During the funeral procession for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, the Chief Justice of the Islamic Republic, characterized the late leader’s primary objective as “the total eradication of corruption and arrogant, imperialist currents.” He asserted that the vengeful slogans chanted by attendees were directed at ensuring that the “criminal actions of the enemy” are never repeated.
Mohseni-Ejei claimed that the Iranian public demands retaliation against the perpetrators of what he termed “war crimes and non-war crimes,” in a manner severe enough to deter future offenses. Expressing gratitude to the crowds, he further claimed that the populace had consistently taken to the streets over the past four months to uphold the “ideals of the Islamic Republic.”
Mohseni-Ejei has headed the judiciary since July 2021, a tenure defined by human rights monitors as one of the most repressive eras in the history of the Islamic Republic, characterized by a sweeping crackdown on dissidents, a sharp rise in capital punishment, and intensified pressure on political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. According to leading international human rights organizations, Iran has consistently ranked at the top of the global list for per-capita executions under his administration.
