Verdict Issued Against Those Who Ordered the Attack on Ali Motahari

On Saturday, October 1, Ali Motahari's defense attorney announced that a verdict had been issued against those who ordered the attack on his client in a military court in Shiraz. Mustafa Torkhamdani told ISNA that the trial session for the defendants in the case of the attackers on Ali Motahari was held on September 2 in Branch 1 of the Military Court of the Armed Forces Judiciary of Fars Province. He stated that 'this session was held in Branch 1 of the Military Court in Shiraz, presided over by Judge Safari, at Shiraz Airport' and lasted six hours. Mr. Torkhamdani attributed the lengthy duration of the court session to 'a disruption that caused a side issue in the court,' without providing details on this 'disruption.' Some of Ali Motahari's positions, including his repeated calls for the end of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, have led to severe backlash from supporters of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. On March 9, 2015, he traveled to Shiraz for a speech at Shiraz University but was 'beaten by plainclothes forces at the airport' and ultimately forced to return to Tehran. In recent years, many speeches by reformist figures or critics of the Islamic Republic have been attacked, leaving these speeches unfinished. Reports indicate that some of the assailants at these speeches, including those who attacked Ali Motahari in Shiraz in March 2015, were members of the Basij and the Revolutionary Guards. Mr. Motahari has repeatedly implied that the assailants and those who ordered the attack on him at Shiraz Airport on March 9, 2015, were from the Basij and the Revolutionary Guards, but no official has yet confirmed this. According to Mr. Motahari's lawyer, in this court session, 'the defendants, who were the instigators of the disruption through the attack on Ali Motahari on March 9, 2015, presented their final defense to the court.' Mustafa Torkhamdani added in his interview with ISNA that the court ruling, which 'was issued on September 7 and has been communicated to me, is generally based on a conviction.' The defense attorney stated that the ruling 'has not been communicated to the parties in the case,' but follow-ups indicate that 'it seems this case may have been sent to Tehran, which, if true, is an action outside the judicial process.' According to Ali Motahari's defense attorney, in this session, 'the defendants introduced the main instigator who called for forces to gather at Shiraz Airport.' In this session, the defendants identified the 'main instigator' behind the call for gathering at Shiraz Airport and the attack on Ali Motahari. In the initial proceedings in Branch 101 of the Shiraz Criminal Court regarding this case, six of the assailants against Mr. Motahari were sentenced to two months in prison and 10 lashes, which was suspended for two years. For two other defendants in the case, a sentence of four and a half months in prison and 37 lashes was issued, which was also suspended for one year. After that, Mr. Motahari's lawyer announced that his client had filed a complaint against the 'instigators' of this attack, all of whom are 'military.' According to Mr. Motahari's defense attorney in the September 2 session, 'his client did not personally attend the court session, but in a letter, he conditioned his conditional consent on the identification of the main instigator, and it seems that the conditions for closing this case have been prepared.' According to Mr. Torkhamdani, 'given the public nature of the crime committed by the defendants, the opinion of the honorable president of the court is decisive, and if the defendants are found guilty, it could be effective in reducing the punishment.' Before the court session, Mr. Motahari had stated in a letter that he would consider announcing his consent regarding the 'instigators' of this incident, whose trial is currently ongoing, if the 'main instigator' is identified. In this letter, Ali Motahari also wrote without mentioning a name that 'the main instigator, whom we all know and unfortunately has been promoted, I will not introduce for the sake of his dignity, and I will not file a complaint against him.' Unconfirmed reports suggest that the 'instigator' referred to by Mr. Motahari is likely Gholamhossein Ghaibparvar, who was appointed by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic as the head of the Basij and deputy commander of the IRGC in Basij affairs last December. He previously served as the commander of the Fajr Corps in Shiraz and the commander of the Imam Hussein Headquarters, overseeing military responsibilities, intelligence in southern Iran, and information protection under his command.