Statements of His Eminence in Meeting with Officials of the Judiciary, Families of the Martyrs of the Seventh of Tir, and Some Judges

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

I extend my greetings to all dear brothers and sisters - both the esteemed officials of the Judiciary and the respected families of the dear martyrs of the bloody incident of the Seventh of Tir in the year sixty.

It is a significant event that the week of the Judiciary coincides with the week of martyrdom, and the name of the Judiciary is intertwined with that of a great and unforgettable martyr. The difficulty of the Judiciary's work and the magnitude of the responsibility that this institution has taken on can be inferred from this. Anyone who has followed the issues of our country from the beginning understands that one of the points that has incited the enemies of Islam and this system to oppose it has been the issue of the Judiciary and Islamic justice.

At the head of the country's judiciary was a knowledgeable, enlightened, aware, managerial, prudent personality who deeply believed in the laws and justice of Islam. This was something that organized many of the oppositions against Martyr Beheshti and the Judiciary at that time. Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) said that Martyr Beheshti was oppressed. We also remember how oppressed he was; but who imposed this oppression on him? Among those who must answer for the oppression of this dear martyr are those who were unwilling to tolerate Islamic justice in the Islamic society of Iran. They wished for the country's judiciary to continue with incomplete, inadequate, completely outdated, and obsolete Western models; and that too with the same corruptions that had infiltrated the judiciary before the revolution to such an extent that it was rare to find something similar elsewhere. The establishment of Islamic justice by a capable, courageous, and determined architect, based precisely on Islamic foundations, was intolerable for them. They wanted to drive the officials of Islamic justice out of the field with hooting, uproar, and accusations. Those who remember those times know the details.

The martyrs of the Seventh of Tir are martyrs of the governance of Islamic values and the foundation of the Islamic Republic. It was not the case that the murderers, terrorists, and cowardly attackers of the dear martyrs of the Seventh of Tir were opposed to a person, faction, or group; they were opposed to the very essence of the Islamic system and the independence of Iran. Names do not matter; the truths must be considered. The truth of the opposition to personalities like Martyr Beheshti and other great figures who were martyred on the Seventh of Tir can be summarized in this sentence: opposition to the governance of Islam and the laws and values of Islam. Therefore, these dear ones hold a prominent place in our history; both Martyr Beheshti and other dear martyrs who fell in that bloody incident.

A fundamental pillar of our country's system is the Judiciary. The mechanisms that have been foreseen for this institution in the Constitution are, in various respects, very solid and reassuring. The duties assigned to the Judiciary, the type of responsibilities placed on this institution, and the conditions specified for various officials in this institution in the Constitution and other Islamic laws and foundations guarantee that the judiciary can fulfill its duties. What is the fundamental duty of the judiciary? It is the courageous and powerful defense of justice. The spirit of the work is this. The implementation of laws is the duty of all; however, deviation from the laws is a crime that the judiciary addresses. The collection of laws in the Islamic Republic must culminate in one peak, which is justice; "With justice, the heavens and the earth stand firm";

Justice plays a fundamental role in the foundation of the universe and creation; that is, the tradition of creation is justice, and any social system that moves in accordance with this natural tradition and divine law of creation will be enduring, successful, and prosperous. A person is successful when they align themselves with the laws of creation and the divine traditions - which are unchangeable. Therefore, according to the divine perspective, justice has a foundational and natural root in the entirety of creation. What authority should guarantee this justice? The Judiciary. What institutions should implement it? All institutions. At the same time, if institutions deviate in the implementation of justice, what precise scale can detect this deviation without bias and then what powerful hand can bring the offender to justice? The Judiciary. Therefore, if the Judiciary is absent, or lacks power, or lacks courage, or lacks the ability to work, or God forbid suffers from internal weaknesses, there is absolutely no guarantee of justice in society. The importance of the Judiciary arises from this. Thus, the courageous and powerful defense of justice in society is the duty of the Judiciary.

Of course, this justice has a broad scope: sometimes it is in a private dispute; the argument is over a certain amount of money, a few meters of land, the occurrence of a crime, assault and battery, and similar matters. Sometimes it is in a more important issue; that is when it relates to the fate, rights, and life path of the people. Sometimes it is a large financial matter; some individuals reach out greedily towards the property belonging to the people and the poor; suppose thousands of people or thousands of families in a village or city need to be provided with roads, factories, living facilities, jobs, and farms; then a greedy and aggressive person comes and takes the very money that should be spent on all this work and pours it into their personal desires. This crime is much greater than that of someone, for example, slapping another person; of course, that is also a crime and should not be overlooked; Islam does not even disregard "the compensation for a scratch" - if you leave a mark on someone else's skin with your nail, if the other party claims, Islam does not overlook this either - but crimes have a broad spectrum from earth to sky. Some crimes are at the peak of criminality; thus, their importance is greater. When you want to confront someone who brazenly and ruthlessly fills their pockets with public funds and properties, this requires courage, authority, and judicial dignity among the people. Do those who repeatedly attack the judiciary with trivial excuses think about these matters?! Undermining the dignity of the judiciary is one of the most harmful blows to the life system of the people, and it can be said to be a crime. It does not matter; sometimes this undermining may occur from within the Judiciary; sometimes it may also occur from outside the Judiciary. Therefore, defending justice has such heavy implications.

