Motahari Criticizes the Handling of Saeed Toosi's Case

Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated that the prolonged duration of the investigation into Saeed Toosi's case "does not seem natural," adding, "This delay has caused some plaintiffs to seek refuge in foreign media and then be accused of complicity in the crime." In an interview with the Islamic Consultative Assembly news agency published on Tuesday, November 1, he further noted, "It seems that judicial officials have adhered to a self-made expediency, suggesting that since the accused is a Quran reciter, it is better not to pursue the matter seriously, which is, of course, a wrong approach and inconsistent with Islamic and Alavi justice." The Deputy Speaker of Iran's Parliament questioned, "When an individual has such a case, why is he used as a reciter at a national official ceremony like the opening of the tenth parliament?" He stated that under these circumstances, "naturally, it raises the suspicion that they want to intimidate the plaintiffs to withdraw their complaints." Motahari emphasized that "it seems there has been a fault in Mr. Toosi's case, which has been pending for about five years, while the concerns of the plaintiffs and their families should have been addressed sooner, whether the outcome of the investigations is acquittal or proof of guilt." Saeed Toosi is a well-known Quran reciter in Iran, whose recitations are esteemed by the Supreme Leader and at government ceremonies like the opening of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, indicating his importance. Meanwhile, several of his students have claimed that Toosi has sexually assaulted or abused them in recent years. However, reports indicate that the pursuit of this case has stalled, and recently, the spokesperson for the judiciary announced that a decision to dismiss the prosecution was issued regarding the complaint of "immoral acts," but investigations regarding "encouragement of corruption" continue. In this context, Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, denied the influence of judicial officials and the office of the Supreme Leader in this case and criticized the media coverage of it. Naser Makarem Shirazi, a Shia cleric in Qom, recently implicitly criticized what he called "rumor-mongering and spreading rumors" and also criticized reports from foreign media about this case. This cleric's objection to the publication of reports about Saeed Toosi's case comes as the plaintiffs have stated that after five years of despairing from pursuing this case in the judiciary, they have begun to speak out about it. Meanwhile, some prominent Quran reciters, including Abbas Salimi and Mohsen Mousavi-Balhadeh, have called for the case to be addressed. Masih Mohajeri, the editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Jomhouri Eslami, also emphasized in an editorial on Thursday regarding Saeed Toosi's case that "transparent, swift, and decisive handling of the accusations and announcing results and executing them without hesitation will always be beneficial and will strengthen the system." He noted the situation of social media, stating that "those who think they are serving the system by hiding the truth should know that they are inflicting a great blow to the system and themselves." The newspaper Javan, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also stated in its editorial on Thursday that if Toosi's "deviation" is proven, he "must be punished" and that "we must be prepared for anything from acquittal to execution regarding him." This newspaper demanded that the judiciary "be accountable for why it has not resolved a case that has been pending since 2010 and why it has not enlightened the public before others." The editorial also stated that "the leadership of American and British media in this matter leaves no doubt that mocking the system through the lens of religion is their strategy, and their foot soldiers target every true and false issue as an arrow towards the system." Regarding this case, two plaintiffs stated in an interview with Radio Farda that they do not have personal safety. According to these plaintiffs, Saeed Toosi is under investigation for charges such as "sexual assault" following complaints from the families of several teenage Quran reciters, but ultimately, with the intervention of "Ali Moghadam, the head of communications for the office of the Supreme Leader," the "head of the judiciary," and the "prosecutor of Tehran," a decision to dismiss the prosecution was issued for him. Some news websites have reported that the number of plaintiffs in this case has exceeded ten, but some have not filed complaints and stated that they will appear in court as witnesses. This famous Quran reciter denied these allegations on October 21, claiming that opponents of the Islamic Republic have made him a "tool for insult" against the leader of Iran.