The following is the full text of the speech delivered on June 28, 2010 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution to judiciary officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Dear brothers and sisters, welcome. I also wish to welcome both the esteemed officials of the judiciary and the dear brothers and sisters who are related to the honorable martyrs of the 7th of Tir. I would like to briefly speak about the judiciary branch and that great and significant martyrdom.
A natural characteristic of martyrdom is that it creates a continuous and fruitful movement towards transcendence and perfection. Allah the Exalted says in the Holy Quran that martyrs are alive, and in Islamic convention and Shia terminology martyr means "witness", "observer" and "present". This means that martyrs' blood is not shed in vain. The character of a martyr - which is the manifestation of his ideals and wishes - will not be eliminated from among the people. This is a natural feature of martyrdom. Being killed in the way of God is not at all a tragedy for those who have felt this truth in their bones and have attested to it. Rather, it is good fortune and an honor for them. They ask God to bestow this blessing on them. In their prayers they seriously ask God to bestow this blessing on them.
I believe those who were martyred on the 7th of Tir were among the best people who continued this path. I knew many of those martyrs. I had met some of them during the revolutionary activities or during the events that took place after the victory of the Revolution. They were truly prepared to lay down their lives. They were prepared for martyrdom. If they had been told they would be martyred on this path, they would not have been intimidated. On the contrary, they would have been delighted. Martyrdom would have been good news for them. And our dear martyr, Ayatollah Beheshti, was the best among them. He was a faithful, sincere, honest and diligent person. He believed in what he said, and he practiced what he believed in. He was also familiar with the dangers. He knew that the arena in which he was present was a mine field. He knew that he might lose his life any second, but at the same time he moved on his path fearlessly with an eye to the goal. This was one of the characteristics of that honorable martyr. He was logical and committed to the principles. He was a principlist in the real sense of the word. He did not stand on ceremony with anyone as far as the principles were concerned. I saw some people trying to attract him and make him change or compromise his positions, but he stood firm and never changed his positions. This is how historical and influential figures are formed. This is how they emerge in society and go down in history. "Those who say, Our Lord is Allah, then continue in the right way." [The Holy Quran 41: 30] It is easier to talk than to do, but it is much more difficult to continue doing something. Some people only talk. Others practice what they say but cannot tolerate the difficulties, mockery, sarcasm and unfair hostilities, so they fall by the wayside. Some people not only fall by the wayside, but they also regress. And you can see such people around you.
Some people's words are rooted in their sincere and determined beliefs. They stand firm, relying on their courageous decisions and religious faith, and do not take back their words. They patiently continue their path. "And Allah loves the steadfast." [The Holy Quran, 3: 146] Patience is the cause of divine love. Such people become valuable and influential figures, and their path becomes guidelines for other people. Their names go down in history. May God bestow mercy on Shahid Beheshti and those who were martyred with him. May God bestow mercy on those who were martyred for the sake of Islam.
The immediate effect of their martyrdom was that the sincerity of the Islamic Republic was increased, its legitimacy was proven and its essence was firmly established in society. This was the characteristic of this martyrdom. Masks were removed, the firm logic of the Islamic Republic and Imam Khomeini (r.a.) was consolidated and the newly established Islamic Republic was strengthened. The Islamic Republic found the ability to move forward. In those difficult conditions, while the warring enemies had spread throughout a large portion of our strategic country, that martyrdom had such a great and constructive effect on the Revolution. See how difficult the conditions were at that time, and what a tragic event the martyrdom appeared to be.
Dear people, as long as martyrdom has this level of prestige in our culture and logic, no power - neither the present arrogant powers, nor powers that are far more powerful than them - will ever be able to overcome the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation.
With regard to the judiciary branch, I would say that it is an extremely sensitive part of our government. The same is true of other governments around the world. The judiciary plays a determining and vital role in every part of the world, but it is extremely important within the framework of the Islamic Republic, the legitimacy and the essential foundations of which depend on justice.
I have mentioned many points about the judiciary in my annual meetings with the judiciary officials of the country. The honorable heads of the judiciary have also made good points in this regard. Yesterday there was a meeting in the judiciary. I watched some parts of it on TV. The esteemed heads of the three branches of the government made good and appropriate points. Of course it is one thing to make beautiful comments, but it is quite another thing to see if they are practical, which requires serious efforts and determination.
Thankfully the conditions of the judiciary are good today. The esteemed head of the judiciary is a knowledgeable, mujtahid, scholarly and well-informed person, and he is highly competent and enjoys youthful energy. During the short time that he has been assigned to this responsibility, one can see that many of the demands and legal expectations of the judiciary have either been satisfied or are very close to being satisfied. These are all promising signs.
As was mentioned, the senior officials of the judiciary are pure-hearted, competent and sincere people, and they have a good record. This is something promising. Thankfully there is no shortage of scholarly, discerning, courageous and upright judges in the judiciary. These are all facts. Over time, legal loopholes have been detected, the necessary steps have been taken and good plans have been prepared - or the need has been felt in this regard. These are all promising. But the existence of promising areas should result in widespread and serious action so that the essence of the judiciary is demonstrated. I have repeatedly said that the judiciary should achieve a position that whenever people in different parts of the country feel their rights have been violated, they feel hopeful about referring to the judiciary and claiming their rights. This hope should be created in the hearts of all people of this country.
