Ahmadinejad Criticized by Iran’s Judiciary Chief

Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani has criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over his choice of words, saying the chief executive’s remarks “counter reality,” reports Iran’s PRESS TV. 

“The President’s language should be decent, sound and fair,” said Larijani in reaction to President Ahmadinejad’s speech among journalists on Saturday marking Journalist Day, ILNA reported on Sunday. 

The Iranian judiciary chief blamed President Ahmadinejad for what he called “unfair statements” about the judiciary’s role in restricting the “freedom” of journalists or convicting them on press charges. 

“On Journalist Day, some unfair statements were made against the judiciary and unfortunately President Ahmadinejad also contributed to these unfair allegations,” Iran’s judiciary chief noted. 

“Sometimes journalists are indicted by the judiciary for what they write or quote,” Larijani quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. 

He stressed that the judiciary may expect a journalist to create false stories, but does not expect the country’s president to make untrue remarks. 

“Of course, the journalist’s [question] tone and the President’s response [during the meeting] indicate that it was a prearranged issue, resulted from the provocation of instigators and temptation of chaos seekers,” the judiciary chief continued. 

“But what matters here is the president’s language and the accusations he made against the judiciary.”