Leader Meets Judiciary Officials

 The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei met today with the head and officials of the judiciary branch. The meeting was held on the occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of Shahid Beheshti.

In his remarks during the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the judiciary as one of the most important parts of the Islamic Republic and said that all the country's organizations should support the judiciary branch.

Ayatollah Khamenei further stated that the judiciary should not deviate from the path of justice, not be influenced by political propaganda, and avoid taking friendships and enmities into consideration when making judgments or passing verdicts.

Ayatollah Khamenei said that those who were martyred on the 7th of Tir in the year 1360, were committed people who laid down their lives and added: "Among those martyrs, Shahid Beheshti was the most prominent martyr and was a faithful, sincere, honest, and determined person."

Ayatollah Khamenei said that Shahid Beheshti was truly committed to his beliefs and principles and was not afraid of the possible dangers which lay on the way of achieving his goals. He further stated that Shahid Beheshti was a logical person and a principalist in the true sense of the word who would never compromise his principles.

His Eminence said that it is such characteristics that will lead to the emergence of influential figures who will go down in history.

"There are some individuals who only speak and do not act. There are some individuals who practice what they preach but cannot stand difficult situations, being mocked, sarcastic remarks and unfair hostility and therefore fall by the wayside. There are also some people who move in the opposite direction when faced with such circumstances."

Ayatollah Khamenei said: "Influential people who go down in history are those who stand by what they say because of their firm beliefs and continue what they were doing because of a brave decision that is rooted in their faith."

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that the martyrdom of Shahid Beheshti and 72 of his companions strengthened the logic of Imam Khomeini (r.a.) and the Islamic Republic. "Although the event which happened on the 7th of Tir, 1360 was shocking at that time, it had a great and constructive effect on the Islamic Revolution."

His Eminence added: "So far as the culture of martyrdom enjoys a high position in society, no power - including the arrogant powers or even stronger powers - can overcome the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic."

Elsewhere in his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the judiciary is one of the most important parts of the Islamic Republic.

Ayatollah Khamenei described the senior judiciary officials as upright and moral and added that they have a brilliant record. "There is no shortage of knowledgeable, visionary, courageous, and upright judges in the judiciary, and this is a source of hope."

He added: "Such sources of hope must be turned into a widespread and serious movement to help the judiciary live up to the expectations and achieve the position it deserves."

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution reiterated: "The judiciary should achieve a position where every oppressed person would feel confident he can reclaim his rights by referring to the judiciary."

His Eminence said that it is necessary for the judiciary to recruit faithful, knowledgeable, and fair elements. He also stressed the necessity of supervising the performance of the judiciary and reiterated: "Another important issue is that the judiciary should update its bureaucratic structures."

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed that the need for changing the bureaucratic structures does not mean that the stability of the judiciary should be undermined. "Rather, it is necessary to maintain a critical outlook on the bureaucratic structures and at the same time preserve the stability of the judiciary."

Ayatollah Khamenei said that the judiciary should revise its laws and regulations and remove the legal contradictions. He added: "One of the most important - and most difficult - issues is that the judiciary should not be affected by friendships and enmities or political propaganda."

His Eminence further reiterated: "One of the greatest dangers is that political propaganda by different parties, newspapers, and foreign media may affect the right channel of judgment and legal procedures. In this regard one should not be influenced by emotions, friendships, and enmities and deviate from the path of justice."

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed: "In such a situation the people will feel satisfied with the decisions of the judiciary."

Ayatollah Khamenei stated that preparing the ground for the people to accept the decisions of the judiciary will give rise to a great opportunity, further adding: "All governmental organizations should support the judiciary so that it can fulfill its responsibilities appropriately in these difficult conditions. This will help the country move towards its lofty goals."