Tehran Chief Justice: Most Detainees on Election Day Have Been Released

The Chief Justice of Tehran Province, while expressing ignorance about the detention of several education officials, announced that most of the individuals detained on election day have been released, but their cases remain open in the prosecutor's office. Gholamhossein Esmaeili, in an interview with Mehr News Agency on Friday, June 5, stated that 'almost all' of the 120 people who were arrested on election day due to 'violations' have been released. He announced that the cases of these individuals are being processed in the prosecutor's offices of the counties in Tehran Province. The Chief Justice of Tehran Province had previously reported on the day of the presidential and council elections that 120 people were detained 'in connection with electoral violations including vote buying and selling.' He did not specify how many of these individuals were arrested in connection with violations in the presidential election and how many were related to the council elections. Several other prosecutors from different provinces in Iran have also reported the detention of individuals due to 'violations' in the elections in recent days. Fars News Agency reported on Wednesday that a director of education in Tehran was arrested for 'electoral violations' and released on 'a bail of one hundred million tomans.' This news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also reported that 'directors from two educational regions in Tehran and the counties of Tehran Province have been summoned for explanations' regarding this matter. The Tehran Education Department has dismissed these reports as 'baseless' and denied them. In this regard, the Chief Justice of Tehran Province also stated: 'We did not have a report of the detention of educational managers; however, summoning individuals is a different matter from detention, and I am not aware of the summons.' Mr. Esmaeili emphasized: 'We have had reports of violations by government officials to the prosecutor's offices. These reports are processed according to regulations and rules, and one of these legal requirements is the summoning of individuals.' Media close to the principlists have accused officials of Hassan Rouhani's government of interfering in the presidential election without providing details. In response, Hassan Rouhani has accused institutions under the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, including the Revolutionary Guards, Astan Quds Razavi, state media, and the judiciary, of interfering in the elections in favor of Mr. Raisi. Ebrahim Raisi, the presidential candidate, and Ali Nikzad, his campaign manager, have requested the Guardian Council and the Attorney General to address what they have called 'electoral violations.' However, the Iranian Ministry of Interior has announced that the elections were held with the presence of Guardian Council observers and were conducted fairly. In this context, the denial of the detention of several education managers on charges of 'electoral violations' has been confirmed. Jannati: I confirm the integrity of the elections, but many violations occurred. The spokesperson for the Guardian Council stated that the campaign teams of two candidates have complained about the election process. Raisi has called for the Guardian Council to address 'electoral violations.' Raisi emphasized the need to 'pursue clear violations' in the conduct of the elections.