Iranian press review: Lawyer supportive of new president jailed one day after election
Lawyer arrested one day after presidential election
A lawyer and cleric who supported Iran's newly elected reformist president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has been jailed, sparking widespread reactions among activists and analysts.
Mohsen Borhani, who was jailed on Sunday, publicly opposed laws mandating women to wear hijabs and the expulsion of dissident professors from universities.
An Iranian court sentenced Borhani to 16 months in prison on charges of "propaganda against the system", "spreading lies to disturb the public mind", and "insulting judges and martyrs."
In response to Borhani's imprisonment, Ali-Akbar Gorji, a professor of constitutional law, wrote on X: "Borhani was active in the 15 July election and was arrested a day after the results were announced. Why? Borhani's defence of the oppressed victims of the 2022 protests should be rewarded, not punished."
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Ahmad Zeidabadi, a prominent analyst and former political prisoner, suggested that the imprisonment was intended to discourage Pezeshkian supporters from hoping for change following his election.
"Don't the officials understand the concept of 'simultaneity'? Did it not occur to them that imprisoning Borhani just one day after the presidential election results would lead everyone to say, 'You see, nothing is going to change!'?" Zeidabadi wrote on X.
Analyst Abbas Abdi praised Borhani and demanded his immediate release.
"If anyone knows jurisprudence, rights, and most importantly, freedom, it is Borhani. His imprisonment does not diminish him. Release him today, not even tomorrow,” Abdi said.
Political prisoners warn of surge in executions
Iranian political prisoners have warned that authorities may increase the number of executions in the country following the presidential election.
Reformist candidate Pezeshkian was elected president over the weekend, earning around 56 percent of the vote in the second round.
On Monday, Radio Zamaneh, an Amsterdam-based Persian-language radio broadcaster, published a statement from hunger-striking prisoners across the country.
The detainees said recent reductions in the number of hangings in prisons were aimed at encouraging the public to participate in the election.
However, they stated that record-low turnout in the first round of voting was a sign of Iranians deliberately attempting to “delegitimise” the political establishment.
In January, political prisoners began the "Tuesdays of No to Execution" campaign, in which participants went on hunger strike every Tuesday in opposition to capital punishment.
According to their latest statement, inmates in nine prisons across the country participated in the hunger strike on 9 July.
As their protest entered its 24th week, the prisoners warned that the execution of dissidents, as well as non-political prisoners, was likely to resume.
"Whenever the Iranian people unite in a magnificent display against the despotic minority ruling the country, the government's repression machine becomes more active,” the statement read.
"To instil fear and intimidate the people, preventing uprisings and political and social protests against despotism, the tool of 'execution' is employed," it added.
The prisoners also condemned the death sentence handed this week to labour activist Sharifeh Mohammadi, who was active in the anti-execution campaign.
Residents demand removal of Tehran's mayor
Tehran’s conservative mayor, Alireza Zakani, is under the spotlight after residents in the capital city launched a campaign demanding his removal from office.
Zakani initially registered to run in the presidential election in June but withdrew in favour of principlist candidate Saeed Jalili.
The Sazandegi daily newspaper reported that recent calls for Zakani's removal stem from unfulfilled promises made during his tenure.
The daily wrote: "In the municipality, he made significant promises to the people of Tehran, similar to those he made during the presidential election nationwide… from alleviating traffic congestion and housing costs to reducing the public transport fleet and lowering the cost of living in Tehran. However, the residents of Tehran have yet to see these promises fulfilled.”
The campaign against Zakani initially began in April when Tehran’s municipality started constructing a mosque inside Qeytarieh Park, north of the capital, without prior consultation.
In response, residents of the Qeytarieh neighbourhood signed a petition opposing what they described as the destruction of green space to make way for the mosque.
Zakani’s office stated that the mosque's construction would proceed despite the residents’ demands.
Last week, the topic gained renewed public attention after the number of signatories calling for the mayor's removal surpassed 100,000.
Mehdi Chamran, the chairman of Tehran’s city council, told local media that the council would not recognise such campaigns, regardless of their support.
Iranian press review is a digest of news reports not independently verified by Middle East Eye
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