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

We welcome our dear brothers and sisters, the officials and servants of the sensitive and important Judiciary, as well as the esteemed families of the martyrs of the tragic incident of the Seventh of Tir, which resulted in the martyrdom of the first-rate figures of the country.

Let us say a few words regarding the incident of the Seventh of Tir and its precious martyrs, especially the distinguished personality of the late Ayatollah Beheshti (may God’s mercy be upon him). This incident was, on one hand, truly a document of the oppression of the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic, and on the other hand, a sign of the power and strength of this system.

The Islamic Republic is still a document of oppression; because those who today hold the banner of fighting terrorism, but are pursuing global expansion and the material and political objectives of their own, behave like friends and relatives with the terrorists who perpetrated the incident of the Seventh of Tir; they support them, collaborate with them, and conspire together; they show solidarity with each other, while they themselves have confessed and even take pride in having created such a horrific terrorist act in our country; this is the oppression of the Iranian nation.

The incident of the Seventh of Tir is also a sign of power and strength; because if someone knew martyr Beheshti and recognized the strength of thought, will, and initiative in this distinguished personality, they would understand well what it means to remove such a personality from the management structure of the country. Martyr Beheshti was truly like a grinding stone that, with its rotation, accomplished dozens of tasks; it produced energy, initiated work, advanced, and generated ideas. When someone like this, who was at that level and rank in management, execution, action, thought, jurisprudential and philosophical foundations, experience, worldview, and enlightenment, is removed from the heart of the nascent management system, the system should have been paralyzed; however, the system not only did not become paralyzed with the departure of Beheshti and the departure of other prominent figures who were martyred with him, before him, or after him, but each of these martyrdoms acted like fresh blood flowing into the living and vibrant body of this young system, invigorating it, energizing it, and motivating it more; this is the strength of the system, which remains the same until now.

For this reason, our people do not express condolences for the martyrdom of the martyrs like they do for other deceased; they congratulate each other. When Beheshti was martyred, people said: "Congratulations and condolences"; sorrow alongside victory; this clarifies the identity of this system and revolution.

Today, the incident of the Seventh of Tir is still alive; because both the perpetrators of the incident, who were among the most vile criminals, and their vileness was due to their disguising themselves as friends while committing the most wicked acts of the enemies, are alive; and Beheshti is alive; the founder and architect of the new judiciary of the country.

If martyr Beheshti were to start from scratch in a country that has no judicial system, his task would have been easier. Transforming a movement and a structure mixed with good and bad, right and wrong, with a misguided orientation, into a system that aims to have a correct orientation and to establish Islamic justice is a very, very difficult task. You are still engaged in this difficult task and must continue.

Regarding the Judiciary, as Mr. Shahroudi mentioned, at the end of the five-year term and the beginning of his new responsibilities, it is appropriate that, God willing, the officials of the Judiciary take a reformist view towards the Judiciary and make the most of each day of the next five years, so that the greatest effort and work possible is achieved during this five-year period - which is not a short time. What has been done is valuable in its own right; every step and every rung of this long ladder that has been climbed undoubtedly constitutes a necessary task; a required prerequisite; however, fulfilling the required prerequisite does not satisfy a person who has their eyes set on lofty goals. If we climb not fifty rungs, but ninety or even ninety-five rungs of this hundred-rung ladder, we still have not reached the rooftop; even though we have gotten closer to the goal.

You should look and see what is expected from the Judiciary, as these expectations are outlined in our Constitution. If you look at the general mindset of the people and the Islamic mindset, you will see that the expectation from the Judiciary is that justice becomes tangible in the lives of the people; they should feel justice and it should become widespread - just as I once mentioned to you - so that anyone who suffers a small or large injustice has a glimmer of hope in their heart that they can now refer to the Judiciary and claim their rights; this must become widespread; we have not yet reached this point. Of course, all that we have progressed and every step you have taken carries divine reward and the praise of those aware of this action, and certainly holds great value in the divine scale, even if no one understands it; there is no doubt about this; it reflects the values that exist within you, and all these steps are valuable steps that have been taken; however, as long as we have not reached this point - which is a point of aspiration and ideal - all these steps are prerequisites, and these prerequisites should not satisfy anyone; this is my main message and recommendation to all officials of the Judiciary.

