Official Islamic Republic media have reported the reappointment of Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje’i as head of the judiciary, through a decree attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei. The decree’s release comes as Mojtaba Khamenei has yet to make a single public appearance, even at his own father’s funeral, with no explanation offered so far for his absence.
Mohseni Eje’i, who has headed the judiciary since July 2021, ranks among the Islamic Republic’s most notorious human rights violators. Human rights bodies have identified him as a serious abuser for his role in suppressing freedom of expression, cracking down on protesters, civil activists, and journalists, carrying out death sentences in political and security-related cases, and pressuring women along with ethnic, national, and religious minorities.
Because of this record, he has been under US sanctions since 2010 and EU sanctions since 2011.