Tehran's prosecutor-general dismissed

Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi - Saeed Mortazavi

Iran’s new Head of Judiciary, Ayatollah Larijani, has replaced the prosecutor-general of Tehran, hardliner Saeed Mortazavi, with the moderate Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi. The dismissal of Mortazavi was already foreseen by Iranian media.

Mortazavi has been the most controversial figure in Iranian judiciary for the past ten years. He is responsible for closure of numerous media outlets. He was also one of the chief suspects in the case of Zahra Kazemi, the Iranian-Canadian photojournalist who was killed while in custody at Evin Prison in 2003.

Recently Mortazavi orchestrated the mass trial of post-election protesters, which Iranian reformists and human rights groups have condemned for its apparent coerced confessions and lack of fair measures.

Sadegh Larijani’s dismissal of Mortazavi could be a step toward clearing the face of Iranian judiciary which has been heavily tarnished by the recent reports of detainee deaths, torture and rape.

Ayatollah Larijani has also appointed his new national prosecutor-general, GholamHosein Ejei, to the judiciary panel investigating the recent violations of detainee rights. Ejei was fired by Ahamdinejad during the post-election turmoil, from his post as Minister of Intelligence.