Larijani: The Incident in Shiraz Damaged the Internal and External Roots of the Country

Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, in his last news conference of the current solar year on March 16, spoke about the attack on Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran, in Shiraz, stating that this event "damaged the internal and external roots of the country and did not help the system." The Speaker expressed hope that the executive and judicial bodies would address the Shiraz incident and that "the issue would be resolved." A week prior, Ali Motahari, a conservative member of the Iranian Parliament, who had gone to Shiraz for a speech, faced an attack by a group against the taxi carrying him. The assailants used "stones, wood, clubs, and pepper spray." This incident has sparked various reactions, and Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, instructed the Ministers of Intelligence and Interior in a letter to pursue and prosecute the "lawbreakers," "behind-the-scenes actors," and officials responsible for this incident. Despite all this, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior stated on March 16 that no one has yet been arrested in this regard. These comments come as Hossein Ali Amiri, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, mentioned that in a video taken of the attack, the faces of the assailants are "almost" identifiable. Ali Larijani stated in his press conference, "Such behaviors are in no way acceptable for the country, and in a system where democracy and freedom of expression are one of its pillars, individuals must be able to express their opinions." Larijani's remarks about "democracy" and "freedom of expression" in Iran come at a time when Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, has called on Tehran to repeal laws restricting freedom of expression and media, release imprisoned journalists and bloggers, and end the jamming of satellite signals and blocking of websites.