The strength of the current situation is that the status of the Judiciary and its high management is hopeful and encouraging. At times, one looks at a collection and feels despair; but at other times, one observes capacities and personalities that revive hope in the heart of a person. The Judiciary is like this. Thanks be to God, one observes a distinguished, knowledgeable, scholarly, juristic, and enlightened manager at the helm, and outstanding judicial and scientific personalities from top to bottom; this is the capacity of the Judiciary. If this tree does not bear the desired fruit, because it is healthy, full of potential, robust, and has a healthy root and an upright trunk, one undoubtedly knows that fruit will grow from this tree. What is necessary is to pursue and follow up.

The axis in the Judiciary is the judge. All other organizations are merely preparatory for the judge; they all serve as support forces for the front line. The front line is the judge. What happens in the realm of judgment and in the courtroom shows us that: "the fruit indicates the tree"; meaning it shows what the situation is behind this front line and behind this front. Make the courtroom a realm of justice. Of course, there is no doubt that some will still be dissatisfied, but this is not the criterion; because even those who will be dissatisfied must know that it was said: "For indeed, in justice there is expansion, and for whoever is constricted by justice, injustice is even more constricting"; justice is an opening for all, even for the condemned. If someone who has been condemned by the measure and standard of justice finds this condemnation difficult, they should know that if this standard relies on oppression, it will be even harder for them; because they may succeed in a court of injustice, but in a hundred other stages of life, the danger of injustice will catch up with them. Justice must be executed and must not be influenced by anything; wealth, power, bureaucracy, and administration must not interfere. If our bureaucracy and organization disrupt justice, it is harmful. Bureaucracy must be organized and arranged in a way that supports justice; because justice is the criterion and principle; the execution of justice and the establishment of rights and the annulment of falsehood.

The Islamic system is not opposed to the people; the confrontation between government and people pertains to the literature of authoritarian and dictatorial systems. Alongside authoritarian and dictatorial systems, there are systems that, even if their appearance is democratic and popular, their essence relies on wealth, money, and the interests of specific classes. These systems are also opposed to the people; whether they admit it or not; however, in the Islamic system, the government is the agent of the people; it is the hand of the people; it is the representative, servant, and worker of the people; the owners of rights are the people. In such an organization, the Judiciary is a powerful arm that must seize the offender whenever there is a deviation or violation from this state and not let go; this is the great duty of the Judiciary; it should not be afraid of slander, attack, accusation, and defamation, nor should it be influenced by threats, displays of power, and the pursuit of power and wealth; it must focus on these issues; the Judiciary must think of the judge.

One of the preparatory organizations is the talent identification and nurturing organization; that is, the cadre-building in the judicial system and the establishment of scientific and educational organizations of the Judiciary that must work very hard and diligently. Another part is the evaluation and oversight organizations. The third part pertains to management organizations, and the fourth part includes organizations that monitor the rulings to ensure they are not contrary; whether those that are before the ruling or those that are after the ruling. The fifth part relates to the condemned, to ensure that justice is executed regarding them. Of course, all these parts are embedded and exist within the judicial system; justice must be viewed with this perspective.

Regarding the condemned, we should not think that justice concerning someone who has been sentenced to prison is merely to throw them into prison and release them on time. This is only part of justice. Another part is that prison should not be a place that corrupts them or makes them more corrupt or destroys their personality or impoverishes their family. This trend that currently exists in the Judiciary for prison reduction is a very positive and good point. Of course, undoubtedly, the work must be done with order, arrangement, discipline, correct thinking, and planning, but the correct direction is this direction, and we should not create a corner that itself leads to the destruction of authenticity, dignity, and values.

Of course, saying these words is easy; acting on them is very difficult; just as it was said: "Truth is the widest of things in description and the narrowest in distribution"; truth is a very good thing in verbal description; it is a very open and expansive thing that can be talked about; but when it comes to acting on it, that is where the work becomes difficult. This difficulty does not mean impossibility, but rather requires effort, determination, persistence, and the use of knowledge, wisdom, and cooperation.

We hope that God Almighty rewards all of you; may He assist you. The work you are doing is among the most important and valuable tasks, and everyone who serves in this path should be grateful to God Almighty for granting them this great success. God willing, may all of you be included in the pure prayers of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him), and may our dear martyrs and the martyrs of the Judiciary and the martyrs of the Seventh of Tir receive God's mercy, blessings, and grace.

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