Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Officials of the Judiciary and Families of the Martyrs of the Seventh of Tir

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

First of all, I extend my greetings to all dear brothers and sisters, both the esteemed officials of the respected Judiciary and the honorable families of the dear martyrs of the tragic incident of the Seventh of Tir. I find it necessary, first and foremost, to express my sincerity and devotion to the pure souls of those esteemed martyrs, especially our oppressed martyr, the distinguished and rare personality, the late martyr Beheshti (may God’s peace be upon him).

It is good for everyone to remember that this country, this revolution, and this history are saved by these struggles and these bloods. Let us know that this revolution, this nation, and this country, especially the activists of this great movement, have had and still have ferocious and ruthless enemies lurking. Those who took martyr Beheshti from this nation are still in the world. Those who assisted them still do. Let us not allow some naivety or occasionally misguided thoughts to lead us to believe that enmities and enemies have come to an end; this will create a great danger. For anyone facing the enemy, there is no greater danger than forgetting the enemy.

In any case, they have received their reward. Truly, ordinary death in bed was insufficient for those like our oppressed martyr - the late martyr Beheshti - with all his efforts, diligence, and honor; he had to be martyred. Martyrdom is a great reward that God bestowed upon him and his companions. We hope that they remain in divine bliss and that their ranks continue to rise day by day, and that we too may join them on this path and toward this goal.

Regarding the Judiciary, after expressing my devotion and sincerity to you dear ones who work hard in this branch, as well as to all those throughout the country who strive within the Judiciary, and expressing my gratitude for your efforts and appreciation for what you have done or strive to do; I also wish to express my devotion to all of you, especially the esteemed head of this great branch and the distinguished personalities and honorable, virtuous, and courageous judges who are present, I want to present two points together:

One point is that the Judiciary is one of the pillars of the country. Weakening this branch is not permissible; strengthening this branch is also in various ways. Some of it pertains to those who are within this great and efficient Judiciary, and some pertains to others. It is clear that a judge - even a just judge - always makes one side dissatisfied. Usually, disputants do not leave the judge satisfied; except rarely. This dissatisfaction, or what relates to not knowing what is happening within this branch, should not lead some to feel entitled to weaken a branch that guarantees security and justice and the enforcement of law and comfort in the country, and is, in fact, the backbone of national order and discipline.

You who are working within this branch, know that your work is very important and fundamental. If all the institutions of the country are busy with their own work, but God forbid, the Judiciary is idle and ineffective, matters will gradually head towards ruin. If the other institutions are not very efficient, but the Judiciary is efficient, this efficiency will affect all the institutions and will gradually reform them. When you understand your position and the positive impact of working diligently, sincerity, honesty, purity, precision, and intelligence in understanding matters is so important, perform your work for God and for the blessings that God Almighty has placed in your work with this firmness. Do not pay attention to the fact that someone has protested, someone has spoken, someone has insulted. Of course, they should not do so. It is bad and contrary to the interest that sometimes political groups or the press or others do not feel a responsibility to maintain the respect of this branch that the people must trust. One of the ways to make people distrustful is the very rumors and statements made irresponsibly.

Thus, the first point is that everyone should know that the Judiciary is efficient and important and, thanks be to God, is endowed with distinguished personalities. Today, the head of the Judiciary is indeed one of the most trustworthy and zealous scholars of this country. This is very significant for a branch. Thanks be to God, in this branch, there are prominent spiritual personalities, high-ranking trustworthy judges, virtuous, and pious.

I give this testimony based on knowledge. I know many of the personalities of this branch and these judges. Quietly and without any greed, they work in corners with purity and piety for the sake of truth. It is very important to have such a collection in the country; and we, thanks be to God, have this collection. Everyone should know this and everyone should approach this matter with responsibility; not irresponsibly and subject to political excitement and political motivations and political statements, etc.

The second point that must be considered alongside this point is that our Judiciary is not complete. It has weaknesses; we cannot deny these weaknesses. I, thanks be to God, have the grace from God that I am frequently approached through various means. Letters and complaints reach us or at least come to our attention. What we have sought for this country and for this nation is that the people feel at ease alongside the Judiciary. This has not yet been achieved; it must be achieved.

