Khamenei: The Judiciary Must Stand Against Threats

The leader of the Islamic Republic called on the officials of the judiciary to stand against what he described as "factors undermining the independence of the judiciary, including threats, bribery, embarrassment, and public pressure." According to Tasnim News Agency, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the evening of Sunday, July 7, emphasized that "power" is one of the factors of the judiciary's independence and added: "The judiciary's quest for power is not conventional political power-seeking but rather means decisiveness and standing firm for the truth." Khamenei's remarks come as Iranian judiciary officials have claimed in recent days that they are under "pressure" regarding the case of Mehdi Hashemi, the son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Council of Iran. For instance, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson and first deputy of the judiciary, stated on Saturday, July 6, that the judiciary was under pressure from "various directions" in Mehdi Hashemi's case. Ejei also mentioned a day earlier that a "powerful individual" is threatening the judiciary. Meanwhile, Sadegh Amoli Larijani, the head of the judiciary, also emphasized on Sunday, July 7, that "powerful and wealthy individuals" are attempting to exert pressure on the judiciary. He also stated that the judiciary cannot remain "neutral" regarding protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, which he referred to as a "sedition." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his close associates refer to the protests against the 2009 presidential election results as "sedition." The Iranian judiciary has been repeatedly accused by critics of having a "political bias" in its actions, particularly regarding the arrests of several political activists following the 2009 presidential election, which critics have labeled as "pre-planned" and the sentences issued against them as "political and unjust." In his remarks on Sunday evening, the leader of the Islamic Republic also described the increase in the number of prisoners as "truly regrettable" and stated that this issue incurs costs from various financial, familial, ethical, and social angles. Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the Minister of Justice, reported in June of last year that there were 217,851 prisoners in Iran. In recent years, judiciary officials have repeatedly criticized the increase in incoming cases to the judiciary. However, Sadegh Amoli Larijani, on July 6, considered the entry of 15 million cases into the judiciary in 2014 as indicative of the "people's trust" in this institution.