Khamenei Responds to Student Criticism: Leadership Does Not Manage Judiciary and State Media

On Tuesday, June 7, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, responded to student criticisms regarding the performance of the judiciary and state media, stating that although the heads of these two institutions are appointed by him, he does not manage them. In a meeting with a group of students, Khamenei mentioned, "The management of institutions such as the armed forces is under the leadership, but in the judiciary and state media, despite the fact that their heads are appointed by the leadership, their management is not under the leadership." He claimed that he has always had a critical stance towards the state media, both in its current management and previous ones. Khamenei suggested that the solution to the "deficiencies" of these institutions is to "inject young, active, faithful, and motivated elements into these organizations." This claim comes despite the fact that entering institutions like the state media involves stringent vetting processes, requiring individuals to have a practical commitment to the Velayat-e Faqih and Islam, thus hiring individuals who possess the characteristics emphasized by the Iranian leader. According to Iranian media reports, during this meeting, Sahar Moharabi, a representative of responsible managers in the Central Council overseeing university publications at the Ministry of Science, stated, "The inability to practically investigate some institutions under your command, such as the Revolutionary Guards, the judiciary, state media, the Foundation of the Oppressed, and the Executive Headquarters of Imam's Command, alongside the lack of accountability among officials, is inherently problematic." Khamenei has distanced himself from responsibility for the performance of his subordinate institutions, despite the fact that according to Article 157 of the Constitution, the Supreme Leader appoints the head of the judiciary for a five-year term, and according to Article 175, the appointment and dismissal of the head of the state media is also under the Supreme Leader's authority. Critics argue that institutions under the leader, such as the judiciary, are not accountable to anyone and there is no recourse for complaints against them. In this context, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the judiciary of corruption, stating that no institution is accountable for complaints against the judiciary and its oppression of the people, and "the leadership also claims that the responsibility for the performance of the judiciary and other institutions is not his." Khamenei continued his speech by saying, "Someone might ask why certain criticisms are not raised in the state media, but in contrast, government officials repeatedly complain about critical content from the state media and some news sections." The Iranian leader's reference was to officials from Hassan Rouhani's government, who have accused the Islamic Republic's radio and television of spreading "rumors" and "black propaganda." Political and civil activists have previously criticized the selective nature of the state media. Khamenei also described the "current freedoms" in social, political, media, and virtual spaces in Iran as "incomparable" to the era of the Pahlavi regime and before the revolution. While he spoke of "freedom" in the media and virtual space, recent weeks have seen significant criticism regarding the filtering of the messaging app "Telegram" at the behest of the judiciary. Telegram, which both its managers and government officials claim has over forty million Iranian users, was blocked last month after prolonged contradictory reports about its filtering, following a ruling by the prosecutor of the Culture and Media Court. Sahar Moharabi stated in the meeting with the Iranian leader that "the violation of the right to hold gatherings, repeated assaults on the right to freedom of expression, and the increasing restriction of the right to free access to information through illegal filtering and press repression have created an environment where civil and legal protest has become an option that is simply out of reach for citizens." She emphasized, "Thus, a serious question arises regarding the head of a government that is responsible for executive institutions, or the head of a judiciary that has supervisory and judicial powers, or yourself, who some believe that the powers outlined in Article 110 of the Constitution are the extent of your authority, what responses do you have to the questions, criticisms, and protests of the people?" She added, "Iran is currently experiencing sensitive conditions. Great decisions are made by great individuals. In short, in our view, the solution is to deepen democracy; democracy based on the people; all people, all minorities, all ethnicities, workers, teachers, students, forgotten classes, border porters, the impoverished, and the marginalized."