Rouhani on the Cancellation of Motahari's Speech: They Want to Open the Way for Extremism in Khorasan Razavi

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran has asked the Ministers of Interior and Justice to address the cancellation of Ali Motahari's speech by the Prosecutor's Office in Mashhad, stating that there are attempts in Khorasan Razavi to pave the way for extremism. In a letter to Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, and Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the Minister of Justice, published on Tuesday, December 1, Rouhani referred to the account of the Deputy Speaker of Parliament regarding the cancellation of his speech in Mashhad by the city's prosecutor, calling it 'shocking.' He added, 'Are there individuals infiltrating sensitive centers in the province who believe that by silencing voices and blocking speech venues, they can obstruct the country's progress and development in the direction desired by the people and the Supreme Leader... and open the way for extremism and polarization in society?' The Iranian President described this incident as 'shameful' and emphasized that the 'Ministry of Interior and the government of hope and prudence' are responsible for defending the 'fundamental rights' of the Iranian people and the people of Mashhad. He expressed hope that Sadegh Amoli Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, would 'issue a directive for a swift investigation into this incident and reassure the people regarding legal action against violations of fundamental freedoms.' Rouhani requested that the Ministries of Interior and Justice 'act according to their inherent duties and, through a thorough investigation and prompt reporting of the matter, identify and introduce the offenders and those negligent.' Ali Motahari was scheduled to speak on Sunday, November 30, coinciding with Arbaeen, the fortieth day after the death of the third Imam of Shia Muslims, in Mashhad. However, as reported by news sources and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament himself, the Mashhad Prosecutor's Office issued a letter to the city's police commander ordering the cancellation of this speech and the sealing of its venue. In a letter to the Iranian President, Motahari asked, 'Who is the ruler in Khorasan Razavi, the governor or the prosecutor and the Friday prayer leader? Is the police under the command of the governor or the prosecutor? And on what basis is the prosecutor's intervention in such cases justified?' Furthermore, Mostafa Torkhamdani, the lawyer representing the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, announced on Tuesday that 'a complaint has been filed against the judicial authority responsible in Khorasan Razavi and Mashhad and submitted to the judicial authority of the Tehran Government Employees Prosecutor's Office.' The cancellation of Ali Motahari's speech has sparked significant reactions, including criticism from some members of Parliament regarding the actions of the Mashhad Prosecutor's Office, although Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, has yet to respond. This is not the first time that Ali Motahari's speech has been canceled or disrupted. On March 9, 2015, he traveled to Shiraz to speak at the university but was 'attacked by plainclothes forces at the airport' and ultimately forced to return to Tehran. In the initial proceedings in Branch 101 of the Shiraz Criminal Court, six defendants in the case of the attack on Motahari were sentenced to two months in prison and 10 lashes, a sentence that was suspended for two years, while two other defendants received sentences of four and a half months in prison and 37 lashes, which were also suspended for one year. In this case, a student who had invited Motahari was fined one million tomans, and three university administrators were sentenced to two years of suspension from service, which was also accompanied by a two-year suspension. Motahari has repeatedly stated that the attackers and their 'commanders' were from the Basij and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In recent years, some of Motahari's positions, including his request for the removal of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two candidates who protested the results of the 2009 presidential election, have drawn protests from supporters of the Supreme Leader.