Release of Mehdi Hashemi, Akbar Tabari, and Mohammad Ali Najafi; Shahram Jazaeri and Babak Zanjani Remain in Prison

The judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran confirmed that Mehdi Hashemi, son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Akbar Tabari, former deputy of the judiciary during the presidency of Sadegh Larijani, and Mohammad Ali Najafi, former Minister of Education, who had been convicted of serious financial crimes and murder, have been released from prison. The media center of the judiciary announced on Thursday, July 8, that Babak Zanjani and Shahram Jazaeri are still in prison, but Mehdi Hashemi and Akbar Tabari have been released 'within the framework of legal standards.' This announcement followed statements made by the head of the prison organization during a television program confirming the release of these individuals. Mohammad Ali Najafi, former mayor of Tehran and former Minister of Education, was sentenced to prison for killing his second wife by shooting her in the bathroom of their home. Akbar Tabari, the financial director and executive deputy of the judiciary during Sadegh Larijani's tenure, was imprisoned for bribery and financial corruption. Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, the fourth child of Akbar Rafsanjani, was imprisoned for taking bribes from oil companies Total and Statoil. The head of the prison organization stated on a television program that Akbar Tabari 'has neither been pardoned nor granted leave and is not currently in prison. He is temporarily out of prison by a judicial decision.' He also confirmed that Mehdi Hashemi has been released and regarding Mohammad Ali Najafi, he said, 'I think he has obtained the consent of his complainant.' The remarks of the judiciary official sparked controversy; it was stated that the convicted individuals are neither on leave nor in prison. In recent months, reports about the release of these three prisoners had emerged. Kianoush Razaghi, a lawyer, stated in April regarding reports of a pardon for Mohammad Ali Najafi, who was imprisoned for killing his second wife, that his pardon hurt public conscience. There were also reports that the leave connected to Akbar Tabari's release and the conversion of his bail from '10 billion tomans' to '300 million tomans' had been published, but the public relations of the prison organization and the media center of the judiciary denied them, stating that he is 'serving his sentence in Evin prison.' A group of users on social media reacted to these statements, including a part of Akbar Tabari's defense in court, where he claims to have friends who could if they wanted 'register all of Lavasan in his name.' The release of these prisoners comes at a time when the Islamic Republic has increased pressure on protesters and imprisoned several human rights defenders and journalists. Among them, the Human Rights Defenders Center reported the formation of a new case against Mohammad Najafi, a lawyer imprisoned in Evin prison, due to his reporting on pressures and threats against imprisoned protesters. Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, stated on Wednesday that 'the media image of the judiciary is not a good one' and 'must be corrected.' He downplayed the corruption in this institution, saying, 'There is a small minority that abuses their position; they distort the image of the judiciary in the eyes of the people.' Hussein Reisi, a lawyer residing in Canada, stated in a recent interview that Iran is one of the countries with the highest prison density relative to its population and considered pardons 'outside the framework of the principles of criminal justice and criminology' which 'do not have a serious impact.'