The Latest from Iran (15 August): Battles Within the Establishment
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2025 GMT: Green movement youth branch members Saeed Noormohammadi and Zoya Hasani have been released from detention.
2015 GMT: A Nice Message to Close the Day. The commander of the Basiji militia, Hossein Taeb, has declared that if Mehdi Karroubi’s allegations of sexual abuse of detainees are proven to be a lie, Karroubi is “debauched” and “sinful” and should receive 80 lashes.
1810 GMT: Maryam, from the excellent blog Keeping the Change notifies us that she has translated into English a graphic, moving account by the Iranian journalist Babak Dad, “The Rapes Inside Iran’s Prisons: The Story of One Anonymous Victim and a Call to the People of Iran”. She introduces it, “It is, in short, a beautifully written and lyrical piece, providing the personal, yet socially critical, perspective on the rape allegations that we did not know we were missing until Mr. Dad brought it to our attention.”
Dad has also been interviewed by the Voice of America about the account.
1720 GMT: In the morning, we’re going to offer a detailed analysis — after today’s appointment of Mohammad Sadeq Larijani as the head of Iran’s judiciary — on the battle over the judiciary, and its wider implication for the political manoeuvres between the Supreme Leader, the President, Hashemi Rafsanjani, the Green opposition, and even (perhaps especially) the Revolutionary Guards.
For now, here’s a teaser from the announcement on Ayatollah Khamenei’s website that points to the tightrope walked by the Supreme Leader:
His Eminence Ayatollah Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has appointed Ayatollah Agha Hajj Shaykh Sadegh Larijani to the head of the judicial system. The text of the decree of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution follows:
In the name of God,
The Gracious Hojatoleslam Agha Shaykh Sadegh Amoli Larijani, esteemed scholar … given that the extended period of leadership of Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi within the judiciary has come to an end….
Note the titles we’ve put in boldface. “Ayatollah” is a higher clerical rank than “Hojatoleslam”. Larijani can be referred to as “Ayatollah” initially by the Supreme Leader, not by virtue of his religious standing but because of his membership on the Assembly of Experts and the Guardian Council. After that, Khamenei retreats to the title “Hojatoleslam”.
An EA correspondent interprets, “Khamenei was trying to keep the Najaf and Qom seminaries from openly criticising him on the choice with the careful use of the titles. Meanwhile, he has nominated a non-specialist to lead the judiciary and kept other conservatives at bay, such as Ali Larijani and [Mayor of Tehran] Qalibaf by giving them a consolation prize.”
More — much more — tomorrow morning.
1600 GMT: Mir Hossein Mousavi’s website, Ghalam News, is still down. It has been out of service for at least 24 hours.
1500 GMT: Barazou Daragahi of the Los Angeles Times reports, from the Iranian Labor News Agency that Mir Hossein Mousavi has announced a “Green Path of Hope” to organise the political movement that arose before and after the Presidential election. Speaking to a group of doctors, Mousavi said, “Numerous volunteer and independent social networks throughout the society form the body of this movement. The Green Path of Hope is in fact aimed at regaining people’s denied rights.”
Building on the theme of recent weeks, Mousavi used the issues of detentions, confessions, and trials as a touchstone for political concerns, “We would not have witnessed so many crises today had [the authorities] adopted fair positions and respected people’s rights, instead of humiliating people on state television. Instead of accusing million-strong demonstrators of connection to foreigners, you have to find those who are waging a poisonous propaganda war on our people.”
What is uncertain is how much Mousavi’s announcement amounts to a “political front”, even though that is label used by Daragahi, with no indication yet by other opposition leaders of their approach to the Green Path of Hope.
1425 GMT: Report from Etemade Melli (political party) website that security forces around Etemade Melli (newspaper) are increasing but situation under control.
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