PHOTO: MP Mahmoud Sadeghi, arrested after allegations against head of judiciary Sadegh Larijani
Iran’s judiciary has arrested a reformist MP over his comments about corruption within the regime, sparking criticism from other legislators.
Judicial authorities attempted to arrest Mahmoud Sadeghi on Sunday. The MP had called for an official inquiry into allegations that the head of judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, had misused public funds.
Sadeghi initially avoided detention after he told a news agency, “An hour ago, some security service members tried to arrest me outside my apartment, but because this is illegal I resisted. They’re still outside the door of the apartment.” A colleague put a soundbite of their conversation on social media to rally support. Amid messages such as “Sadeghi, you are not alone”, hundreds of people showed up outside the MP’s residence.
On Monday morning, Sadeghi published audio clips and photos of his house on social media, thanking those who had come to support him. He tweeted that the “illegal arrest warrant” had now been lifted, and said he would sue the judge who had ordered his arrest as he would “never stop fighting for transparency and against corruption”. The judge responded by accusing Sadeghi of “spreading lies” and “causing public disorder”.
Sadeghi then condemned the judiciary’s actions as “illegal”. However, he reportedly appeared in court late Wednesday and was then released after posting bail.
The reformist MP, elected in February, had already stirred the public with comments about alleged corruption involving Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
The Government defended Larijani three weeks ago, with Economy Minister Ali Tayyebnia saying Sadeghi’s accusation was “completely inaccurate”. He said “the profits from these funds were merely spent on some specific costs in the judiciary”.
Judiciary Making MPs “Worried About Imprisonment”
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ali Motahari criticized the attempted arrest of Sadeghi in a letter to Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi. He said the judiciary’s action set a precedent for MPs to always be “worried about imprisonment and being summoned by the authorities”.
Motahari — who is Larijani’s brother-in-law — added, “The main problem is that the Judiciary does not answer to anyone.”
The Deputy Speaker’s intervention follows his own clash with the judiciary. On November 20, a local prosecutor cancelled a speech by Motahari in Iran’s second city Mashhad, citing security concerns.
Another Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Masoud Pezeshkian, claimed that the Judiciary’s actions were “disrespectful to the people and Parliament”. He assured that Parliament will “certainly investigate this issue and defend [our] honor”.
