Two Shiraz University Officials and a Student Among Those Accused in Attack on Motahari

The lawyer of Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, announced that August 4 has been set as the date for the trial of the "11 defendants" involved in the attack on his client. He stated that the president and vice president of Shiraz University, as well as the "inviting student" who invited Mr. Motahari to speak in Shiraz, are among the "defendants." According to Tasnim News Agency, Mustafa Torkhamdani, Motahari's lawyer, reported on Saturday, June 18, that the trial regarding the attack on his client will be held on August 4 at Branch 101 of the Shiraz Criminal Court. Mr. Torkhamdani mentioned that an indictment has been issued for "11 defendants," three of whom are the university president, the vice president, and the "inviting student". Previously, reports had emerged about the summons of the university president and two officials from Shiraz University, as well as the secretary of the organization that invited Ali Motahari to court. Meanwhile, Mr. Motahari's lawyer also announced on Sunday, April 5, that despite his lack of complaint, the officials of Shiraz University have been recognized as defendants in the case regarding the attack on his client. Mustafa Torkhamdani emphasized, "We believe that Shiraz University has acted in accordance with regulations and has not committed any wrongdoing that would warrant being recognized as defendants." Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in parliament, was attacked by plainclothes forces at the airport in Shiraz on March 9, 2015, when he traveled to the city to give a speech at Shiraz University, and he was ultimately forced to return to Tehran. Following this incident, some members of parliament and political figures criticized the Fars governorate for failing to address the attackers and for canceling Mr. Motahari's speech. However, Mohammad Ahmadi, the governor of Fars, defended his actions and blamed the officials of Shiraz University for not adhering to the resolution of the city's security council and for not informing the governorate of Mr. Motahari's arrival time. In contrast, Majid Irshad, the president of Shiraz University, stated that the "recommendation of the Shiraz security council" regarding the cancellation of Mr. Motahari's speech was raised and rejected by the supervisory board for student organizations. Meanwhile, Ali Motahari also denied the claims made about the "security council" resolution against his speech in a letter to Hossein Zolfaqari, the security deputy of the Minister of Interior, on Tuesday, March 17, 2015. Akbar Safavi, the deputy president of Shiraz University, also expressed "strong objection" on April 5 to the summons of the president and two officials of the university and the secretary of the organization that invited Ali Motahari to court, stating that "political and security friends" in Fars province are aware of the identity of the attackers against Mr. Motahari. Mr. Motahari had previously implied that some of his attackers were affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. On Thursday, April 20, this parliament member accused "some members of the provincial security council" of Fars and their "subordinate individuals" of being the "creators of insecurity" in Shiraz and of "disturbing the security" of the city. He had previously stated about the perpetrators of the attack on him: "Apparently, there was an accepted principle; these individuals, as indicated by their equipment such as heavy motorcycles and pepper spray, showed where they received their orders from." "Heavy motorcycles" are typically used by military and Basij forces in Iran. On the other hand, the website Kalemeh, close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, reported on Tuesday, April 18, that "well-known figures" from the IRGC and Basij in Shiraz were among the attackers on the vehicle carrying Ali Motahari at Shiraz airport.