Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Calls Prison Sentences of His Allies “Unjust”; Threatens Judiciary

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in his first reaction to the prison sentences of his allies, called them unjust and threatened that he would soon address those who ordered, carried out, and issued these sentences.

Mr. Ahmadinejad, in a video message, claiming that if his associates were part of a corrupt gang, no one would have dealt with them, stated: Soon a line of the repentant and those seeking forgiveness will form in this country, and soon a people’s court will also be established.

One day earlier, the chief prosecutor of Tehran Province announced the conviction of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei and Ali Akbar Javanfekr, allies of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei” has been convicted on charges of “propaganda against the system,” “assembly and conspiracy to commit crimes against national security,” and “insulting judicial officials,” totaling six and a half years in prison with five years to be served. Another case is pending in the judiciary regarding other charges against Mr. Rahim Mashaei.

“Ali Akbar Javanfekr” has also been convicted on charges of assembly and conspiracy to commit crimes against national security to five years and one month in prison.

The arrests and prison sentences of political figures close to Iran’s former president occurred as U.S. intelligence agencies had predicted in recent months increasing conflicts between different political factions and politicians from various spectrums in Iran.

Based on this prediction, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, will continue to oppose any changes in Islamic Republic policies toward reform and moderation.

For some time, Ahmadinejad and his allies have been targeted by the judiciary. While during his presidency, there was intensified action against civil and political activists, Ahmadinejad and his allies have since stepped down from power taken on the role of protesters.

Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei was close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his tenure as mayor of Tehran and his two terms as president. Mr. Mashaei served as vice president for a period during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency and subsequently served as head of the Presidential Office until 2012.

Ali Akbar Javanfekr was one of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s close associates and his media advisor. Mr. Javanfekr served as the chief executive officer of the Iranian News Agency (IRNA) and director of the IRNA Press Institution during Mr. Ahmadinejad’s presidency.

In 2012, during his management of Iran Newspaper, he was sentenced to six months of discretionary imprisonment for publishing a special issue about women on charges of publishing content contrary to Islamic standards and another six months of discretionary imprisonment for publishing content contrary to public morality.

The conviction of these two came as previously Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Ahmadinejad’s first vice president in the tenth government, Hamid Baghaei, another ally of Ahmadinejad and his executive deputy in the tenth government, and Saeid Mortazavi, head of the Social Security Organization in the tenth government, were all sentenced to prison.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly protested in letters in recent months against legal cases against his close associates and made sharp criticisms of the judiciary, but the judicial prosecution of his allies’ cases continued.

Source: Voice of America