Several Friday Prayer Leaders Defend Sadegh Larijani Amid 'Espionage' Allegations Against His Daughter

One day after the Iranian Judiciary Chief's strong attack on those who published a report about the 'arrest' of his daughter on charges of 'espionage', the Friday Prayer Leader of Tehran and several other Friday Prayer Leaders from other cities attributed the publication of this report to Western security organizations and the Baha'is. According to IRNA news agency, Ahmad Khatami, the Friday Prayer Leader of Tehran, in his sermon on October 6, stated that the reports published about the family of the Judiciary Chief were due to, as he put it, the Judiciary's stance against 'seditionists'. He said, 'I will not name names, but respected officials, you who are thankfully influential and know these anti-revolutionary websites, should decisively deal with these anti-revolutionary sites.' Meanwhile, Mohammad Mehdi Hosseini, the Friday Prayer Leader of Karaj, also stated that 'because the Judiciary has not backed down on the issue of sedition, they are slandering it.' The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and his close associates refer to the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election as sedition. The website Amadnews claimed on October 1 that after revealing the 'espionage' case of Zahra Larijani, daughter of Sadegh Larijani, for the British Embassy in Tehran, she was arrested by the direct order of Vahid Haqaniyan, an official in the Supreme Leader's office, and by the forces of the 'Intelligence of the Revolutionary Guard'. Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence of the twelfth government, denied this report on October 3, stating that the ministry 'has not observed any evidence of actions that even raise suspicion of espionage regarding any members of Ayatollah Amoli Larijani's family, the Judiciary Chief.' The next day, Sadegh Larijani, the Judiciary Chief of Iran, in a speech stated that the recent rumors about his family 'are not worth responding to' and simultaneously launched a strong attack on the publishers of this report. On the same day, the head of the Revolutionary Guard's intelligence organization claimed that the publication of this report was carried out by Western security organizations and their allies in the region. In this regard, on Friday, Ahmad Khatami claimed in his speech that the funding for the Amadnews website 'is provided by the Baha'is'. Similarly, Abolqasem Yaqoubi, the Friday Prayer Leader of Bojnurd, stated that 'the financial backing of these media is from the US and UK, and their words should not be heeded.' No documents or evidence have been presented regarding the possible connections of Amadnews with other countries and groups. Meanwhile, Islamic Republic officials often accuse opposition media of having ties with Western security services, but so far, no documents or evidence have been provided in this regard. Additionally, while Baha'is have no presence in political activities in the Islamic Republic, officials occasionally attribute many political events to the Baha'is without providing evidence. Media affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards claim that the Amadnews website is run by Rouhollah Zam, son of Mohammad Ali Zam, the deputy of the Free Zones Organization and a figure close to the children of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. However, Rouhollah Zam has stated that he no longer has a role in managing this website and its Telegram channel. Reporters Without Borders reported on September 6 that Mohammad Milad Zam, Rouhollah Zam's brother and the founder of the Amadnews website, has been detained since September 25. According to this report, previously, two sisters and the wife of one of Zam's sisters had also been arrested and imprisoned for a period.