Former prosecutor crticizes Iran's intelligence ministry

Intelligence minister, Heydar Moslehi - Former Iranian Prosecutor, Mehdi Hadavi

Mehdi Hadavi, first prosecutor general of the Islamic Republic, criticized the current imposition of intelligence officers on the judiciary, in a letter to Iran's Minister of Intelligence, Heydar Moslehi.

Kaleme website reports that Mehdi Hadavi refers to the recent arrest of his son in the letter, writing: “An official organization should not comport itself like armed robbers or kidnappers.”

Hadavi’s son, Mohammad Amin Hadavi, was arrested two weeks ago and taken to an unknown location. About two weeks later, Hadavi’s grandson, Shafiq Hadavi was also arrested by the authorities.

Tehran’s Prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi announced earlier that Mohammad Amin Hadavi was arrested over security charges but gave no further information regarding his situation.

In his letter, which was also forwarded to the head of the judiciary, Ayatollah Amoli Larijani, Mehdi Hadavi writes that officials appeared at the home of his son in inappropriate attire and arrested his son without even presenting a proper arrest warrant.

He writes: “Isn’t the Ministry of Intelligence an official government body? Why do they arrest people secretively without giving proper information to their family? The identities of prisoners in Guatanamo and Abu Ghuraib were clear but over here it is not clear who is arresting people; why people are being arrested and where people are being taken to.”

Islamic Republic’s first prosecutor general maintains that the only reason the security officials do not present a proper arrest warrant could be that “the judiciary is impotent and your staff (intelligence officers) do whatever they want.”

Mehdi Hadavi, head of Qom judiciary in 1963, refused to pass an exile sentencing for Ayatollah Khomeini and was therefore dismissed from his post and transferred to Tehran.

Ayatollah Khomeini later returned to Iran after the fall of Iran’s last monarch to establish the Islamic Republic after the Revolution of 1979.

Hadavi, who is now 85 years old, then became the first prosecutor of the Revolution and for a while served as a member of the Guardian Council.