Sometimes the matter is even more serious. Today, the Islamic Republic - which is independent and has self-confidence - stands against the greed of global arrogance. Today, to disregard the rights of the Palestinian nation, the United States and its allies and the world's Zionists and the wealthiest people in the world expend all their media and political power to completely suffocate several million Palestinians and eliminate them from the global and humanitarian equations. Wherever they have reached, they have exerted influence and have aligned governments with them; however, when they reach Iran, their sword strikes a rock and they see that it is of no use. Therefore, they oppose the Islamic Republic and want to remove this obstacle from their path. If the arrogant system, with its evil and malicious motives and relying on money and political connections and its media coverage, manages to establish a base within the country and uses deceived and submissive individuals against their own country's interests, and these individuals act in accordance with the enemy's wishes, this crime is far greater than that financial crime. Who will stand against this injustice towards the Iranian nation? This requires courage, authority, and the necessary motivation. Dear ones! You have taken on a great task. Every effort to elevate the Judiciary is a step towards the exaltation of the word of Islam and a jihad in the path of God.

Of course, every judgment naturally has a group of opponents and dissatisfied individuals. The dissatisfied individuals from a judgment fall into two categories: some individuals observe the etiquette and principles of social life; that is, if they are dissatisfied with the ruling, they do not confront the judge; but some individuals do not observe this; they are dissatisfied with the judgment, but confront the judge courageously - who should be respected - because of the ruling they have signed! They are dissatisfied with the judgment, but defend the convicted criminal! Defending a criminal is a crime; defending a convicted criminal according to the law is a fight against the law. Some individuals need to understand this. We have repeatedly said and will repeat that a judge must be independent and not be influenced by anyone. Judgments should be made with conscience, knowledge, and legal evidence. Who is the one imposing directives? The ordinary, simple, old-fashioned form of this is that someone says, "Sir, rule this way; otherwise, such and such will happen!" This method is not very common. There are other ways to pressure a judge: with newspaper headlines, political pressure, and various forms of propaganda. On one hand, the judge must not be influenced by these propagandas - the judiciary; whether senior managers or honorable judges, they must not be influenced by the illogical actions of those who want to organize and advance their own agendas through propaganda against the Judiciary - on the other hand, those individuals must know that they are doing something wrong. Of course, wrongdoing on the part of the country's officials can be overlooked; but not when it becomes a norm.

All courageous judges and all sections of the judiciary, on the day they fulfill their duties and consider God present and observing and judge with open eyes, should take pride in themselves; because "Those are upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy". In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 157.

Difficult conditions, patience in a great and revolutionary act, encompass divine blessings and mercy. Therefore, they should take pride in themselves. They must know that their work is under the supervision of the honorable recorders. The best recorders of the details of our actions are divine agents. With this spirit, they should pursue their work and actions.

Of course, all institutions have a duty to assist the Judiciary; the Parliament and the government have a duty to assist. Financial and monetary problems and programmatic issues like these - which Mr. Hashemi pointed out - are significant problems. Certainly, all institutions must assist; I will undoubtedly recommend this.

The Judiciary has heavy responsibilities on its shoulders. I have repeatedly thanked God Almighty for the blessing of having a knowledgeable, scholarly, jurist, enlightened, and courageous leader at the head of this institution. Many times, when I look at some of the issues raised and the programs pursued, I remember the same period of the late Martyr Beheshti. The Judiciary truly needs this level of scientific and intellectual capital, moral integrity, courage, and enlightenment. Efforts must be made to utilize all these resources in the elevation of the Judiciary.

If we claim that today our Judiciary is at the level of sufficiency, we have not made a correct claim. The Judiciary must continuously reform itself, address problems, clear pathways, educate elements, and reduce deviations. I have repeatedly said in the past that the day we can breathe a sigh of relief regarding the Judiciary is when a situation arises in society where anyone who suffers a small or large injustice - of any kind - has a light of hope in their heart that they will go to the Judiciary and seek redress and will receive their rights without any hesitation, delay, or slowness in the process. You must strive for the Judiciary to reach this point. This can only be achieved through your actions; merely telling the people and making promises and saying "people should be hopeful" and similar statements will not suffice. This experience must be repeated among the people until everyone comes to this belief. Whenever we reach this point, we can proudly say that the Islamic judicial system in our country has been completed. Fortunately, there is noticeable movement in this direction. We hope that God Almighty will assist you so that you can accelerate this movement day by day and, God willing, proceed with organized and systematic planning.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.