Ibrahim Raisi’s Leadership of the Judiciary “Confirmed”
Gholamreza Mohseni Ejei, in a weekly press conference, said he is indebted to the system and will help the new head of the judiciary, Mr. Raisi. A parliamentary representative also announced that Ibrahim Raisi’s introduction will take place on 17 Esfand.
On Sunday, 12 Esfand, the spokesman of Iran’s judiciary, in response to the question of whether he will continue working in this system in the new period, said: “I am indebted to the system and must serve the system, and certainly in the next period of the judiciary’s leadership, I will help the new head Mr. Raisi and the judiciary.”
He added that “perhaps Mr. Raisi will choose someone else as spokesman, so whether it is me or not, I apologize for all the shortcomings that have occurred.” However, Ejei in subsequent clarifications stated: “If I am alive, I am in the judiciary, rest assured.”
The appointment of Ibrahim Raisi to the head of the judiciary had been raised informally some time ago, but Ejei had avoided answering the possibility of this appointment in previous meetings.
Sadegh Amoli Larijani, the current head of this branch, has by Khamenei’s order become the head of the Expediency Discernment Council and the successor of Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi.
Yahya Kamalipour, a member of the parliament’s judiciary committee, also said that Raisi will replace Sadegh Larijani on 17 Esfand.
Ibrahim Raisi was the principalists’ main candidate in the 1396 presidential election. In competition with Hassan Rouhani, he received 38 percent of the votes.
The 59-year-old Raisi is the son-in-law of Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, and oversees the custody of Qods Province. He previously served as the prosecutor of Karaj, deputy prosecutor of the Tehran Revolution Court, head of the State Inspection Organization, and from Mordad 96 became a member of the Expediency Discernment Council.
Raisi is identified as one of the perpetrators of the massacre of political prisoners in the 1960s. Survivors of the executions during this period have testified that he was a member of the “death committee” in the summer of 1367. Ibrahim Raisi claims he had no responsibility in this matter.
In 1396, Ahmad Montazeri, the son of Ayatollah Montazeri, described Ibrahim Raisi’s candidacy for the presidential election as an insult to the Iranian nation and said: “His direct and undeniable participation in the massacre of the summer of 67 is a very important matter. If one of the candidates had attacked someone with a knife once, he would not be able to obtain a certificate of no criminal record from legal authorities. His situation, which is completely clear.”
Source: DW
