Two senior Iranian Supreme Court judges were shot dead in Tehran in what authorities have described as a “planned assassination.” The assailant, who had no pending legal cases according to state media, took his own life after the attack.
The judiciary’s media office stated that the attacker carried out the killings inside a court building and attempted to escape before committing suicide. Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir confirmed that a guard was injured during the incident, according to reports from the Mizan News Agency.
The victims, Judge Mohammad Moghiseh and Judge Ali Razini, were long-serving justices known for their roles in high-profile cases involving political activists, artists, and protesters.
Judge Moghiseh had faced international sanctions for his judicial actions. The United States sanctioned him in 2019, accusing him of overseeing trials marked by unsubstantiated charges and the dismissal of evidence. The European Union had imposed sanctions on him earlier in 2011.
Moghiseh was known for issuing harsh sentences, including sentencing eight Iranian Facebook users to a combined 127 years in prison for alleged anti-regime activities and religious insults. He also convicted filmmakers, poets, and activists on charges of “propaganda against the state.” In 2019, he sentenced prominent human rights lawyer and women’s rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh to 33 years in prison and 148 lashes, according to Amnesty International.
Judge Razini had previously survived a 1999 assassination attempt when a bomb was attached to his vehicle. He was also accused of being part of the infamous “Death Commission,” a committee that oversaw the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988.
The incident highlights growing tensions and raises questions about security within Iran’s judiciary.
