Permanent Dismissal Order for Saeed Mortazavi from Judicial Services Sent

The head of the criminal courts in Tehran Province announced the sending of the Supreme Court's ruling regarding the permanent dismissal of Saeed Mortazavi, the former prosecutor of Tehran, from judicial services and a five-year ban from government services to the enforcement of judgments. Mohsen Eftekhari, in an interview with the state news agency IRNA on Sunday, December 23, reported the sending of the case of the accused judges in the Kahrizak detention center incident to the enforcement of judgments and stated that a parallel branch for that part of the case, which the Supreme Court has raised objections to, has not yet been determined. Branch 76 of the Tehran Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Siamak Modir Khorasani, had sentenced Saeed Mortazavi, Hassan Zareh Dehnavi, and Ali Heydarifar, the defendants in the Kahrizak judges case, to permanent dismissal from judicial services and a five-year ban from administrative services at the beginning of August 2013, following complaints from the families of Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini, Mohammad Kamrani, and Amir Javadi-Far for the charge of 'participation in illegal detention.' Twenty days after the issuance of the ruling, the case was referred to Branch 9 of the Supreme Court due to objections from all three defendants and two of the plaintiffs. Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini, Mohammad Kamrani, and Amir Javadi-Far were three young men who lost their lives in the Kahrizak detention center due to 'torture and psychological pressure' after being arrested for participating in protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the first deputy of the judiciary, reported on November 24 that the Supreme Court had confirmed the conviction of Saeed Mortazavi in the Kahrizak judges case. He stated on November 27 that the Supreme Court had granted some 'leniency' to the other two defendants in the case. According to IRNA, the Supreme Court reduced the permanent dismissal of Ali Akbar Heydarifar and Hassan Zareh Dehnavi from judicial services to six years and their five-year ban from government services to two years. According to the lawyer of the heirs of Mohammad Kamrani, the Supreme Court's objection to the Kahrizak judges case was related to the imposition of a 200,000 Toman fine on Mr. Mortazavi. IRNA reported that one of the charges against Mr. Mortazavi in this case, in addition to participation in illegal detention, was 'aiding in the preparation of a false report by ordering or encouraging the relevant officials to prepare a report addressed to himself.' This charge led Branch 76 of the Tehran Criminal Court to impose a 200,000 Toman fine on Saeed Mortazavi. Hassan Kamali, the defense lawyer for the heirs of Mohammad Kamrani, stated on December 15 that 'the reviewing branch in the Supreme Court does not believe that the charge of false reporting against Mr. Mortazavi is valid based on the contents of the case. The Supreme Court assumed that even if this charge is valid, the penalty imposed was not legal.' According to IRNA, the minimum fine mentioned for this charge against Mr. Mortazavi under the law is 20,000 Toman, not 200,000 Toman. The sending of Mr. Mortazavi's ruling to the enforcement of judgments comes while some of his other cases are also under review. Peyman Haj Mahmoud Attar, a lawyer, stated in early August that Saeed Mortazavi has 10 open cases in the prosecution office for government employees. This lawyer mentioned the complaint case against Abbas Palizdar, the Kahrizak detention center case, the complaint against Fazel Larijani, and the complaint from the parliamentary investigation committee against the Social Security Organization as some of the open cases against Saeed Mortazavi. According to reports, on Tuesday, December 3, after Saeed Mortazavi appeared in the prosecution office regarding the 'Social Security Organization violations' case, a bail of two billion Tomans was issued for him. In this context, a request was made to summon dozens of managers from the Ahmadinejad government in the Social Security case, and a bail of 'two billion Tomans' was issued for Saeed Mortazavi. Mortazavi stated that a retired judge was assigned to confirm his conviction. Mohseni Ejei confirmed the permanent dismissal ruling of Saeed Mortazavi from his judicial position.