Arash Aramesh

In a surprise move, Chief Justice Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani said he has no intention of enforcing laws, such as the executions of dissents, that are politically motivated and not in accordance with Islamic law. “Expediting the implementation of sentences and verdicts must be in complete accordance with the Sharia and the laws (of Iran),” he said.

Ayatollah Larijani, who is a conservative and was appointed by Supreme Leader Khamenei, made his remarks during a meeting with high-ranking officials of the judiciary. According to Dadsarar.ir, the official web site of Tehran’s civil and revolutionary courts, Larijani’s remarks were designed as a response to those who have criticized the judiciary for being too soft on members of the opposition. Larijani made clear that the judiciary should not be influenced by politics.

“Despite previous warnings, some individuals have higher expectations of the judicial system in regards to enforcing the laws. These political expectations are against the Sharia and against the law,” he said.

Larijani then turned to Iran’s judges and encouraged them to be just and fair and urged them to implement the rule of law. He added, “Judges should not get upset because of some unkind attitudes. Political paranoia should not play a part in judges’ judicial proceedings.”

Larijani’s remarks signal that a powerful institution the regime relies upon to conduct its harsh crackdown against the opposition could be wavering – even though Larijani is a staunch conservative and supporter of the Islamic revolution. His remarks came two days after Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the ultra conservative secretary of the Guardian Council, thanked the judiciary for sentencing to death two men who were charged as “enemies of God.” Radical pro-government media tried to link the two men to post-election demonstrations, but they were arrested before the June 12 election for membership in counter-revolutionary organizations. Jannati praised the justice system and asked judges to expedite the process. Nine more political prisoners haven been sentenced to death in the past month and are waiting for the court of appeals to hear their cases.

Ayatollah Larijani is the brother of Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Parliament who is an outspoken critic of President Ahmadinejad. Like his brother, the Chief Justice appears to be uncomfortable with the radical methods advocated by Ahmadinejad and his supporters inside government. Larijani, who belongs to Iran’s traditional right, is a conservative cleric who served for eight years on the Guardian Council and has been a renowned seminary scholar in the holy Shiite city of Qom.