A gunman on Saturday shot down two prominent judges in Tehran, who were allegedly involved in the mass execution of dissidents in 1988, officials said. The two hard-line judges, Mohammad Mogheiseh and Ali Razini, were fatally shot dead with no group claiming responsibility for the shooting yet.
According to Iran’s IRNA news agency, both clerics served on Iran’s Supreme Court.
Attack took place at Palace of Justice in Tehran
The attack took place at the Palace of Justice in Tehran, which saw the bodyguard of one of the judges wounded. Notably, the Palace serves as headquarters of the Iran’s judiciary and generally is under tight security. The attacker killed himself after executing the assassination of both judges.
A spokesperson for Iran’s judiciary revealed to the Iranian state television that the killer had been an ‘infiltrator,’ suggesting that he had worked at the courthouse where the killings took place.
Their participation, especially Ali Razini’s involvement in the mass execution, made them a target in the past, as Razini faced an assassination attempt in 1999 as well.
Razini was wounded in the 1999 attacks as the attackers hurled an explosive at his vehicle after he left working as the head of the judiciary in Tehran.
The killing of hard-line judges, which is seen as an attack on the judiciary, comes in the backdrop of Donald Trump’s return to power and the mauling of its Mideast allies by Israel.
One of the judges was sanctioned by US Treasury
Mogheiseh too was under the limelight as he was sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2019. The US treasury described him as having “overseen countless unfair trials, during which charges went unsubstantiated and evidence was disregarded.”
The Treasury added, “He is notorious for sentencing scores of journalists and internet users to lengthy prison terms.”
Mogheiseh had targeted members of Iran’s Baha’i minority as he pressed charges against them for reportedly holding prayer and worship ceremonies with other members, the Treasury claims.
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