Iran: Two Supreme Court judges assassinated in Tehran

One of the judges Ali Razini was accused of involvement in the 1988 mass killings of opponents of the Islamic revolution, an incident that the Iranian regime has not officially recognised.

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s top two judges and leading clerics were assassinated on Saturday, January 18 as gunmen stormed Supreme Court headquarters in the capital in Tehran.

The attacker who brandished a handgun also shot one of the bodyguards of the clerics and subsequently shot himself dead at the incident scene.

Mohammed Mogheiseh and Ali Razini, the two victims were top officials in Iran’s Supreme Court. The officials have received both national and international concern and no organization has taken responsibility for their high-profile killing.

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The attack comes at a time the country is experiencing some turbulence, which has been compounded by economic sanctions from the West, and a low-intensity war with Israel.

Judiciary responds

According to Iran’s judiciary, the attacker had no connections to any cases within the Supreme Court, nor was he a client of its branches. Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir suggested the assailant was an “infiltrator” and had previously worked at the courthouse complex where the killings occurred.

“In this incident, some people have been identified, some summoned, and others arrested and probes into them have been initiated,” Jahangir said. Officials are examining whether anyone else played a role in plotting the actual act.

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Official IRANIAN state media claimed the shooter died of suicide. Additionally, Mizan news agency reported that more investigations are being conducted to determine the extent of the crime.

The Supreme Court of Iran is the highest judiciary authority as it supervises and coordinates appeals and maintains homogeneity across Iran’s legal system. The court has branches throughout the country, wielding considerable power. The attack was a direct strike on Iran’s judiciary.

Condolences from Iran’s Supreme leader

Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed his condolences over the events calling the clergymen “martyrs.” The killings are also one of the few attacks on Iranian judicial officials, a concern in the nation already facing internal and external challenges.

“I congratulate the honourable families of the scholarly Mujahid, Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Ali Razini, and the courageous judge Haj Mohammad Moghiseh, (may God be pleased with them) and I offer my condolences for this loss, Supreme leader said.

“May God’s grace and mercy be upon all of them and upon their self-sacrificing, the leader added.

Controversial legacies

Both Razini and Mogheiseh had political backgrounds concerning human rights violations.

Ali Razini had been accused of involvement in the 1988 mass killings of opponents of the Islamic revolution, an incident that the Iranian regime has not officially recognised. He had a narrow escape from an assassination attempt in 1999 when his car was attacked by motorcycle-borne assailants who threw explosives at him.

Mohammad Mogheiseh had been accused of criminalization of free speech in Iran. In 20219 he faced international sanctions imposed by various countries including the US for his alleged role in the persecution of journalists, Iran’s social networks, and Baha’i populations. He was been banned by the United States in 2019 for the unfair trials he organized, and the persecution of journalists, internet users, and the Baha’i minority.

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