Mohseni Ejei: Accelerating Crackdown, Declaration of Judicial War Against Protesters
Mohsen Ejei’s open threat to “accelerate crackdown” comes as Iran’s protests have entered a new phase.
In recent days, the judicial branch of the Islamic Republic regime has clarified its position on how to deal with nationwide protests in Iran more explicitly than ever before, issuing direct and threatening messages. Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, head of Iran’s judiciary, has publicly announced the acceleration of trial and punishment proceedings for detainees, a stance that has raised widespread concerns among protesters, analysts, and the international community.
In statements broadcast on state television, Ejei emphasized: “If we want to do something, we must do it now. If it is done two or three months from now, it will not have that effect.”
This statement, which many observers view as a clear articulation of the government’s judicial strategy for applying maximum pressure, contains an operational message: Iran’s judicial apparatus intends to review, try, and punish files related to protests in a short period, a process that could include issuing heavy sentences and even executions.
This effort to accelerate trials is not merely a domestic message but appears to be part of a response to international and domestic pressures. Ejei, during a visit to Tehran prisons, also stated that some of the accused, “elements who in the streets… are responsible for violence” should be brought to trial as quickly as possible.
State media have also announced that some of these trials will be held publicly, with priority given to those authorities claim have been “armed.”
Nationwide protests in Iran, which began with economic demands, have rapidly transformed into a political and social movement demanding structural changes in the governance system. Various activist and human rights group sources have reported that thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands arrested so far.
Meanwhile, human rights unions and international media have repeatedly warned that expedited trials could be accompanied by violations of legal principles, especially if death sentences are issued to protesters or judicial proceedings lack transparency and adherence to international standards.
Ejei’s statements come as the protests and their crackdown have attracted the attention of international bodies. The United States and its allies have repeatedly warned about the possibility of executing protesters, and the U.S. president has stated that any execution would be met with “very harsh action.”
Meanwhile, reports have also been circulated claiming, citing U.S. sources, that executions of protesters are not currently planned, although this has not yet been independently confirmed by official sources.
Human rights experts and political analysts believe that mobilizing the judicial apparatus to “accelerate” handling of protester cases could send two messages:
- Creating deterrence and psychological repression: attempting to influence society and protesters with the message that the judicial apparatus can issue the broadest sentences in the shortest time.
- Responding to pressures and reducing protest space: by accelerating trials, the government may hope to suppress the wave of protests at the societal level and facilitate the elimination of potential social forces.
Simultaneously, human rights organizations and experts have warned that such processes could lead to flagrant violations of fair trial rights, politically motivated executions, and increased closure of civic space—issues that the Islamic Republic has been accused of repeatedly over recent decades.
