the limitations specified in the Islamic Penal Code for publishing 'the course of proceedings,' added that 'providing such an opportunity to defendants in courts who are in the stage of defending against accusations has no legal basis.' Sadegh Amoli Larijani also stated that whenever the resolution of the Supreme National Security Council regarding the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi changes, the Judiciary is ready to hold their trial. Motahari responded to Amoli Larijani's statements by writing: 'The resolution of the Supreme National Security Council was valid only until the end of the period of street riots and afterwards it was automatically revoked, and the continuation of the house arrest requires a judicial ruling; therefore, you can hold a competent public trial.' The Judiciary's Public Relations Office emphasized that the resolutions of the Supreme National Security Council remain valid until revoked by the council itself. The announcement concluded: 'Indeed, do the resolutions of the Islamic Consultative Assembly also automatically become null and void?! It seems that the claimant is unaware of the process of actions and resolutions of the Supreme National Security Council, thinking that the council's resolutions are automatically revoked after a while without a new resolution.' The Judiciary's emphasis on the non-temporary nature of the Supreme National Security Council's resolution regarding the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi comes at a time when '230 representatives' of the parliament on Tuesday called on the Judiciary to 'make decisions regarding these two after the expiration of the Supreme National Security Council's deadline.' Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011 based on the resolution of the Supreme National Security Council. Ali Motahari has repeatedly called for the lifting of the house arrest or trial of the leaders protesting the 2009 election results. Mehdi Karroubi, in a message, has asked Ali Motahari, the representative from Tehran, to pursue the 'right' to trial and provide 'the necessary preparations for holding a public trial.' On July 8, Motahari stated that during a meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of Iran, he described the crimes of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi as significant and stated that if they were tried, a 'very heavy sentence' awaited them. In this context, 230 representatives of the parliament deemed the house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement as 'legal.' Motahari: The house arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi violates multiple principles of the Constitution. Larijani: If the resolution regarding the house arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi changes, they will be tried. The Attorney General of Iran: Lifting the house arrest is not on the agenda of the National Security Council. An open letter from Ali Motahari to the head of the Judiciary regarding the house arrest. The latest statements from Mohseni Ejei regarding the trial of Mousavi and Karroubi. Ali Motahari's website is inaccessible. Changing the battlefield of 'proxy wars'; war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. Two weeks after a complete blackout, the time to reconnect the internet in Iran is still 'uncertain.' The shadow of war over Tehran; 'Trump is looking for decisive military options against Iran.' Trump says if the Islamic Republic assassinates him, 'it will be wiped off the face of the earth.' A senior U.S. official: The Trump administration is closely monitoring the case of Reza Valizadeh. The Islamic Republic announced the number of casualties from the protests in January as '3,117 people.'