Leak: Internal Judiciary Directive Orders “Mass Shredding” of Protest Evidence and Extrajudicial Executions

TEHRAN – On Wednesday, January 14, an online meeting was held on the internal intranet of the Judiciary, hosted by Hamzeh Khalili, the First Deputy of the Judiciary. The meeting included all provincial prosecutors and heads of justice departments to issue three key confidential mandates for dealing with the wave of protests.

1. Prioritization of Protester Cases and Expedited Trials

The first directive requires all judicial branches to maintain 100% readiness to process the cases of recent detainees. According to this mandate, protesters’ cases must be fast-tracked immediately, bypassing the turn or priority of all previous cases.

2. Escalation of Punishments and “Bulk” Trials

The Judiciary emphasized the necessity of direct supervision by prosecutors over the trial process to ensure that protesters face the maximum penalty. Reports indicate that instructions were given to conduct trials in “bulk” and at high speed. To clear prison space for the influx of new detainees, an order was issued to temporarily release prisoners held for minor or financial crimes on bail.

3. Systematic Destruction of Casualty Statistics

The most harrowing part of this meeting was the explicit order to delete and destroy all documents and evidence related to those killed in the protests. Under this directive, all statistics, lists, and names—whether in paper form or online files—must be destroyed immediately. It was emphasized during the meeting that paper documents should be destroyed in shredders so that no trace remains for international legal prosecution.

Escalation of Security Measures and Physical Searches in the City

Beyond the judicial aspects, new security orders have been issued authorizing security agencies to stop any individual after dark and inspect their mobile phones for content related to the protests.

• Physical Inspections: Officers are instructed to inspect under clothing and examine the bodies of citizens to find traces such as scars or pellet wounds.
• Authorization for Direct Fire: Security forces have been notified that if individuals do not stop, they are authorized to fire directly at them without firing warning shots or giving prior notice.
• Abductions from Hospitals: Reports have been presented regarding the abduction of the injured from Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and their subsequent murder to keep the real casualty statistics hidden.

Call for International Documentation

Given the government’s efforts to eliminate evidence, activists believe the community is in a state of shock. It has been emphasized that citizens and eyewitnesses must translate all documents, videos, and names of the deceased or disappeared into international languages (especially English) and publish them by tagging global human rights organizations to prevent the destruction of truth by government apparatuses.