Response to Ahmadinejad's Deadline; Attorney General: We Will Respond Within Two Days

The Attorney General of the country, in response to a video message from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, to the head of the judiciary, stated that "we will respond to this matter within the next couple of days." According to the state news agency IRNA, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri announced this on Tuesday, December 18, during a specialized conference on combating smuggling of goods and currency. Previously, on December 26, in response to Ahmadinejad's criticisms of the judiciary, he referred to Ahmadinejad's presidency as a "collection of lawlessness" and accused him of "lying." On Sunday, December 26, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani a "48-hour deadline" to publish "documents related to his and his colleagues' convictions." According to the website "Dolat Bahar," Ahmadinejad stated in this message that "if the judiciary is reformed, the entire country will be reformed," adding that "unfortunately, the esteemed head of the judiciary, who should be the most committed to the Constitution and ordinary laws, repeatedly violates Articles 36 and 37 of the Constitution." Article 36 of the Constitution states that condemnation and punishment of individuals and the execution of punishment must only be done through a competent court and based on the law. Article 37 of the Constitution also states that the presumption of innocence is fundamental, and no one is considered guilty under the law unless their crime is proven in a competent court. In his video message, the former president referred to the head of the judiciary's remarks to students last week, stating that Ayatollah Larijani attributed "criminal titles" to him and his colleagues, labeling them as instigators, deviants, and supporters of Babak Zanjani. According to the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, in a meeting held on December 13, defended the performance of the judiciary and accused Ahmadinejad and his associates of undermining the system by weakening the judiciary. He also stated that a significant portion of the "loss of trust" in the judiciary "stems from the planning and actions of Western intelligence and security services." The head of the judiciary also accused Ahmadinejad and his associates of "instigating" and added: "The actions of those who currently make various accusations against the judiciary and portray it negatively are a form of sedition... The leaders of sedition said they do not accept the elections and the Guardian Council; these people also say they do not accept the judiciary. They called for chaos, and these people are also seeking to create a narrative and chaos through sit-ins." Hamid Baghaei and several former officials of Ahmadinejad's government staged a sit-in at the Shah Abdol Azim shrine in the city of Rey in protest against the judiciary. According to the Dolat Bahar website, the former president of Iran pointed out that Babak Zanjani has been in prison for nearly four years and is being tried non-publicly, stating: "We have no information about the issues that have occurred there. Moreover, we have repeatedly stated that if any members of our government or any other government have any connections with him, they should announce it with evidence, which has not been done." Ahmadinejad, in his video message, asked the "head of the judiciary" to "publish the documents of our conviction as instigators, deviants, or supporters of Babak Zanjani within 48 hours." Ahmadinejad stated: "I do not say in a competent court because I do not expect such from you, but even if we have been convicted of these criminal titles in a show trial under your command, publish the documents within 48 hours so that everyone knows." He warned that otherwise, he would share his views about the head of the judiciary and his performance over the past eight years with the public and would take necessary actions to seek justice. The former president of Iran has previously called confronting what he described as the "open and blatant oppression" of the judiciary his "priority" and stated that "they must leave, and they will soon."