Dr. Shirin Ebadi
Defenders of Human Rights Center impugned the judiciary’s performance in dealing with political, civil and cultural activists and dissenters’ cases, demanding dismissal of the head of the judiciary due to his direct responsibility of all the inequity, corruption and insecurity in the judiciary and society. According to Defenders of Human Rights Center’s website, this NGO asks all of the citizens, including human rights and civil activists, to say “No to the Head of the Judiciary”, requesting “Sadegh Amoli Larijani’s dismissal”.
Defenders of Human Rights Center also requested the MPs to commit their lawful duty, based on Article 76 of the constitution, to monitor the judiciary system and to prosecute the head of the judiciary based on recent documents and evidence.
Following is the full announcement of the Human Rights Defenders to the Iranian people, signed by Shirin Ebadi, the head of the Center, and released on January, 4th, 2017:
Dear compatriots,
According to Article 156 of the Islamic Republic’s constitution, “The judiciary is an independent association supporting individual and social rights and is responsible for the implementation of justice”, but unfortunately we see it getting farther away from its basic tasks day by day.
According to Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the former head of the judiciary, “the wreck” left by Mohammad Yazdi, was not built today, but has been converted to an arena to trample justice in the name and pretext of religion or security; infecting justice and equity, by hypocrisy, sycophancy, murder, and false accusations. The result of such process does nothing more than change the situation of the offender and the innocent.
Sadeq Ardeshir Larijani, more known as Amoli Larijani, is an Iranian cleric and the current and fifth head of the judicial system of Iran
While the criminals and oppressors, embezzlers and serial killers are busy making money and taking pleasure under the protection of the corrupted judicial system, the civil and social activists, scientists and scholars who had criticized and protested, have earned nothing but long-term imprisonment or persecution.
Sympathetic lawyers, such as “Abdolfattah Soltani”, have been forced not to defend the people’s rights; even worse, they have been sentenced to long term imprisonment for their insistence on advocating for people’s rights. However, the unjust judges, such as Salavati, Mortazavi, Mogheiseh, find a place so safe and secure in the judiciary, trusted by the security agencies, as if they will not definitely be questioned for people’s rights.
The “acid attackers” are busy eating, sleeping in their stronghold created by the judicial system, while the protesters against the acid phenomena, such as “Ali Shariati”, are in prison struggling with hunger strikes to obtain the right of a fair trial.
Social, political and civil rights activists, anywhere in the country, as soon as they question the governors or express a different view, will be questioned by courts quickly and without regard to their legal rights.
Dissention and differences in thought, insight and ideology, even having different political or religious preference, are assumed as an unforgivable crime, followed by the most severe punishments, so that a majority of the country’s prisoners are prisoners of conscience and political prisoners.
Should we not ask where, in the world and in history, is this system considered legal, just and fair? Has the history of Iran ever had such a humble judiciary system manipulated by the security forces—the Intelligence Agency of IRGC and the Ministry of Information?
It is a long time we apperceived that people launch campaigns to support political prisoners or prisoners of conscience, trying to raise their voice in the real or virtual world to be heard by the authorities and others. Political or non-political prisoners have been obliged to go on hunger strikes, or even demonstrate their objection in a harrowing manner, such as “Saeid Shirzad”, to obtain their very basic rights due to ignorance of their rights by the authorities and lawlessness in their judicial procedure.
Which of the Judiciary authorities has responded justly and fairly to all these public requests?
As long as the head of Iran’s judiciary is directly responsible for all these injustices, corruption and insecurity in the judiciary system and in society, the Human Rights Defenders Center declares the necessary dismissal of the Judicial Supreme from his position, requesting all people, including civil and human rights activists, to unite and say “No to the Head of the Judiciary” demanding the “dismissal of the Head of the Judiciary, Sadegh Amoli Larijani”.
Additionally, in accordance with Article 76 of the constitution, the people’s representatives at the Parliament have the right to participate in all state affairs’ investigations; therefore, they are required to monitor the system, and request the prosecution of the head of the judiciary based on all live documents and evidence.
Although, in accordance with the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Supreme Leader (a system which can be problematic) is responsible for determining the Head of the Judiciary, we have the right of persisting on our demand based on the existing system and in response to all these injustice and corruption in the judiciary system. Therefore, step by step, we move forward on our demand for justice, however small. Perhaps this can raise the judiciary’s response.
Shirin Ebadi
President of Human Rights Defenders Center
January, 4, 2017
Defenders of Human Rights Center