Two Iranian Supreme Court Judges Assassinated in Tehran

In a shocking incident, two senior Iranian judges, Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh, were shot dead on Saturday morning at the country’s supreme court in Tehran. The apparent assassination occurred when an armed individual entered the court, opened fire, and later took their own life while fleeing the scene. A bodyguard was also injured during the attack.

Both Razini and Moghiseh were prominent judicial figures in Iran:

• A senior figure in the judiciary, Razini survived an earlier assassination attempt in 1998.
• Formerly a judge at the Tehran Revolutionary Court, Moghiseh was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2019 for overseeing what were described as “countless unfair trials” and by Canada in 2023 for involvement in “gross and systematic human rights violations.”

While the motive remains unclear, both judges were reportedly involved in the persecution of opponents to the Islamic regime during the 1980s and 1990s.

• The judiciary’s news outlet, Mizan, described the attack as a planned assassination.
• Initial findings indicate the attacker had no known connection to cases handled by the supreme court. Authorities have launched an investigation to uncover potential accomplices.

The deaths of Razini and Moghiseh highlight the intense and often dangerous environment surrounding Iran’s judiciary, particularly for figures associated with controversial rulings and policies.