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Iranwire – Iran’s Attorney General has issued 15 guidelines for election officials and approved candidates in the run-up to the country’s presidential election on June 28.
In a statement reported by the state IRNA news agency on June 10, Mohammad Movahedi Azad warned candidates they do not have the right to “purify illegal and anti-revolutionary” groups and parties to get votes.
Cooperation with foreign media outlets was deemed a criminal offense, with the Attorney General stating “foreign and hostile media should not be used in election contests.”
Azad instructed that election processes must avoid inflaming “ethnic and religious sensitivities and polarization of society.”
Regarding disqualified candidates, he said while some “may have expectations and be upset,” people should remain calm and candidates must “submit to the decisions of the legal authorities.”
The senior judicial official emphasized the need for “surveillance and monitoring of social media” to prevent advertisements that could “stimulate enemies.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s press supervisory board issued a 16-point instruction outlining potential criminal cases related to the election.
These include publishing content that encourages boycotts, unauthorized protests, strikes, or “any action that disrupts the presidential election.”
Earlier, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib threatened candidates with legal cases, stating their behavior and that of their supporters are being continuously monitored.
The stringent rules come after the disqualification of several prominent candidates by the Guardian Council vetting body.
