‘Only justice can calm societies in revolt’

A senior Iranian cleric says the popular revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East will not be derailed by their regimes resorting to violence.
“Regional dictators should know than the awakening of Muslim communities will not be silenced through repression rather it is justice that will calm society,” Mehr News Agency quoted Ayatollah Mohammad Emami-Kashani as saying on Friday.

“If there is not justice, these crackdowns and the moves that exist in Bahrain, Yemen and … will add nothing but further harm to the dictators and further stain their records,” the cleric said.

“Considering the slogans being chanted in these countries in the name of Islam, God will aid their people and will help them move forward and the result of these movements will be victory,” he added.

Ayatollah Emami-Kashani also honored the killing of Iran’s former Judiciary chief Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Beheshti along with 72 others in a terrorist attack in 1981.

He called attention to the important position of the judiciary in Iran’s Islamic establishment and asked judicial officials to exercise moderation.

“Gentlemen who are charged with judging or [have] other [similar] responsibilities should beware of losing their sense of moderation and justice in judging, sentencing, [passing their] opinion, their writing or articles due to enmity or disagreement with someone,” he urged.

“A judge is not allowed to slap or off defendants even if their guilt has been proven.”