The Society of Combatant Clergy to Rouhani: End the Ban on Khatami's Image

The Society of Combatant Clergy has sent a letter to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stating that the judiciary's action to prevent media from publishing the image and name of Mohammad Khatami, former President of Iran, is 'against legal and judicial standards' and has requested him to intervene against this action. According to the report on Tuesday, 15 Ordibehesht, from the Society's website, the letter signed by Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha states: 'Considering the principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Constitution regarding the inherent and exclusive authority of the Islamic Consultative Assembly to legislate, it is evident that the Tehran prosecutor's action to prevent media from publishing the image and name of Mr. Khatami is against legal and judicial standards.' The issue of banning images and news related to Mohammad Khatami emerged in the winter of 1393 (2014). Reports indicated that the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor warned against publishing Khatami's image and name, threatening violators with the suspension and closure of media outlets, which was officially announced by the judiciary's spokesperson at the end of Bahman last year. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesperson, stated on 27 Bahman 93 (2015) in response to a journalist's question about the criminality of publishing Khatami's image and related content: 'The Supreme National Security Council or the judiciary has decided on individuals and considered them as leaders of sedition, and the judiciary can issue orders that, for example, media do not have the right to publish images and content of that person, otherwise there will be consequences.' In the letter, the Society of Combatant Clergy also urged the President of Iran, whose 'important duty according to Article 113 of the Constitution is to enforce the Constitution,' to use the powers granted to him by law to 'prevent violations occurring in the country from the Islamic Republic's Constitution, including the mentioned case.' While the Society of Combatant Clergy has requested Hassan Rouhani to take action regarding the ban on Khatami's image and news, the First Vice President of Iran stated on 15 Farvardin that the ban on Khatami's news and images would be resolved 'soon.' However, a month later, this ban still remains in place. Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Iran, in an interview with the annual of the Etemad newspaper regarding the ban on Khatami's image and news, said: 'Such a decision has not been made in the Supreme National Security Council and its secretariat, but in the judiciary.' He added: 'We are negotiating with our friends in the judiciary to hopefully reach a result.' Principlists and hardline factions close to Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, refer to Mohammad Khatami as one of the leaders of the protests against the presidential election in 1388 (2009). In this context, following the death of Mohammad Khatami's sister, the leader of the Islamic Republic issued a message to her mother, condoling the loss of her child without mentioning Khatami's name.