Accountability
Within the governing structures of the Islamic Republic of Iran, it is challenging to find an institution that has full authority and is continuously accountable to civil society and the people. The cabinet and the ministers themselves are a small part of a larger oligarchic structure; a larger theocratic/military complex that is constantly controlled and led by the IRGC and the Supreme Leader. Neither the president nor the cabinet has full authority over domestic and foreign policy issues, and they must submit their decisions to the office of Ali Khamenei and in some cases get the approval of IRGC as well, the main unelected organs of the government. Governors across the country, in turn, are overseen by a network of Friday prayer leaders, representatives of the Supreme Leader's office, and the IRGC's vast intelligence organization. The Judiciary, the Iranian Prisons Organization, the official state broadcasting organization, the IRGC Intelligence branch, the police and security forces, the FATA cyber police, and various public moral control bodies, such as the Guidance Patrol, all seem to operate as independent fiefdoms. Ibrahim Raisi's incoming cabinet has put an end to the ostensibly two-faction structure of the previous cabinets. The government is now consolidated even more in favor of the theocratic/military oligarchy. The game of cat and mouse between the Islamist reformists and anti-western fundamentalists (or, as the Western media misleadingly puts it, liberals and hard-liners), which was the horizon of hope for members of the middle class, has come to a disappointing end.
Presidential Election
On June 18, 2021, the 13th presidential election was accompanied by widespread frustration and distrust. This election showed the lowest level of legitimacy of the ruling discourse. People do not trust the statements of the Supreme Leader and the propaganda of the official radio and television stations. The escalation of the economic crisis, primarily due to corruption and mismanagement, and the people's frustration with the lack of accountability, are among the reasons for this distrust. Many have concluded that it is not possible to reform the political structure in a meaningful way. Before the election, there were calls for a boycott.
- May 27, 2021, Call for the Boycott of the Presidential Election (639 signatures)
- June 5, 2021, Solidarity in Support of a Secular Democratic Republic (458 signatures)
- June 8, 2021, We Will not Vote (441 signatures)
- June 12, 2021, Ibrahim Raisi's Hand Stained with Blood (474 signatures)
After Ibrahim Raisi assumed office on August 3, 2021, the Daadkhast team received many petitions reminding people of his role in the Death Committee (1988) and the need to prosecute him. Radio Zamaneh’s editorial board stated collectively in a petition, “[s]ince what is related to freedom, justice, and the right to life is a priority for us, and in our view, the task of the media is to convey the fundamental facts to everyone, we decided until October of this year, we will constantly remind our readers of an important issue regarding Ibrahim Raisi: wherever his name appears in our media, in front of it in parentheses, we will remind our readers of his role in the mass murder, as follows: Ebrahim Raisi (member of the Death Committee).”
- June 22, 2021, Let Us All Join in Remembering the Role of Ibrahim Raisi (Member of the Death Committee) in Repression and Mass Murder (937 signatures)
- June 27, 2021, Justice for the Murderous President (872 signatures)
- October 12, 2021, Open Letter to the President of Tajikistan (on the Occasion of Granting Raisi an Honorary Ph.D.) (445 signatures)
