Iran's Leader Praises the Judiciary's 'Revolutionary and Value-Based' Stance

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, praised the 'revolutionary and value-based' positions of the judiciary during a meeting with the head and officials of the judiciary on Wednesday, July 9. He advised them to remain 'revolutionary.' He also emphasized the 'integrity of the judiciary' and called for serious and decisive action against 'violators and corrupt individuals' within the judiciary. In this meeting, held on the occasion of Judiciary Week, Khamenei described the 'integrity of the judiciary' as 'of utmost importance' and urged judicial officials to consider it 'a fundamental task.' He also stressed the 'necessity of informing the public about actions taken against offenders within the judiciary.' Khamenei stated, 'The judiciary must be 100% revolutionary and act revolutionarily.' He clarified that 'revolutionary action is not extremism,' but rather means acting 'fairly, wisely, precisely, compassionately, justly, decisively, and without hesitation.' In recent months, Khamenei has repeatedly called on various institutions, including the Assembly of Experts and religious seminaries in Iran, to be revolutionary and act accordingly. He also identified 'crime prevention and legal reform' as other high-priority requirements for the judiciary and its desired outcomes. He emphasized the need to 'reduce prison sentences' and said, 'Plans and designs for alternative punishments to imprisonment should be developed using experts and experienced professionals.' According to the International Prison Studies Institute, Iran ranks 37th in the world in terms of 'prisoner rates' relative to its total population. The Seychelles and the United States hold the top ranks in this list. Khamenei further noted the necessity for the judiciary to be more active in pursuing international legal cases and added that 'the pursuit of the rights of the Iranian people violated due to sanctions should be on the judicial agenda.' Referring to U.S. court rulings regarding the freezing of part of Iran's assets, he described it as 'an encroachment on the assets of the Iranian people under false pretenses and baseless accusations' and stated, 'The violation of the rights of the Iranian people due to sanctions is a reality that must be pursued legally on a global scale.' The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on April 20 that $2 billion of Iran's frozen assets in the country should be paid to the families of American victims of several terrorist operations linked to Tehran, including the 1983 bombings of the U.S. Marine Corps headquarters and French soldiers in Beirut, Lebanon. This Supreme Court decision was met with strong reactions from Hassan Rouhani and other Iranian officials, leading the government to form a special working group to investigate various aspects of this action, which resulted in Iran filing a formal complaint against the U.S. at the International Court of Justice. Members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly also approved a plan in late April that obliges the government to take 'reciprocal action' in Iran and third countries to counter the seizure of Iranian assets in the U.S. Khamenei recommended that the judiciary prioritize 'pursuing the rights of thousands of terrorism victims in Iran,' 'filing lawsuits against governments that openly and covertly support the killers of these victims,' and 'legally defending the rights of oppressed Muslim figures around the world.' He also called for the 'revival of Islamic human rights at the global level' and emphasized that 'the human rights claimed by the West are based on incorrect foundations, and Islamic human rights must be articulated and pursued with solid and rational foundations in global public opinion and legal communities.' He described Ban Ki-moon's remarks, regarding the UN's blindness to ongoing crimes and child killings in Yemen in exchange for receiving money from certain countries, as a source of 'shame for humanity' and added, 'This scandal is against the true rights of humanity and must be legally and judicially addressed globally.' Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, announced on June 10 that following the publication of the Saudi-led military coalition's name in the UN's blacklist of those responsible for the killing of Yemeni children, Riyadh threatened with 'unacceptable' methods and severe pressure to cut its payments to vital UN funds. Consequently, Saudi Arabia was removed from the 'UN blacklist,' a decision that drew strong reactions from independent human rights organizations such as Amnesty International.