Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, met Wednesday afternoon with the head and officials of the judiciary branch. Speaking at the meeting, His Eminence stated that ensuring the health of the judicial system and making constant efforts to gain the satisfaction of the people are the most important responsibilities and the most fundamental goals of the judiciary branch.
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to Quds Day and said: “By Allah’s favor, on Friday, the unanimous cry of defending the oppressed people of Palestine will once more be raised throughout Iran and throughout the world of Islam and the Islamic Ummah will fulfill its important duty to defend the oppressed.”
At the beginning of his statements, Ayatollah Khamenei described Shahid Ayatollah Beheshti, the founder of the judiciary branch, as a broad-minded, decisive, wise and persistent manager and he also thanked the high-ranking officials and the managers and personnel of the judiciary branch for their efforts and endeavors.
Praising the current head of the judiciary branch as a scholarly, knowledgeable and complete personality, His Eminence said: “The judiciary branch is of utmost importance because of its inherent responsibilities – such as exercising supervision over the implementation of the law and preventing crimes – and because of the presence of the head of this branch in important and fundamental councils of the Islamic Republic and his influence over major policies.”
He added: “Because of this exemplary importance, the actions and performance of the judiciary branch have always been sensitive. Moreover, this branch is the target of many attacks and propaganda efforts.”
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution mentioned: “The hostile propaganda of foreign media and their attack on the judiciary branch have increased in the current term. The reason is the revolutionary, ideological and outspoken positions of the head and the high-ranking officials of the judiciary branch.”
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that gaining the satisfaction of the people is an Islamic responsibility and a fundamental goal and that preserving the health of the judiciary branch is the main factor in gaining this satisfaction, further reiterating: “Corrupt individuals and those who commit wrongdoings inside the judiciary branch should be confronted in all provinces and cities in a serious, determined and persistent manner.”
Addressing the officials of the judiciary branch, His Eminence stated: “You should consider the health of the judiciary branch as the most important issue. You should consider it as a fundamental task.”
He added: “The individuals who become corrupt and who commit wrongdoings inside the judiciary branch – of course, these individuals are few in number – are oppressing the people as well as betraying the diligent managers and personnel of the judiciary branch.”
Pointing to the issue of crime prevention, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution said: “This is a very important matter that stretches beyond the judiciary branch and therefore, it requires thinking, knowledge and experience.”
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that one of the most essential tasks in the judiciary branch is to mention the services that it has rendered and to notify the people of these services: “In order to reflect the heavy volume of tasks that is carried out in the judiciary branch, we should benefit from those promotional and advertising methods that are new and attractive.”
His Eminence stated that it is completely necessary for the judiciary branch to play a more active role in pursuing international events, adding: “Pursuing the violated rights of the people of Iran – that occurred due to the existence of sanctions – should be placed at the top of the judiciary’s agenda.”
Referring to the verdicts that American courts have passed for confiscating the Iranian nation’s assets with absurd reasons and with unfounded accusations, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution said: “Violating the rights of the people of Iran due to the existence of sanctions is a reality that should be pursued by the judiciary branch at an international level.”
Pursuing the rights of thousands of victims of terrorism in Iran, suing the governments that explicitly and implicitly support the assassinators of the Iranian nationals and defending the rights of oppressed Muslim personalities throughout the world were other matters that Ayatollah Khamenei mentioned to judiciary officials.
His Eminence mentioned that reviving human rights from the perspective of Islam is another responsibility of the judiciary branch that should be carried out at a global level. He reiterated: “The human rights that the west is speaking about is based on wrong principles. Therefore, it is necessary to promote ‘Islamic human rights’ with sound and logical bases among public opinion and judicial organizations in the world.”
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the announcement by the United Nations – saying that it would close its eyes on the current crime of infanticide in Yemen in return for receiving money from some countries – as a source of embarrassment for humanity. He added: “This scandal and disgrace is against real human rights. We should do legal and judicial work on this matter on a global level.”
Referring to the statements of the Supreme Leader about the necessity of decreasing the number of prisoners, the head of the judiciary branch said: “A comprehensive and thorough set of guidelines has been prepared in this regard. We are pursuing alternative punishments for imprisonment. In the present time, the number of prisoners has decreased by 20 percent.”
Ayatollah Amoli Larijani also referred to the activities of the judiciary branch in the area of crime prevention, planning and legal reforms and he described a shortage of budget and manpower as the main problems of the judiciary branch.