Of course this hope cannot be created easily. So many legal complaints should be accompanied by fair results that gradually this hope is kindled in the hearts of the people. Of course I do not want to compare our judiciary system with the judiciary system that we had before the Revolution and during the reign of taghut [government that is not sanctioned by God]. Those who have seen those days are well aware of the fact that at that time the judiciary was a place that did not give you any hope. It was not the case that people felt they could refer to the judiciary and achieve satisfactory results. No, carelessness and impiety caused so many unfair decisions in the judiciary that nobody had any hope in it unless they had friends in high places, money, power and other such things. Therefore, I do not want to compare our judiciary with the judiciary system of that era and create a false sense of satisfaction that we have scholarly judges and fair verdicts and that good things are being done. I want to compare the current situation of the judiciary with the situation that the Islamic Republic deserves. This requires that we make efforts. One of the things that we can do is to let faithful, knowledgeable, and fair elements enter the judiciary. Of course good manpower within the judiciary requires supervision from above and management of the functions. Even good people are subject to mistakes and deviation. It is not the case that good people always remain good. No, everybody is challenged. It is necessary to watch out for the possible mistakes in all conditions. This is a process - the process of recruiting - which is of course important.
The bureaucratic structure of the judiciary is not less important than the issue of manpower. It is necessary to make constant efforts to update the bureaucratic structure of the judiciary. I am not saying that we should take stability away from the judiciary. No, there should be stability, but at the same time a critical outlook should be adopted on the wrong bureaucratic methods which in some cases are the legacy of the past and in other cases are the result of adopting obsolete European methods. This is an important point, and we need to pay attention to it. Sometimes bureaucratic structures are such that they make legal procedures more difficult and the results less reliable. They also overwhelm good people. This is another process, and it is necessary to constantly pay attention to it.
Laws and regulations are the next issue. We should pay attention to the laws and regulations within the judiciary. We should revise them and introduce the necessary regulations. Of course I have received reports that highly detailed legal proceedings and criminal law are in the process of being approved. The same should be done about all the other regulations. Sometimes a problematic law which is the legacy of the era of taghut - the era in which the judiciary was founded on problematic foundations - may cause some problems. Legal contradiction creates numerous problems for the courts of law. As I said last year, the inconsistency between the laws of the courts of first instance and appeals courts are in many cases due to this problem. These laws should be reformed. Of course this is a huge and daunting task.
One of the things that is necessary is that the judiciary should not be affected by friendships, enmities and political propaganda. One of the great dangers is that political propaganda may affect the process of judgment and the mind of the judge, the attorney and all the other people who are involved in the process of considering legal cases. Various kinds of political propaganda are broadcast, newspapers write articles, foreign radio stations say different things, the enemy says whatever it wants and different political parties say different things. These things should not affect legal proceedings. One of the most difficult challenges facing the judiciary is that it should not be affected by political propaganda. The verse that was recited at the beginning of this meeting - namely, "Be just. That is nearer to piety." [The Holy Quran, 5: 8] - refers to the same point. The holy ayah says that emotions should not overwhelm you. Enmities should not affect your judgments and make you stray away from the path of justice. The holy ayah only mentions enmities, but the same is true of friendships as well. Piety means taking care not to stray away from the right path and avoiding the pitfalls and problems. The ayah says, "O you who believe, be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with justice, and let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably. Be just. That is nearer to piety." [The Holy Quran, 5: 8]" This is how you can tread the right path among all those complexities and avoid being harmed. "Be just. That is nearer to piety." [The Holy Quran, 5: 8]
For example, political atmospheres that are created by different hands should not affect the judiciary. Of course this is not an easy task. To be fair, I would accept that this is easier said than done. But if this happens, then the people will not feel that their rights have been violated by the court. They may not be happy with the decision made by the judge, but they will not feel that their rights have been violated. We can draw a partial analogy between these decisions and the decisions made by a referee. Nobody challenges a referee's decision. Some people may protest against his decision, but this is as far as they go. Everybody accepts his decision in the end. Of course there is a world of difference between the decisions made by a referee and the decisions made by a judge. However, the situation should be like that of sports activities, and the people should feel that legal judgments are based on the truth and that the judgments are not affected by personal opinions, movements, political and non-political tendencies, friendships and enmities. If the people have this feeling, they will be convinced that the decisions are fair although they may not be happy with the final verdict. They will accept the verdict without feeling any resentment. It is very good to have this general mood in society, and it is a great opportunity for the judiciary.
Of course all the governmental organizations of the country should support the judiciary so that it can act in this arena without imposing any personal opinions. As the scales of justice - which represents the judiciary - shows, the judiciary is blindfolded. Of course this does not mean that the judiciary turns a blind eye to the realities. It means that friends and enemies, and plaintiffs and defendants are the same to the judiciary. Their personal characteristics are not taken into consideration. This should be preserved. Of course this is a daunting task. If this happens, it will serve as one of the greatest means to help society make progress. It will serve as one of the best means for the Islamic Republic. It will help us make progress. It will truly help the country move towards its goals. This is a great task.
Of course paying attention to Allah the Exalted, relying on Him, reminding sincere people of divine rewards and trusting Allah the Exalted will hopefully help all the officials to carry out this great task.
These days have coincided with the holy month of Rajab - the month for dua and reliance on God, the month for preparing one's heart to enter the month of Ramadan. There is a good reason why people have been advised to engage in penance, do certain things and say certain duas. All duas are good, and it is possible to say any dua anytime. But it goes without saying that this month and these days have special characteristics. We should make the best of these characteristics. If you turn to Allah the Exalted, rely on Him, ask Him for assistance and trust Him, He will hopefully help you.
I hope the immaculate souls of our martyrs and the sacred soul of the Imam (r.a.) will be satisfied with all of you. I hope all you dear brothers and sisters and all government officials will benefit from the prayers of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake).
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings