Judiciary Spokesman: We Were Under Pressure in Mehdi Hashemi's Case

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, spokesman and first deputy of the Iranian judiciary, stated on Saturday, July 6, that the judiciary was under pressure from "various directions" in Mehdi Hashemi's case, but the change of the judge in Mr. Hashemi's case was not in this context. According to Iranian news agencies, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, in an interview with the second channel of the state television, said: "In Mehdi Hashemi's case, we were really under pressure from various directions, but the change of Judge Saraj was not in this context." He added: "Judge Saraj's position was changed and he was appointed as the head of the General Inspection Organization. The inspection was a reporter in this case and later, if deemed necessary, could appeal the ruling." The spokesman of the Iranian judiciary had previously announced the issuance of a definitive sentence of 10 years imprisonment for Mehdi Hashemi, the son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Mehdi Hashemi, in August of last year, after the change of his case judge, mentioned this change as "inconsistent with the principles of fair trial." According to ISNA, Mehdi Hashemi, in a text referring to the news of the replacement of his case judge, wrote: "The transfer of the case from Judge Saraj and referral to another judge, after the proceedings had begun by him and a year of judicial work and oversight by the aforementioned over the case, for any excuse, is completely unprecedented and inconsistent with the principles of fair trial." While the first deputy of the judiciary spoke about pressures in Mehdi Hashemi's case on Saturday in this television program, the day before he had stated in his speech at Friday prayers in Tehran that a "powerful individual" is threatening the judiciary. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei emphasized: "Unfortunately, an individual who is powerful and holds a position tells us that I should determine the judge and I should decide who the judge should be; if this is the case, then what happens to the independence of the judiciary?" Meanwhile, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has not yet reacted to the ruling against his son, but before the issuance of the ruling, he had told the Shargh newspaper: "I do not want to interfere in the judiciary's work. I have always told the leadership and the head of the judiciary and everyone. I do not know the judge and have never seen him. I told them that if Mehdi has committed a crime, my preference is that he sees his punishment in this world and does not fall into the afterlife, because the afterlife is very hard, and if he has not committed a crime, it is not befitting of the Islamic Republic to accuse or convict a person who has not committed a crime due to political issues." Meanwhile, last week, Efat Marashi, the wife of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, described her son's ruling as "fatherless behavior." Mehdi Hashemi was charged at the airport upon his return to Iran on October 24, 2012, and after introducing himself to the prosecutor's office, he was arrested. He was released on bail on December 17, 2012, after nearly three months of imprisonment.