Mashaei Summoned to Revolutionary Court on Charges of Insulting Leadership and Propaganda Against the Regime

Reports indicate that Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, the head of the former president's office in Iran, has been summoned by the Revolutionary Court on charges of 'insulting' the leadership, 'illegal appropriation of state property, insulting regime officials, and spreading falsehoods.' The government-affiliated website, Dowlat-e Bahar, close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, published the text of this summons on November 13. The summons specifies that Mr. Mashaei has five days from the date of notification to present himself to the investigative branch. Rahim Mashaei is a close associate of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his presence alongside the former president has led to controversies. His appointment as the first vice president by Ahmadinejad in July 2009 elicited widespread reactions, ultimately forcing Ahmadinejad to dismiss him. The summons does not refer to any specific action by Mashaei that led to the alleged insults against the leadership and regime officials; however, in recent months, the summoning and arrest of Hamid Baqaei, Ahmadinejad's executive assistant, triggered reactions from the former president and Mashaei. Two days after Baqaei's arrest, Ahmadinejad described it in a letter on July 30 as 'illegal' and a 'great injustice,' calling for his immediate release. In response, the Tehran prosecutor warned against 'any unprofessional and uninformed comments' regarding Baqaei's case. The judiciary spokesperson deemed Ahmadinejad's statements 'prosecutable.' In reaction to these comments, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei stated: 'You are playing with the lion's tail; you are dealing with the people. You are foolish to think you can do this; all your credibility is on a piece of paper.' Additionally, on the night of Baqaei's release in August, Mashaei referred to Baqaei's time in prison, saying: 'It must be clarified why Baqaei endured this heavy pressure for nearly 20 days. There is much to say and plenty of time.' In early November, following the summons of Baqaei and Ali Akbar Javanfekr to court, Ahmadinejad described the handling of Baqaei's case as indicative of 'the depth of the disarray in the judiciary' and accused its officials of using judicial power as a tool for personal objectives. Baqaei was arrested in June 2015 on charges of 'embezzlement' and spent over 200 days in prison. He was also arrested for the second time in July of this year and was released after 18 days on a bail of 20 billion tomans. In this context, Baqaei's request for the prosecution of the Tehran prosecutor for 'violations' in handling his case, Ahmadinejad's severe attack on the judiciary following Baqaei's summons, and the summons of Javanfekr and Baqaei to the prosecutor's office were noted. Baqaei stated: 'My court is political.' The Court of Audit warned Ahmadinejad not to incite excitement.