Islamic courts to hasten trials

Press, 5 June 1979, Page 8

Islamic courts to hasten trials

NZPA Teheran Islamic revolutionary courts in Teheran will begin holding sessions five times a day in order to speed up the trial of prisoners waiting in jail, justice authorities have said. The officials also confirmed that some court investigators will be replaced because of “criticism”’ of their work.

They said the courts will carry on their duties “without holidays, and without stoppages.” About 2500 prisoners are now believed to be held at Teheran’s Qasr Prison, the site of most revolutionary court activity in the city. On April 26, justice officials had also announced a speed-up of court business. They said then that trials were being held on 24-hours

a day at Qasr. 3he action followed complaints by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeny, the Iranian revolutionary leader, over slow court proceedings. Revolutionary courts have condemned 256 people to death since the February revolution. The newspaper, “Bamdad,” reported in Teheran that an unidentified group of men opened fire on Friday on the home of Ayatollah Sadeq Khalkhali, senior judge of Iran’s revolutionary courts. It said the assailants escaped under the cover of darkness from revolutionary guards who tried to capture them. Judge Khalkhali told the newspaper that the attack was the second so far against his house, in the holy city of Qom, 160 km south of Teheran.