Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's Memoirs - October 24, 1999 The continued interference by extra-judicial entities and other centers of power in the case of reduced sentencing under Article 25 of the Law on Amending Certain Judicial Laws.

The continued extra-judicial interference and involvement of various power centers in the case regarding reduced sentencing under Article 25 of the Law on Amending Certain Judicial Laws has now caused a significant shock within parts of the judiciary.

Sheikh Abbasali Alizadeh, the head of the Tehran Judiciary, immediately petitioned the Supreme Court to apply Article 18 of the Law on the Formation of General and Revolutionary Courts in response to the ruling issued by the Tehran Court of Appeals. He requested a review of the decision by the Supreme Court.

Seyyed Hossein Marashi and Fa’ezeh Hashemi met with me and asked that I request Sheikh Mohammad Mohammadi Gilani, the head of the Supreme Court, to reject this request by Sheikh Alizadeh, either by referring it to the First Branch of the Court, which Gilani headed, or to another branch that would be more aligned with their view. Naturally, I understood that the authorities did not intend for Gholamhossein Karbaschi to be freed through this judicial process. In the coming days, further details on this matter will unfold in my memoirs.

Note: The editor of my memoirs mistakenly referred to Article 25 of the Islamic Penal Code instead of Article 25 of the Law on Amending Certain Judicial Laws in this day’s entry, a mistake that unfortunately occurs in other instances as well.

We traveled to Rey from home. After visiting the shrines of the three Imams [Abdul Azim Hasani (S), Hamza bin Musa al-Kadhim (S), and Tahir bin Zayn al-Abidin (S)], we visited the completed and ongoing projects of the holy shrine. Mr. [Mohammad Mohammadi] Reyshahri and his colleagues explained the projects and mentioned that progress had slowed down over the past year. They asked me to recommend that the authorities provide more support.

We then toured the Hadith College, its halls, classrooms, exhibition, and observatory. In the Sheikh Sadouq Hall, during the ceremony to inaugurate the college and other projects, we listened to Mr. Reyshahri's report, in which he acknowledged my major contributions to the shrine's development projects. He mentioned that I had taken responsibility for funding the college and had provided most of the necessary funding during my tenure, with the remainder being covered by Mr. Khatami, [President], as part of fulfilling my commitments.

With the assistance of my brother Mohammad, [Executive Vice President], they have admitted 70 students of Hadith—half men, half women—into this year's national university entrance exam. I spoke about the importance of expanding the shrine to meet the spiritual needs of the people of Tehran, Rey, and across Iran, the necessity of focusing on Hadith alongside the Quran, criticizing both the extremes and neglect towards Hadith in Shia and Sunni history, and emphasizing the suitability of Rey for becoming a center for Hadith studies due to its historical significance. I also recommended paying attention to the Hadiths of the Sunni tradition.

I then went to my office. Mr. Hossein Marashi, [representative of Kerman], and Fa’ezeh, [representative of Tehran], called to inform me that the Court of Appeals had issued a ruling under Article 25 [of the Law on Amending Certain Judicial Laws] to reduce the sentence of Mr. [Gholamhossein] Karbaschi. However, Mr. [Abbasali] Alizadeh, the head of the Tehran Judiciary, has petitioned the Supreme Court to apply Article 18 to reverse this new ruling. They asked me to help ensure that Mr. [Mohammad] Mohammadi Gilani, [head of the Supreme Court], rejects this petition.

In the afternoon, Mr. Abbas Maleki, [nephew of Ayatollah Fadil Lankarani and Deputy for International Research at the Center for Strategic Research], visited. He brought several jurisprudential books written by Ayatollah [Mohammad] Fadil Lankarani and reported on the Caspian Oil and Gas Conference held in Ramsar. He said that Mehdi, [CEO of the Offshore Facilities Company], had delivered an excellent speech.

American companies also participated, and the foreign attendees are waiting for the expected lifting of sanctions by [Bill] Clinton, [President of the United States], which is anticipated to be announced in a few months. Maleki requested that I attend the upcoming investment conference in Kish.

Later, the Central Council of the Islamic Society of Workers visited. Mr. [Alireza] Saber, [Secretary-General of the Islamic Society of Workers], provided a report and raised their concerns. They invited me to participate in the [Sixth Parliament] elections, as they are rivals of the Workers' House. I spoke with them.