Statements in Meeting with the President and Officials of the Judiciary

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

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters! Both the esteemed officials of the Judiciary and the brothers and sisters of the dear and proud martyrs of the Seventh of Tir. I would like to say a word regarding that great and impactful martyrdom, and another word about the Judiciary.

The natural characteristic of martyrdom is to create blessings, continuity, and openings in the movement towards perfection and excellence. The Almighty God introduces the martyr as alive in the Quran, and in Islamic and common terminology, a martyr is one who is killed in the way of God - a martyr means a witness, an observer, and a present one - this means that the blood of the martyr will not be wasted; the personality of the martyr, which embodies his ideals and aspirations, will not vanish from among the people; this is the essence of martyrdom. Those who have understood and acknowledged this truth deeply do not consider being killed in the way of God as a loss at all; rather, it is an honor, a great fortune; they desire it, they ask God for it; they present it as a significant need in their supplications and prayers to God.

In my opinion, among the greatest of those on this path were the martyrs of the Seventh of Tir. Many of them we knew closely; either during the struggles or in the events following the victory of the revolution, we had tested, seen, and recognized them; they truly had their lives in their hands and were ready for martyrdom. If they were informed that they would be martyred on this path, they would not only not be intimidated or frightened, but they would be pleased; it was a glad tidings for them. At the forefront of all of them was our dear and esteemed martyr, Ayatollah Beheshti; a believing, sincere, honest, and serious person in his work; what he said, he believed; and what he believed, he adhered to in practice. He also recognized the danger; he knew that the battlefield was a minefield. At any moment, there was a fear of losing his life; yet, at the same time, he boldly advanced towards this goal without fear. One of the characteristics of this dear martyr was this. He was logical, committed to principles and foundations; he was considered a true principled person. He did not compromise on principles with anyone. We saw that some tried to attract him with tricks and conventional methods, to lower his positions or force him to compromise; however, he stood firm on his positions. Historical and influential personalities are shaped this way; they emerge and remain in society this way; "Indeed, those who said, 'Our Lord is Allah,' then remained steadfast...". Saying is easy; acting is difficult; and continuing to act is much more difficult. Some only say; some show this saying in action, but they cannot withstand the events of the world, the storms, the mockeries, the taunts, and the unfair enmities, thus they stop; some do not even stop at that, they retreat; you see it.

The one who speaks from a pure and firm belief; and stands by his words with a faithful and courageous decision; and continues this movement with the patience that God the Almighty has mentioned in the Quran: "And Allah loves the patient" - this becomes a source of God's love; this becomes a personality whose name leaves an impact, whose path becomes a guide for the followers, and whose face remains. May God's mercy be upon martyr Beheshti; may God's mercy be upon those who were martyred with him; may God's mercy be upon the martyrs of the path of Islam.

The immediate and profound effect of this martyrdom was that the Islamic system simultaneously gained more sincerity, its legitimacy was established, and its reality found stability in society. This was the essence of this martyrdom. Masks fell from faces, the solid logic of the Islamic Republic and the logic of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) were solidified, and the nascent Islamic Republic system gained strength that day; it was able to move forward. In those difficult conditions, while the enemy - the military enemy, the aggressor - had spread itself over a significant part of the sensitive territory of the Islamic Republic - see what difficult conditions those were, and what seemingly shocking event it was - but this martyrdom had a constructive and tremendous impact on the revolution.

My dear ones! As long as in our vocabulary, in our culture, in our logic, martyrdom holds this level of significance, know that no power - whether the current arrogant powers or even stronger than them - will be able to overcome the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation.

Now, regarding the Judiciary. Truly, the Judiciary is an extraordinarily sensitive part of the country's system. This is the case everywhere in the world; the role of the judiciary is a decisive and vital role; but in the Islamic Republic system, where the foundation and legitimacy of the system is based on justice and fairness - this is the fundamental basis of our system - the judiciary gains additional sensitivity.

Well, regarding the issues of the judiciary, we have presented many points in these annual meetings, and the esteemed heads of the Judiciary have also expressed their views. Yesterday, in a good gathering at the Judiciary - I briefly observed some of it on television - the esteemed heads of the three branches presented good and correct points. Of course, beautiful words are one issue, the possibility of their realization, then their realization, and then their continuity is another issue that requires effort and endeavor.

Thanks be to God, today the Judiciary is in good condition. The esteemed head of the Judiciary is a knowledgeable, scholarly, capable, and youthful person; and in this short time since this responsibility was entrusted to him, one can observe that many of the requests and tasks that the law expects from the Judiciary have either been fulfilled or are close to being fulfilled; all of these are hopeful.

As mentioned, the group of senior officials of the Judiciary is a clean, healthy, reputable, experienced, and sincere group; this is something that gives hope. At the level of the Judiciary, thanks be to God, there are many capable, insightful, courageous, and just judges; these are all realities that exist. Over time, blind spots have been identified, necessary actions have been recognized, good planning has been carried out, or the need for them has been felt; all of these are hopeful. However, the existence of hope and optimism must lead to a wide and serious movement so that this hope bears fruit; the Judiciary must show its true self. We have repeatedly stated: the Judiciary must reach a state where, anywhere in the country, anyone who feels oppressed should be able to assure themselves that they will go to the Judiciary, reclaim their rights, and alleviate their oppression. This hope must arise in the hearts of all individuals in this country.

