Iran names past cleric as judge amid calls for probe into abuses

Iran’s supreme leader promoted a hardline cleric to serve as head of the judiciary yesterday, amid international calls for investigations into allegations of abuses, Reuters reports.

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, now the judiciary’s deputy head, will replace Ebrahim Raisi, who takes office in August as president after winning a 18 June election.

Ejei was put on US and EU sanctions blacklists a decade ago for his role in a crackdown on a popular uprising when he served as intelligence minister during a disputed election.

The choice of someone with such a high profile could draw further attention to allegations of past abuses by Iran at a time when the new US administration is trying to negotiate a thaw with Tehran.

This week, a UN expert called for a new investigation into Raisi’s alleged role in the deaths of thousands of political prisoners when he served as a judge in the 1980s. Raisi denies wrongdoing.

In a statement reported by state media, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Ejei to “promote justice, restore public rights, ensure legitimate freedoms, and oversee the proper implementation of laws, prevent crime, and resolutely fight corruption”.

Rights groups have criticised the election of Raisi in a vote in which prominent rivals were barred from standing.

Iran has repeatedly dismissed the criticism of its human rights record as baseless and a result of a lack of understanding of its Islamic laws. It says its legal system is independent and not influenced by political interests.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said last month that Raisi’s election was a blow for human rights and called for him to be investigated over his role in the 1988 executions.

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