Motahari: Not Every Protest Against the Judiciary Constitutes a Crime

Ali Motahari criticized the statements made by Sadeq Amoli Larijani, the head of the judiciary, and Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the first deputy of the judiciary, regarding the Rafsanjani family's protest against the verdict on Mehdi Hashemi. He wrote: "We should not consider every protest as a crime or as undermining the judiciary." According to a report on Saturday, August 23, from the ISNA news agency, this Tehran representative in parliament stated in a letter to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei that the Rafsanjani family's remarks about the 'unfairness' of Mehdi Hashemi's verdict were 'normal' and emphasized that their request for the court sessions to be broadcast could even be accepted. Motahari argued that the 'logical result' of a judicial authority filing a complaint against individuals merely for expressing their opinions about their case or their client's case is that we must consider the judiciary as infallible, which 'no sound mind' would accept. The first deputy of the judiciary had previously described Mehdi Hashemi's claims of 'being wronged' as 'a crime and defamation.' In his letter, Motahari stated that 'this statement is not correct. What prevents the accused or their lawyer from believing that an unfair verdict has been issued against them? At most, the judiciary can respond that no, this verdict is in accordance with the law and fair.' On August 19, Sadeq Amoli Larijani reacted to the release of a farewell video of Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani with Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council, stating that 'we should not create an atmosphere where anyone who has been in a position can make farewell videos to undermine the judiciary.' In response to this criticism from the head of the judiciary, the Rafsanjani family issued a statement on August 21, protesting the 'banning' of Mehdi Hashemi's defense while claiming that 'lies and slanders' about this case were being broadcast by state media and military institutions. Meanwhile, Motahari also emphasized in response to the head of the judiciary's criticism that 'the farewell of a family member and accompanying them to prison while complying with the law and simultaneously stating that their verdict was not fair' is a 'normal practice for all families.' Mehdi Hashemi had requested the complete broadcast of his trial sessions from state television before turning himself in to Evin prison on August 18, but Davood Nematian Anaraki, the director of public relations at the state television organization, stated that broadcasting this trial 'requires obtaining the necessary permits from the judiciary.'