Khamenei Describes Larijani's Presidency of the Judiciary as a 'Period Full of Action and Initiative'

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, agreed to Sadegh Larijani's request for an early resignation from the presidency of the judiciary, and Mr. Larijani announced that the new head of this branch would be introduced in the next two to three days. According to Iranian news sources, Ebrahim Raisi, the custodian of the Astan Quds Razavi, is set to replace him in the judiciary. He was a member of a committee in 1988 that decided on the mass execution of political prisoners. In response to Mr. Larijani's letter dated February 21, the Supreme Leader expressed gratitude for his 'hardworking and initiative-filled period in the judiciary.' Ayatollah Khamenei described Sadegh Larijani as someone who, according to him, has 'provided great services to his areas of responsibility with outstanding scientific and practical qualifications and great struggle.' The head of the judiciary described the Supreme Leader's letter as 'fatherly' and 'caring.' During his tenure, Sadegh Larijani was almost constantly involved in political conflicts and frequently commented on international issues. Under his presidency, an amendment to Article 48 of the new Criminal Procedure Code was implemented, which deprived political and 'security' prisoners of the right to choose their own lawyers, allowing them only to use a few lawyers trusted by the judiciary. The continuation of trials for the 2009 election protesters, attacks on humanities, restrictions on the internet and cyberspace, the arrest of civil, labor, environmental, and political activists, media crackdowns, prisoner deaths, executions of convicts, and extraordinary economic courts are among the events and actions recorded in Sadegh Larijani's record. The head of the judiciary also stated on Tuesday that using a 'special budget,' more than one million square meters of buildings have been constructed or renovated for this branch, with a value exceeding 25 trillion tomans, which is ten times the initial investment. He did not provide further details about this 'special budget.' Mr. Larijani's reference may pertain to accounts opened in the name of the head of the judiciary, from which this branch received interest from banks. Mahmoud Sadeghi, a representative from Tehran, had previously commented on these accounts, which led to a severe reaction from the judiciary and the presence of Tehran's prosecutor's agents outside his home on the evening of December 7, 2016, attempting to arrest him. Ultimately, after the agents failed to detain Mr. Sadeghi, a case was opened against him in Tehran's prosecutor's office.