Iranian hardliners raged against Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei in response to their colleague Hamid Rasaei receiving a 10-month sentence for “publishing falsehoods with intent to harm others,” according to reports from Iranian state media, Iranian judicial media, and public statements from parliamentary officials.
Rasaei, who was sent to the notorious Evin Prison on Sunday, was convicted after Ghalibaf filed a complaint over a 2024 article he published before becoming a member of parliament.
While editor-in-chief of 9 Dey weekly, Rasaei published an article alleging that Ghalibaf had manipulated parliamentary documents, posted content on his own social media, and was a “parliamentary dictator.”
He also ruffled feathers in May after making comments that some viewed as a swipe at Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. A Telegram post about the drowning of the unrighteous son of the biblical figure Noah prompted several officials to call for regime members to focus on publishing messages that project an image of social cohesion.
Even though 9 Dey was no longer in print, the court ordered Rasaei to publish a retraction and demanded that he apologize to the speaker. He refused and said the court’s ruling was “non-legal and political,” and that his sentencing was excessive, Fars News Agency reported.
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Ghalibf seen as negotiating with killers of their leader
Ghalibaf, interpreted by some as being more in favor of negotiations with Washington, drew criticism for the criminal complaint.
After the ruling, parliamentarian and cleric Seyyed Mahmoud Naboyan wrote on X/Twitter: “Negotiating and reaching an understanding with the killer of the martyr leader does not hold enough value for it to have been decided to confront the critics with memoranda of understanding under various pretexts.”
Iranian parliamentarian Mohammad-Manan Raeisi wrote on X: “Despite some differences of opinion with Mr. #Resaei, my honor and integrity do not allow me to remain silent regarding his imprisonment due to a complaint from the esteemed Speaker of parliament himself!”
He said he had contacted Ghalibaf’s office to recommend canceling the judgment, saying the imprisonment would lead officials to lose respect for the speaker.
Mohammad Manan Raeisi wrote: “With this kind of narrow-mindedness, we are witnessing the unveiling of a new curtain of reconciliation that apparently includes everyone under the sun except for some revolutionary representatives of the parliament!”