Iran’s chief justice calls for swift punishment for protest detainees

Iran’s chief justice Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei has urged rapid trials for detainees accused of violent acts, warning that delays reduce the impact of judicial action.

Iran’s Supreme Court chief justice visited a prison in Tehran and said those accused of beheading or burning people during recent unrest should be tried and punished promptly.

He told officials: “This is what they rightfully expect directly from me, you, IRGC and the police.” Ejei added: “We must act quickly if we want to do anything. Even if we do the exact same thing but in a couple of months, it will not have the same impact.”

He also referred to the handling of economic crimes, saying action on financial corruption is another way to “help people feel better”.

Rights groups continue to report differing casualty counts. HRANA, based in the U.S., says it has confirmed 2,403 protesters killed along with 147 government affiliated individuals. An Iranian official told Reuters that about 2,000 people had been killed.

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Hengaw, a Kurdish rights group, reported that 26 year old Erfan Soltani, arrested in Karaj, had been scheduled for execution. The group later said it was unable to confirm whether the sentence had been carried out. Reuters could not independently verify the report.

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