Hardline cleric demands firm prosecution of protesters

Ayatollah Janati

Tehran Friday prayers leader, Ayatollah Janati called for a return to the “firm and revolutionary” judges of the early days of the 1979 Revolution rather than the “lifeless” judges of today who have, according to the hardline cleric, failed to deal “firmly” with the recent detainees.

In the early days of the Revolution many people were summarily executed without proper trials.

ILNA quotes Ayatollah Janati saying: “People’s expectations of the judiciary are very high. Of course we are aware that the judiciary has certain limitations now and cannot act like the courts of the early days of the Revolution. But if they had acted like those days this affair would have been over long ago.”

Prosecutor General of Iran, Mohsen Ejei has announced the imminent execution of “at least three individuals” who were detained during Ashura Day protests on December 27.

Ayatollah Janati claimed Ashura Day protesters are “mofsed-e-fel-arz,” corrupted individuals, a term used in Islamic Republic Judicial law as an offense deserving of the death penalty.