Three Ahmadinejad Officials Request Their Cases to Be Reviewed by Hashemi Shahroudi

Hamid Baghaei, Ali Akbar Javanfekr, and Habibollah Khorasani, three officials from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government, have requested the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic to appoint Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, head of the Expediency Council, to investigate their cases during their third day of sit-in protests. Meanwhile, the editor-in-chief of the Arya news agency announced on Friday that the agency had been filtered due to the publication of a video of Ahmadinejad's speech at the Abdul Azim Hasani shrine. Hamid Baghaei, Ahmadinejad's deputy during his presidency, announced on Wednesday, November 15, that he, along with Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad's advisor, and Habibollah Khorasani, the former financial officer of the presidency, were staging a sit-in in protest against the judiciary's behavior at the Abdul Azim Hasani shrine. On Friday, November 17, they sent a letter to the Supreme Leader requesting that Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi be tasked with addressing all claims and accusations against them and the previous government. According to the website 'Dolat Bahar', these former officials stated that if Shahroudi finds the accusations against them valid, they would request the maximum punishment for themselves. The letter also requested that if Shahroudi does not find the accusations valid, immediate action should be taken to rectify the injustice against them, and all responsible and influential parties in this injustice should be dismissed. This request comes amid previous reports of a close relationship between Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi and Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh, a close associate of Ahmadinejad. Malekzadeh, a prominent figure close to Ahmadinejad and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, was arrested on June 22, 2011, and released after about 70 days. A few months later, on April 27, 2012, Shahroudi introduced Malekzadeh as his executive advisor at the Foundation of Islamic Jurisprudence and Teachings. Malekzadeh was later appointed as the head of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization. The filtering of the Arya news agency was due to the publication of Ahmadinejad's speech video. On Wednesday, Ahmadinejad, while among his three officials at the Abdul Azim Hasani shrine in Shahr-e Rey, accused the judiciary of attempting a 'conspiracy' against him and his associates through Baghaei's arrest, but Baghaei claimed to have thwarted this 'conspiracy' by resisting pressure. He stated, 'We oppose the Larijani family; is opposing a crime? We do not accept that the country falls into their hands to oppress the people.' Ahmadinejad has previously linked the arrests of his associates, including Baghaei, and his own case to the upcoming presidential elections and what he claims is 'Ali Larijani's candidacy' in these elections. Concurrently, Telegram channels close to Ahmadinejad reported on Wednesday the filtering of Ahmadinejad's official website and the website known as 'Dolat Bahar', although both communication channels are still accessible. Meanwhile, according to ILNA news agency, Amir Mohibian, the editor-in-chief of Arya news agency, announced on Friday that the agency had been filtered due to the publication of Ahmadinejad's speech video in Shahr-e Rey. He added, 'We had not received any warnings regarding the publication of this video, and certainly, if we had received a warning, we would not have published the video, just as the Aparat website was warned and they removed the link.' Baghaei was arrested in 2015 due to financial allegations, and after that, Ahmadinejad's associates reported that he was released on the orders of the Supreme Leader. He was also arrested in July of this year and released on a bail of 20 billion tomans. Baghaei, along with Ahmadinejad, had registered to run for the presidential elections in 2017, but the Guardian Council rejected both of their qualifications. The allegations against Baghaei include 'requesting a total bonus of 300 million tomans for 16 members of the government', 'assistance to the International University of Iranians', 'assistance to the Iranian House Organization', 'assistance to the state newspaper Iran', and 'collusion in contracts and transactions of five companies'. However, Baghaei has denied these allegations, stating that they and the evidence in his case are 'illegal'. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, the head of the former president's office, has also been summoned to the prosecutor's office for allegations of 'insulting' the leadership, 'illegal appropriation of state property, insulting system officials, and spreading falsehoods'.