Letter from 170 Civil and Justice-Seeking Activists to the Head of the Judiciary in Protest Against the Detention of Two Religious Critics

170 justice-seeking activists, civil activists, and a group from various segments of the public, by publishing an open letter addressed to Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, the Head of the Judiciary, protested against the continued detention of Shahabeddin Haeri Shirazi and Mohammad Taghi Akbarnejad.

The letter pointed out that more than 70 days have passed since the arrest of these two critical clerics, emphasizing that Haeri Shirazi and Akbarnejad have been imprisoned merely for expressing different views on the method of governance in the country. The letter's authors asked, "Is the place for researchers and experts who have a different reading of the country's administration in prison?" and emphasized the necessity of observing freedom of expression as one of the fundamental principles of democracy.

The signatories also called for the determination of the "framework and boundaries for criticizing rulers" and reminded that in religious teachings, every citizen has the right to critique the government's policies. They warned that closing the space for criticism blocks the path to reform, and security-based confrontation with critics will weaken the country's social capital in a critical situation.

In another section of the letter, referring to the "importance of national solidarity," the Head of the Judiciary was asked to specially review the case of these two critical clerics and provide the grounds for their release by utilizing legal powers, including the application of Article 477 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The signatories of this letter emphasized that confronting sympathetic criticism through imprisonment practically conveys the message of the end of reform-seeking activism in the country.