Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - December 13, 2000 - Important Negotiations with Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi During Iftar Regarding Reform and Strengthening the Judiciary

Visitation of Ayatollah Hossein Wahid Khorasani at the Heart Hospital and His Warnings About Granting Excessive Influence to Sunni Groups, as Well as a Reminder About Jalal Jalalizadeh's Non-Membership in the Board of Directors of the Sixth Parliament, Along with Ayatollah Wahid Khorasani's Refusal for Photos and Videos During Hashemi's Visit

Meeting with Managers of the Broadcasting Organization Accompanied by Calligraphers and Illuminators

Dual Interpretations of the Regulations Overseeing General Policies of the System in the Expediency Council and Consultations with the Council's Secretariat Regarding This Issue

Important Negotiations with Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi During Iftar About Reforming and Strengthening the Judiciary, Along with Shahroudi's Emphasis on His Determination to Confront Counter-Revolutionaries, Disruptive Media, and Adventurous Writers

Full Entry of the Day:

On my way to the office, I visited Ayatollah Hossein Wahid Khorasani, who is hospitalized for heart treatment following an angiography. After a thallium test, it was found that two arteries were blocked or partially blocked and had been opened with a balloon. He expressed concern about granting too much influence to Sunni groups within government policy, deeming it dangerous due to the ambitions of imperialism to fragment Iran. He criticized the Participation Party for nominating a Sunni candidate for the Board of Directors of Parliament, despite having repeatedly warned President Khatami and Mr. Mehdi Karroubi about this. Journalists sought permission for photos and videos, but he declined.

A group of managers from the Broadcasting Organization, along with calligraphers and illuminators, came to discuss a project to write a Quran in Nasta'liq script within one day, executed by 150 calligraphers and illuminators. I raised numerous questions about the project's flaws, including issues regarding the differences in scripts and the possibility of errors in writing. They requested my participation in the ceremony scheduled for the 26th of Ramadan.

We negotiated about the regulations overseeing the implementation of general policies with the Secretariat of the Expediency Council. Two significant theories regarding oversight of parliamentary decisions and regulations, as well as executive matters, were presented.

During iftar, I hosted Mr. Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the Chief Justice. We engaged in detailed discussions for two to three hours about reform strategies and strengthening the judiciary, including the issue of confronting counter-revolutionaries and extremists. Mr. Shahroudi expressed his determination to deal with counter-revolutionaries, disruptive media, and adventurous writers. He noted that important documents implicating Mr. Nasser Zarafshan, the lawyer for the Forouhar family, had been discovered, leading to the revocation of his license to practice law. He stated that in the case against Mr. Ataollah Mohajerani, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, there was no significant evidence of wrongdoing.

Interestingly, while Saeed Montazeri was detained by the Special Court for Clergy, Mr. Shahroudi mentioned the existence of documents linking Abolhassan Banisadr, Akbar Ganji, and Emadeddin Baghi to an 80-page pamphlet associated with the serial murders, which later led to the detention of Nasser Dezfuli over related accusations.

Mr. Shahroudi reported that he had received permission from Ayatollah Khamenei to deposit public funds in the judiciary's trust fund, which has led to numerous complications for years to come. He expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of decisiveness in dealing with Akbar Ganji and the Ministry of Intelligence. This issue ultimately resulted in actions against Judge Ali Bakhshi, the then head of Branch 27 of the Tehran Court of Appeals, who annulled Ganji's initial verdict.

Mr. Shahroudi's support for the actions of Sheikh Abbasali Alizadeh Baigi, the then Chief Justice of Tehran Province, is also noteworthy, particularly regarding a claim made by Mohammad Salami, the Secretary-General of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization, and the possibility of addressing President Khatami's political incompetence or violations in the Supreme Court.

Today, discussions regarding the motion of no confidence against the President are heated in both domestic and foreign media, with Mr. Salami having retreated, stating he merely suggested that there was a possibility of such an event.