Ejei: The Groundwork for Prosecution is Absent

Rooz online, Less than 24 hours after Mehdi Karoubi published his letter addressed to the Iranian nation, Iran’s attorney general and the spokesperson for the judiciary proclaimed his determination to prosecute the heads of whom he calls are the “seditionists.” Declaring that Tehran’s prosecutor “Mr. Dolatabadi did not say that the prosecution would begin soon,” he spoke of the absence of the groundwork for such a trial.

Karoubi, a leading opposition figure, published an open letter two days ago in which he declared his readiness to appear in a court of law and also wrote, “In their interviews, writings and talks, they talk of prosecuting the leaders of the so called sedition, and call on them to repent, claiming that people resent them and that they are in fact prisoners of 70 million Iranians and lack the courage to step out of their houses because they will be confronted by the public while at the same time judiciary officials continue to promise trials. I declare that I am not shaken by these currents and am completely ready to appear in a court while I possess solid evidence for my positions. This is because I have been dealing with these issues for 21 years now and have not been quiet. My request is that if these gentlemen are honest the hearings of the trials should be open to the public to that the whole nation, which is the real owner of the country, should hear the words of both sides and then judge as to whether we are being opportunists to attain power for a few more days or the ruling establishment is after absolute power and has set its values and principles aside. ”

In response to these remarks, Ejei called for a press conference yesterday in which he said, “There is no need to be ready. If the conditions require it they will be tried .” Ejei did not elaborate on this but did reference Tehran prosecutor Dolatabadi who had during the last Friday prayers said that the prosecution of Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Karoubi was imminent, and said, “Mr. Dolatabadi did not say that the prosecution would begin soon. Anybody who is charged with something must be tried, particularly if they have harmed the state and given hope to the enemy. Trying the leaders of the sedition has requirements which when available will lead to a trial.”

New Round of Attacks on Mousavi and Karoubi

Ejei’s remarks come as verbal attacks on opposition figures have been on the rise in recent days, particularly as the government’s anniversary which officials claim resulted in the “burial of the sedition” was approaching (i.e., December 30, 2010). At the same time, former president Mohammad Khatami had announced the conditions that reformists demanded to participate in the elections. These attacks reached such levels that Mansour Arzi, a prayer leader close to Iran’s supreme leader publicly said, “What does the judiciary want to do under these conditions? If they (opposition leaders) are really finished, then give them to us, we shall hang them. Why are you procrastinating? Are you searching for evidence? Are meetings with the British ambassador not evidence?”

Speaking at last week’s Friday prayers in Tehran, prosecutor Dolatabadi also talked about the issue and the leaders of the opposition and said, “Many ask why we are not confronting the heads of the sedition. We have repeatedly said that these people are criminals and that they will definitely be tried for their crimes. It is also important to note that when the US and Israel are behind the scenes, we must act more prudently so that the sedition has no opportunity for growth. Also, to ensure that the trial is the final straw for the sedition.”

Dolatabadi has talked of prosecuting the leaders of the opposition in the past claiming that there was public demand for this, but at the same time calling for time.

Another speaker at last week’s Friday prayers was seyed Ahmad Khatami who said that even if people had served in the past, they would be judged by the bad things they had done, implicitly pointing the finger at the leading opposition leaders all of whom have held the most senior official positions in the Islamic republic.

In a related news report, Mousavi’s wife Zahra Rahnavard recently met with just released Ali Tajernia, the leadership member of Mosharekat party (Participation Front) and explained that the reason her husband was not there was because he was under a siege by agents on the pretext of protecting him, while had no permission to leave his house. It should be noted that Karoubi’s wife too had said in the past that her husband was also under a “temporary siege.”