Sat Jan 18 09:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Top Iranian Judges Assassinated in Tehran
**Tehran, Iran** – Two high-ranking Iranian judges, Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini, were assassinated in a shooting at their office, Iranian news agencies reported. The incident, which occurred near the Supreme Court building, also left a Supreme Court advisor injured after diving under a table during the attack. A guard and another judge, identified as Judge Miri, were also wounded.
According to reports, the assailant, identified by Tasnim news agency as a Tehran judiciary service worker with no known connection to the court or the victims, subsequently committed suicide. While initial reports suggested the attack happened in front of the Supreme Court building, IRNA later stated it occurred at the judges’ office.
Ali Razini, a veteran judicial official with a long and controversial career dating back to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, held numerous powerful positions, including head of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran and prosecutor of Tehran. He was notably involved in the trial and sentencing of Mehdi Hashemi, a relative of Ayatollah Montazeri. He also survived a previous assassination attempt in 1998.
Mohammad Moghiseh, also a prominent figure in Iran’s judiciary, presided over the trials of numerous political and security prisoners. He was known for his harsh sentencing, including numerous death penalty verdicts. His role in the 1988 executions of political prisoners in Gohardasht prison has been alleged by survivors, with claims that he operated the prison under the alias “Nasseriyan.” Moghiseh’s cases included those of Baha’i leaders, Green Movement figures such as Mostafa Tajzadeh and Abolfazl Ghadiani, and prominent individuals like Mehdi Hashemi (son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani), Hassan Yonesi, and Babak Zanjani.
The assassination of these two judges has sent shockwaves through Iran and raised significant questions about judicial security and the potential for further unrest. The motive behind the attack remains under investigation.
First Piper 