Mahour S.

Mohsen Kadivar, the exiled cleric, professor and activist, has written a forty-three page letter to the head of the Assembly of Experts, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, citing the reasons why Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei should be impeached.

By law, the Assembly of Experts can vote to question, impeach and replace the Supreme Leader, although it has never carried out these responsibilities in its 30-year history.

Kadivar begins by writing: “As an Iranian citizen, I accuse the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, of despotism, tyranny, cruelty, breaking the law, attempting to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran and insulting Islam.” He writes the letter in six parts, highlighting instances of each of these accusations and citing articles of the constitution, which the leader has undermined in each case.

In the letter, Kadivar also highlights the history of the Assembly of Experts, and the “vicious cycle” which has been in practice since the laws changed regarding the Assembly in 1990. In that year, after the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, the Guardian Council – now filled with Khamenei appointees who are loyal to him – was given the authority to disqualify candidates running for the Assembly of Experts. This gives the leader total control of the Assembly, whose primary function is to oversee the conduct and selection of the Leader.

Kadivar once again highlighted the need for a council of leaders to replace the Supreme Leader. Presently, the Supreme Leader remains in power for life. He writes that at present Iran’s leadership is only a “monarchy disguised in Islamic clothing” and calls Ayatollah Khamenei, “the greatest obstacle to the rule of law, democracy, justice and freedom in Iran.”

Kadivar discusses at length the political deaths that have occurred under Khamenei, the partisan tactics of IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting), the treatment of protesters after the June 2009 election, the imprisonment and persecution of journalists and dissidents and Khamenei’s recurring interference in the day to day affairs of the country. He also highlights official statements from the government, which indicate the law can be ignored under instructions by the Supreme Leader. Kadivar also notes the lack of independence of the judiciary.

While many of these claims, arguments and accusations have been directed in the past at the leadership of the Islamic Republic, what makes this letter significant is that it is one of the first fully documented resources, which outlines Ayatollah Khamenei’s conduct in the 20-year span of his leadership. Given that Kadivar himself is also a cleric with vast knowledge of both legal and religious law, the letter is deemed even more credible.