Reflection on Ahmadinejad's 'Strange Claims' Regarding the Cooperation Foundation

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, had a significant media response during a press conference on Saturday, June 14. The Iran newspaper dedicated its front page to Rouhani, quoting him as saying, 'The goal of June 14 is to preserve all the rights of Iranians.' The newspaper also noted that Rouhani appeared calmer than ever despite the numerous pressures on his government. The Shargh newspaper published Rouhani's remarks on its front page with the headline 'Yes to Law, No to Personal Interpretation,' where he responded to a question about the 'media ban' on Mohammad Khatami, the reformist president, stating, 'It is completely false that the Supreme National Security Council has banned someone from being pictured or reported on. The National Security Council has no resolution in this regard, and anyone who attributes this to the National Security Council is in violation of the law and should be punished accordingly.' The President also remarked, 'When women want to vote, we all bow and show respect, claiming there is equal opportunity, but once the elections are over, it seems our votes and opinions change.' The newspaper reported that in response to a question regarding the imprisonment of Jason Rezaian, a member of a small group of foreign journalists, Rouhani stated, 'As President, who is the executor of the Constitution, it is my duty to enforce the Constitution and to be sensitive to the civil rights of all Iranians or anyone who lives in Iran, even if they are not Iranian citizens, and I follow up on matters that are brought to my attention, including the case you mentioned, which is not exempt from the government's duties.' Kayhan newspaper quoted Rouhani as saying, 'I check prices twice a week; the changes are not significant.' The newspaper also reported that Rouhani mentioned, 'The Additional Protocol is implemented by 124 countries; it is clear that it is not something bad that countries keep signing it.' The Qanoon newspaper described the televised statements of Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam regarding the financial corruption case in the Police Cooperation Foundation as 'strange claims,' stating, 'The former police chief, in defending himself and denying the news of his and his son and son-in-law's arrest, made claims that warrant much discussion and examination.' The newspaper speculated about 'Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam's motivation' for such statements, suggesting that the former police chief 'has resorted to deflection to save himself and is attacking the judiciary to escape the trap of corruption that may ensnare him' or that 'a band of economic corruptors may indeed have such power that they can threaten the commander of the police force, who is responsible for establishing security in the country.' In either case, 'what comes to mind is despair over the establishment of justice and dealing with major criminals, a concern that should not go unanswered by the judiciary and security institutions.' The Etemad newspaper dedicated its front page to 'The Police's Account of Concert Cancellations,' publishing statements from the police spokesperson regarding the cancellation of at least 35 music concerts over the past year and the cancellation of concerts by prominent figures such as Kayhan Kalhor and Brooklyn Rider, Shahram Nazeri, Alireza Ghorbani, etc. The cultural and artistic community's expectations from Rouhani were much higher than just stating, 'When a body is designated as the legal authority for granting permits, it is inappropriate for others to interfere in these matters. Everyone must act according to the law and not seek personal interpretation.' The newspaper noted that Rouhani made these remarks while many who followed the press conference live expected him to take more serious action and to operationally defend the rights of the people that he claims are being violated, as he is considered the highest executive authority in the country. The Aftab Yazd newspaper published the police chief's statements opposing women's entry into stadiums and reported the possible presence of some women members of a 'specific organization' during the World Volleyball League matches. The Javan newspaper reported that ten percent of Tehran's residents 'do not have bread for the night.' The reflection on Ahmadinejad's 'strange claims' regarding the financial corruption case in the Police Cooperation Foundation was described by the Qanoon newspaper, which noted that the former police chief, in defending himself and denying the news of his arrest, made claims that require much discussion. The newspaper stated, 'The issue of Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam relates to the publication of news about the economic corruption case in the Police Cooperation Foundation during the final months of his command over the police force, and since this case became public, it has brought along interesting side stories, from the news of Ahmadi-Moghaddam's arrest and house arrest to the arrest of his son and son-in-law, until the spokesperson of the judiciary denied the news of the arrest of the former police chief and his son.' The Qanoon newspaper wrote that after this, 'The former police chief made a strange claim in a television program to defend himself, alleging that he was not only threatened for not pursuing the economic corruption case in the Police Cooperation Foundation but that the powerful behind this case had also altered the judicial process and even changed the judge of the case with money.' The newspaper noted, 'Regardless of the truth of the former police chief's statements, his motivation for making these remarks is of great importance because Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam knows better than anyone that with his words, he is questioning both the security situation in the country and the justice of the judiciary, as when the police chief lacks security to deal with violations and corruptions, and judges are bought and sold with money, nothing will hold together, and if the police chief is left at the mercy of the mafia of economic corruptors behind closed doors, what will happen to ordinary people?' The Qanoon newspaper wrote about 'Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam's motivation' for such statements: 'First, Ahmadi-Moghaddam has resorted to deflection to save himself