I once addressed your esteemed collection: In the Islamic system, it should be such that if someone is oppressed, if someone has violated another's right and that right has been violated and cannot defend themselves against it, if someone hit someone, if someone insulted someone, the individual who has been oppressed should have a spark of hope in their heart; they should say, now I will go to the Judiciary. This is what you must ensure in this country; this must happen. Judicial justice, alongside various branches of social justice, is what guarantees this.

Of course, with the statements made (84) - regarding the fact that very valuable actions have been taken - God willing, more effort must be made. Both the government must strive and you dear ones must strive. Make it so that people are assured in their grievances that ultimately they will turn to the Judiciary. This state of trust must be established.

I will add one sentence: In the course of the statements we made to you last year, this issue of windfall wealth and the formation of a new class and the discussion of economic justice was raised. The audience of this matter is not just you; all the institutions of the country are. The government, especially the economic sectors of the government, the legislative branch, and high-ranking officials from all various institutions are all the audience. Of course, last year when I made this statement, various people and groups expressed their opinions, sent messages, and created hopes in hearts. Of course, unfair statements were also made. Statements were made that were truly not correct and fair; but my dear ones! It requires follow-up.

Justice and fairness are the most important values in society: "By justice, the heavens and the earth stand (85)"; the sky and the earth depend on justice; the social system also depends on justice. If there is no justice, there is nothing in society. In a free society - even free in the American style - if there is no justice - which is not there, and that freedom will also benefit one class and be against another class - a few white people will pick up a disabled black person from their wheelchair, tie them to their car, take them to the desert, and drag them on the ground! After all, it is freedom! If there is no justice, security is also at the service of the affluent and the exploitative. If there is no justice, all goodness goes to one side.

Last year, I told you dear ones that we went through eight years of a construction period that was one of our best and most productive periods. A lot of effort has been made, a lot of hard work has been done; but the nature of the reconstruction period is that money is abundant in society. The more cunning, careless, lawless, and godless individuals, those whose hearts do not beat for the likes of the martyrs of the Seventh of Tir, exploit in such conditions. Those who bear the burden are left without a hat; that is, the majority of the country, that is, the oppressed class, that is, the barefoot, that is, those who bear the burden of inflation and are pressured by rising prices; that is, the class of employees, the working class, the weak tradespeople, the virtuous judges, a judge who is nearing retirement must carry several kilos of files under their arm, take them home, and sit in a hot room during the summer, reviewing for hours. So that they may have an income in return! The pressures are on them; they fall behind. This is contrary to justice. We have not come for this. The philosophy of my existence and that of others like me here - that I am a cleric - is that we can implement justice and nothing else. The prayer you make for the arrival of your Imam of Time - who is the most honored of all creatures before God and among His righteous servants - is that we say: "God fills the earth with justice and fairness (86)"; you do not say religion and creation. Humanity is thirsty for justice and seeks justice.

My dear ones! Western countries, in order to relieve themselves from the issue of justice, give other slogans. Justice is not a concept that something can replace it. Justice is necessary in society. Justice is necessary in all social matters, including economic matters. We do not say that everyone should have the same income; but opportunities to benefit from public resources should be made available to all and there should be no exploitation.

Some said that you who speak about justice will undermine economic security; it is the opposite. If there is justice, economic security is greater. Thieves and plunderers benefit from injustice. A person who wants to invest and earn profit according to the law likes justice; justice is his support and backing. Follow these matters and identify the factors. The government must also assist you.

The pride of the Judiciary is to be able to ensure justice in society. Prevent crimes. These require effort. A lot of effort has been made; I know. We, thanks be to God, are successful in having regular meetings with Mr. Yazdi. Good reports are given to me that are very good; but I tell everyone, to the body, to the collection, to the various personalities of the Judiciary that effort is necessary, research is required, follow-up is needed, so that you can, God willing, find methods to accomplish this work. It must happen. Until it happens, we will not reach the results and goals of this revolution. Justice must be ensured in society. God willing, God Almighty will also have mercy on these efforts, divine mercy will encompass society, divine limits will be enforced, standards and fairness will be executed, and God Almighty will, God willing, assist.

We hope to be among the recipients of abundant divine grace and blessings and among the recipients of the grace of the Awaited Savior, may our souls be sacrificed for him. God willing, may God assist and grant success to all of you, and may all the revolution's well-wishers be able to accomplish these great tasks.

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