Judgment Day

An armed assailant over the weekend killed two senior Iranian judges at Iran’s supreme court in Tehran who handled espionage, terrorism, and political cases, with authorities calling the incident a “planned assassination,” Al Jazeera reported.

On Saturday, judges Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh were fatally shot by an unknown attacker who later took his own life, according to Iranian judicial officials. A bodyguard was also injured during the attack, which prompted the evacuation of the building.

Razini and Moghiseh held high-ranking judicial roles and were known in Iran as the “judges of death” because of their harsh verdicts against political prisoners, protesters, and regime opponents.

While the motive for the assassination was still unclear, judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir told state television that “In the past year, the judiciary has undertaken extensive efforts to identify spies and terrorist groups, a move that has sparked anger and resentment among the enemies.”

State TV said these cases were related to individuals linked to Israel and the Iranian opposition supported by the United States, Reuters reported.

Razini, 71, was involved in trials related to the 1988 mass executions of political prisoners, according to the Telegraph. He survived a car bombing attempt in 1999 when he was serving as the head of Iran’s judiciary.

Meanwhile, Moghiseh, 68, was under Western sanctions for human rights abuses, including prosecuting protesters following the 2009 presidential elections. He had also served as the head of a court that handled dress code violations.

“He is notorious for sentencing scores of journalists and internet users to lengthy prison terms,” said the US Treasury Department about Moghiseh. “In one case alone, he sentenced eight Iranian Facebook users to a cumulative total of 127 years in prison for charges including anti-regime publicity and insults to religion.”

Investigators said the attacker had no known cases before the Supreme Court nor was a visitor to its branches.