An armed assailant shot dead two notorious Iranian judges at the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Court on Saturday.
Judges Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini were known for imposing harsh sentences, including executions, during their decades-long careers. Such judges are known in Iran as ‘judges of death’ and ‘executioners’.
Iran’s judiciary said a “planned assassination” was carried out by “an armed infiltrator” at the Supreme Court building in the capital Tehran.
“Based on preliminary investigation, the person in question did not have a case before the Supreme Court nor was he a visitor to its branches,” the judiciary said in a report.
The attacker shot the Supreme Court judges before “quickly committing suicide”.
Foreign involvement not ruled out
Asghar Jahangir, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, told state television that the attacker was armed with a pistol.
“This morning around 10:00 am before 10:45 am, the attacker entered the offices of two brave and experienced judges of the judiciary within the Supreme Court,” he said.
“We do not know the motive behind the killing as the attacker committed suicide while fleeing the scene, but we are investigating,” he added.
Although no group has claimed responsibility, Iran’s judiciary has not ruled out foreign involvement.
“It is worth noting that over the past year, the judiciary has taken extensive actions to identify, pursue, arrest and prosecute individuals and elements associated with the evil Zionist regime, America’s allies, spies and terrorist groups.”
The building was evacuated after the shooting.
Directly involved in crimes against humanity
The shooting marks one of the most significant attacks on Iran’s judiciary in recent years.
Both ayatollahs held high positions in the Iranian legal system.
Moghiseh, who faced sanctions from the United States and the European Union for human rights abuses, had been jailed for a total of more than 1,600 years in 335 cases in recent years, according to rights groups.
He was best known for prosecuting political prisoners following the 2009 presidential election protests in Iran.
Razini, who headed Division 41 of the Supreme Court, had previously survived a car bomb attack in 1999.
His career included serving as Tehran’s revolutionary prosecutor and serving in several high judicial positions.
He was also involved in trials related to the 1988 mass executions in Iran, when thousands of political prisoners were sent to the gallows.
“Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini were directly involved in crimes against humanity and continued their atrocities until the last days of their lives through the execution sentences of [the regime] opponents,” said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Norway-based Iranian human rights organization.
‘We have to put explosives in your mouth’
Former Iranian prisoners whose cases were overseen by the judges took to social media to share their experiences after the shooting.
“Judge Moghiseh sentenced me to nine years in prison in a court hearing that lasted less than nine minutes,” said a former prisoner.
“On the day of the trial, when I left his office, I saw two young men in the worst possible condition… I asked the guard why they were tied up like that, with an ugly smile he replied: ‘Judge Moghiseh put them to sentenced to death.’”
Another former prisoner said: ‘Moghiseh was the judge in my case. He said, “We have to put explosives in your mouth and blow it up.”