National prosecutor does not deem Ahmadinejad’s inspection of Evin Prison ‘appropriate’

TEHRAN,Oct.22(MNA) – National Prosecutor General Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejeii said on Sunday that an inspection of Evin Prison in Tehran by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would not be in the interests of the country. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently wrote a letter to Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani asking him to make the arrangements necessary for his inspection of the prison. Speaking to reporters, Mohseni-Ejeii, who is also the Judiciary spokesman, said, “Given the fact that a person who is related to him has been arrested and is in the prison, this (the inspection) would cause political (misunderstandings)… The inspection is not appropriate in the current circumstances.” He was referring to the imprisonment of Ali Akbar Javanfekr, the director of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) and the president’s advisor in media affairs, who was arrested on September 26. Ahmadinejad had previously expressed regret over his imprisonment. The Islamic Revolution Court and a public court had found Javanfekr guilty of two charges, namely publishing remarks that run contrary to Islamic principles and undermine public morals. Javanfekr had also been barred from conducting any media activities. Mohseni-Ejeii also said that it would be better if the country’s officials address economic issues instead of dealing with subsidiary issues. Inspections of Evin Prison have always been carried out according to regulations, he added.