from the trap of corruption that may ensnare him, and on the other hand, it is possible that a band of economic corruptors indeed has such power that they can threaten the commander of the police force, who is responsible for establishing security in the country. In either case, what comes to mind is despair over the establishment of justice and dealing with major criminals, a concern that should not go unanswered by the judiciary and security institutions.' Mohammad Reza Saki, an advisor to the legal deputy of the judiciary, commented on Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam's recent statements to the Qanoon newspaper, stating, 'Regarding the essence of the matter, the necessary investigations must be conducted to determine the truth of such claims, as any violation or crime in any authority must be addressed by the judiciary without any leniency, and the position and status of individuals cannot affect the investigation or halt it.' He added, 'The former police chief should have reported the issue to the judiciary at that time and introduced the guilty parties, and perhaps this did happen, but since we are not aware of the details of the case, we cannot make a complete judgment in this regard.' While Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam stated that individuals 'were able to change the judge of the financial corruption case in the Police Cooperation Foundation with money,' the advisor to the legal deputy of the judiciary told the Qanoon newspaper, 'Individuals make accusations against the judiciary and are unable to prove them,' while 'if this defamation against the judiciary is not proven, it will be subject to prosecution and considered a crime,' and 'Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam must certainly be held accountable for his claims, and if the original claim is true, he must prove it; otherwise, he will be prosecuted for defamation against the judiciary.' The Qanoon newspaper reminded that 'this is not the first time Ahmadi-Moghaddam's name has been associated with a media corruption case, as his name was also discussed in the case of oil sales by the police and the failure to deposit the money into the oil company's account.' Davood Hashmati, in a note for the Qanoon newspaper titled 'The Mafia that Even Threatens the Police Chief,' wrote, 'General Ahmadinejad made statements in an interview on Tuesday that astonished people. The general's interview also had a gross error. Three days earlier, Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, the police spokesperson, stated that this case was discovered nearly two years ago, while the general claims to have encountered the corruption case in the Police Cooperation Foundation in the last four months.' The columnist for the Qanoon newspaper wrote, 'Regardless of this error, consider the dimensions of this catastrophe. Where the head of the police tells those who 'took' the people's money, 'If you return the assets, we will not pursue legal action.' Unfortunately, they do not even accept this, and 'eventually, the case is referred to the judiciary.' The Qanoon newspaper questioned, 'On what authority does the police chief allow himself to exclude the case from legal pursuit if the assets are returned?' It wrote, 'Last year, the government newspaper revealed some aspects of the threats and multi-layered rent-seeking network, but no one paid attention. A case involving a 12 trillion rial violation exists.' The Qanoon newspaper asked, 'What mafia centers are there that even refused to return the assets and escape legal action? What will happen to the lost assets and the trust capital that the people have lost? Should the well-wishers of the system not raise their voices about this issue? Where does this power come from that they create rumors about the family of the head of the executive branch, threaten the head of the police, and, as Ahmadinejad said, perform miracles with money and change judges?' The possibility of the presence of a number of women members of a 'specific organization' at volleyball matches was mentioned by the Aftab Yazd newspaper, which published the police chief's statements opposing women's entry into stadiums. The newspaper reported that 'the first opposing organization that has resorted to the law beyond the religious aspect to oppose women's presence in stadiums is the police force,' with Hossein Ashtari, the police chief, stating that preventing women's entry into stadiums is 'the inherent and religious duty' of this force. Hossein Ashtari said, 'If we prevent attendance at concerts and stadiums, it is based on our inherent and religious duty, as we are in an Islamic country, and safeguarding values is considered our inherent duty.' The newspaper also noted, 'Beyond the law and religious considerations, some believe that women's attendance at stadiums, regardless of legal or religious aspects, has no logical reason,' as Nasser Makarem Shirazi, a cleric from Qom, remarked regarding the issue of women's entry into stadiums, 'What happens if women do not enter the stadium?' The Aftab Yazd newspaper reported, 'While many women were preparing to watch the 2015 World Volleyball League matches, as the date of the matches in Iran approaches, hopes for lifting the barrier that has long been unjustly placed in the way of women's attendance at stadiums are fading,' while 'previously, the good news from the Women's Affairs Department of the Presidency about the final approval for women's presence in volleyball halls in a joint committee with representatives from the Ministry of Sports, the Women's Affairs Department, and the Ministry of Interior led many to believe that the era of blatant discrimination against women and their deprivation of a normal and trivial matter was coming to an end.' The newspaper also referred to Hassan Rouhani's directive in June 2014 to pursue women's attendance in stadiums, noting that 'among the opponents was the Ansar Hezbollah group, which threatened that if women attended the stadium in Azadi during the match between Saba Qom and Nassaji Mazandaran, they would create a storm.' Aftab Yazd wrote that as the World Volleyball League matches approach and amid news of the final approval for women's attendance in these matches, the voices of opponents have risen, with some even issuing a call for a 'bloody presence on June 18, 2015, at the 12,000-seat Azadi Stadium to confront women's attendance in the stadium and to forbid the wrong.'