Of course, this hope does not come easily; it must be accompanied by enough just and fair responses to the requests so that gradually this hope arises in the hearts of the people. Of course, we do not want to compare today's Judiciary with the Judiciary before the revolution and during the tyranny; those who have seen those days know; back then, there was no hope for anyone, especially in the Judiciary; it was not the case that anyone would feel that they would go to this door and return happy; no, within the Judiciary, the unjust actions, stemming from negligence and lack of piety, were so prevalent that no one had any hope in the Judiciary, except through connections, money, and power; therefore, we do not want to compare our Judiciary with that and feel content that, thanks be to God, we have capable judges today, we have just judges, good work is being done; we want to compare the Judiciary with the state that is worthy of the Islamic Republic system. This requires necessary effort. One of these efforts is to attract committed, knowledgeable, and fair elements to the Judiciary. Of course, good human resources within the Judiciary need oversight from a higher position and management over their functions. Good people are susceptible to slipping and deviation. It is not the case that good people will always remain good; no, tests are for everyone; one must be vigilant about the possibility of slips in all circumstances. This is a process; the process of human resources; which is indeed important.

What is equally important as the issue of human resources is the structure of the Judiciary. There must always be a pursuit of renewing structures and updating the overall status of the Judiciary. We do not say that we should take stability from the organization of the Judiciary; no, stability and establishment, while critically examining the wrong bureaucratic methods, which are sometimes a legacy of the past and sometimes imitation of European countries, even from their obsolete methods. This is an important point; attention must be paid to this. Sometimes the structures are such that they complicate the litigation process, make the results unreliable, and drown good people within them. This is also an issue, which is a process; attention must always be paid.

One of the things that is necessary within the Judiciary is the absence of interference from personal biases and political maneuvering within the Judiciary. One of the great dangers is that political maneuvering affects the proper course of judgment, and on the minds of judges, and on the minds of investigators, and the entire cycle of case processing. Well, political maneuvering occurs, newspapers write, foreign radios speak, the enemy speaks, various factions talk; these must not have an effect. One of the most difficult tasks of the Judiciary is not to be influenced by political maneuvering; this is the same "Be just; that is nearer to piety" that has been recited. The verse states: "And let not the hatred of a people cause you to deviate from justice"; meaning that feelings should not overpower you; enmities - now the noble verse has mentioned enmity, friendship is the same - should not influence your judgment and your ruling and divert you from the path of justice; "Be just; that is nearer to piety". Piety means vigilance; vigilance over oneself, vigilance over the path, vigilance against falling into problems. It is stated: this is how you will find liberation from problems; this is how you can navigate through this strange thicket and proceed without harm; "Be just; that is nearer to piety".

One example of this is that the political atmosphere created by various hands should not affect the Judiciary. Of course, this is not an easy task; it is easy to say, but very difficult to implement; one must honestly acknowledge this. If this happens, then the people will feel convinced in front of the Judiciary and the actions and decisions of the Judiciary; even if they may not be satisfied with the ruling in their hearts, they will be convinced. If we want to make an imperfect analogy, it is like the judgments in sports fields. When the referee says this is correct and this is incorrect, everyone submits to it. Some may act unethically, but that is considered unethical; everyone has accepted it. Of course, that refereeing is vastly different from this refereeing; however, such a state must be created, and the people must feel that this judgment and this ruling is derived and inferred from the essence of truth; personal biases and political and non-political currents and feelings should not interfere. If the people feel this, the result of the ruling may not be satisfying for them, but they will ultimately be convinced; they will say very well. This state of being convinced, this mental acceptance in society, is very good and is a great opportunity for the Judiciary.

Of course, it must also be the case that all the institutions of the country support the Judiciary so that the Judiciary can operate in this field without bias; just as in these symbolic images that have been created for the Judiciary - where they have closed its eyes symbolically - of course, this closing of the eyes does not mean turning a blind eye to reality; it means that friends and enemies, claimants and defendants are disregarded from its perspective; their personal characteristics are not taken into account. This must be preserved; of course, it is a very difficult task. If this happens, it will be one of the greatest means for the advancement of society; one of the best opportunities for the Islamic Republic system; it will advance us; it will truly help the country move towards its goals; this is a great task.

Of course, attention to God the Almighty, seeking help from the Lord of the Universe, remembering the divine rewards and rewards for the sincere, trusting in God the Almighty, and not harboring suspicion against God the Almighty will help all those involved to be able to, God willing, carry out this great task.

The days coincide with the blessed month of Rajab; the month of prayer, the month of seeking help, the month of supplication, the month of preparing hearts, God willing, for entering the month of Ramadan. The recommendation of these prayers in this month, these recommended actions, this recommended seeking forgiveness is not without reason. Prayer is always good; any prayer can always be recited; but this prayer has been recommended for the days of the month of Rajab, or for specific days of the month of Rajab; it is evident that there is a particularity in this month, a particularity in these days; these particularities must be utilized. God willing, one should seek help from God the Almighty, be humble, ask for assistance, rely on Him; God the Almighty will, God willing, help.

We hope that the pure souls of the martyrs and the blessed spirit of the Imam are pleased with all of you, and that the pure prayers of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him) will, God willing, encompass all of you dear brothers and sisters and esteemed officials.

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