President Ahmadinejad (centre) and head of judiciary Sadegh Larijani (left)0600 GMT: With limited news in much of the Iranian media, especially on the economy, a curious but telling dispute between President Ahmadinejad and the judiciary took over the headlines on Monday.
On Sunday, the judiciary --- for the second time --- rejected Ahmadinejad's request to visit Evin Prison. The President, however, was not willing to take the rebuff silently.
Instead, he went public on his website with a lengthy explanation as to why the judiciary's decision was wrong. He did not refer to a possible immediate reason for his trip --- seeing his detained senior aide Ali Akbar Javanfekr, serving a six-month sentence --- but insisted that the President does not have to ask for permission or the judiciary's agreement "to fulfill his legal duties". He then went farther: "I am determined to implement the Constitution and radically reform the Islamic Republic's affairs, visiting prisons and courts."
An EA correspondent noted the irony --- pressing his case to retain some authority, Ahmadinejad now sounded like the "reformists", and indeed many in the Green Movement, who have criticised the repression of the regime since the 2009 election that put the President back in office.
And then there is the question: in its rejection of Ahmadinejad's request, did the judiciary ensure it had the backing of the Supreme Leader's office?
Posted via email from lissping
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