Tehran Friday Prayer Leader Criticizes Ahmadinejad; Young Thinker Sentenced to Prison

Despite criticism from Tehran's Friday Prayer leader and some close associates of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic regarding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's attacks on the judiciary, an advisor to Ahmadinejad stated that if the head of the judiciary does not resign, there will be no option but to request the Supreme Leader to dismiss him. Meanwhile, following the announcement of the sentence for Hamid Baghaei, Ahmadinejad's former executive assistant, Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad's advisor, has also been sentenced to six months in prison and a fine of four million tomans. According to ISNA news agency, Mohammad Imami Kashani, the Friday Prayer leader of Tehran, stated on Friday, December 22, that the powers of the Islamic Republic and 'those at the top of the system should not be weakened.' He emphasized that 'problems should not be brought to the public level, but a few individuals should be designated as elders to discuss and resolve your issues with the other side.' He added, 'It is possible that false statements may arise in this context, and it is possible that the media may add ten lies to one false statement, which destabilizes society, discourages the involved parties, and shakes the nation.' The remarks from the Tehran Friday Prayer leader came after severe attacks from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, against the judiciary. Ahmadinejad stated on Tuesday, December 19, after the 48-hour deadline given to the judiciary to publish 'documents related to his and his associates' convictions, that the head of the judiciary has been 'disqualified from justice' due to 'repeated violations of the constitution,' and is 'unqualified,' 'illegitimate,' and 'usurper,' and must resign. Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Javanfekr emphasized in a note on the Government Spring website that if the head of the judiciary does not resign, 'there will be no other way to restore the credibility of the judiciary but to request' the Supreme Leader 'to remove him.' Ahmadinejad's criticisms and those of his associates towards the judiciary intensified following the formation of Hamid Baghaei's court and the summons of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, and in recent weeks, they have used terms such as 'oppressor,' 'dictator,' and 'deviant' regarding judiciary officials. In response, the Attorney General and the judiciary spokesperson labeled Ahmadinejad as a 'liar' and 'thug.' Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, and Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, who is referred to as the 'spiritual father' of the Steadfast Front, also criticized Ahmadinejad's recent attacks on the judiciary. On Friday, Mehran Abdollahpour, the lawyer for Ali Akbar Javanfekr, reported that his client has been sentenced to six months of imprisonment for 'insulting' the Tehran prosecutor and also fined four million tomans for 'spreading falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion.' Hamid Baghaei, Ahmadinejad's executive assistant in the tenth government, has also stated that he has been sentenced to '63 years in prison' due to his statements regarding 63 'personal' bank accounts of Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary. However, Gholamhossein Esmaili, the head of the Tehran judiciary, has denied Baghaei's statements. According to Esmaili, Baghaei has announced all his sentences, while only one of the sentences, which is the highest, will be executed against him. Based on Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, if an individual has multiple crimes, only the sentence with the highest punishment is considered. The head of the Tehran judiciary did not refer to the sentence that Baghaei must serve. 'Payment of bonuses to 16 government members,' 'assistance to the International University of Iranians, the Iranian House Organization, and the state newspaper Iran,' and 'collusion in contracts and transactions of five companies' are among the charges announced against Hamid Baghaei. 'Receiving several million dollars in currency from a revolutionary entity (the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and 'gifting coins to individuals' are among other charges against Baghaei, which carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. If the final sentence for Hamid Baghaei has been issued based on these charges, he may be sentenced to 15 years in prison. Some of Ahmadinejad's critics question why he remained silent during his presidency against the judiciary's actions and the crackdowns of 2009. For instance, Saeed Mortazavi, one of the main suspects in the Zahra Kazemi case and the Kahrizak detention center, was appointed by Ahmadinejad as the head of the Social Security Organization. However, he stated among a group of students that 'we did not know some issues. We really did not know and later found out.' The Supreme Leader and the institutions under his supervision consistently supported Ahmadinejad and his government until the issue of the dismissal of Heydar Moslehi, the Minister of Intelligence, but after the dismissal of the Minister of Intelligence and the famous incident of Ahmadinejad's '11-day house arrest,' some of Ayatollah Khamenei's close associates began to attack him.