The Supreme Court in Iran experienced high drama last week after an assassination resulted in the death of two of the country's Supreme Court judges.
According to the BBC, Supreme Court judges Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh were both murdered after a gunman entered the courtroom, which is located in the country's capital city of Tehran.
The deadly attack happened on Saturday morning, according to local media reports.
The assassin reportedly killed himself as he fled the scene after murdering the judges. A bodyguard was reported to have been injured in the attack.
A motive for the attack was still unclear as authorities continue to investigate what caused the gunman to act, but it was reported that the two judges who were murdered have been instrumental in cracking down on opponents of the Islamic government for decades.
The judiciary's media office released a statement describing the brazen assassination as a "premeditated assassination."
Iranian judges Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh were assassinated in Tehran’s supreme court today.
The gunman, who reportedly killed himself after the attack, also injured a bodyguard. Authorities described the attack as a "premeditated assassination".#Iran #Tehran pic.twitter.com/JpziT4iz3D
— British Pakistani Index (@PakistaniIndex) January 18, 2025
BBC noted:
It also said that, according to initial findings, the attacker had not been involved in any case considered by the supreme court. Officials are investigating whether anyone else is involved in the attack.
It was also reported by local media that both Supreme Court judges had been in power for decades, with one of their main duties being the confirmation of death sentences.
Razini had already survived an assassination attempt in 1998, and was the Iranian Supreme Court's most senior judges, local reports added.
Many on social media added context to how the murdered judges operated in the courtroom. They were reportedly extreme hardliners regarding any opposition to the Iranian government.
"One of the assassinated judges once told an Iranian political prisoner: 'You people have no right to breathe. Your hands should be crushed; you should be blown up with gunpowder poured into your mouth; your pens should be broken'. Today he is finally no longer among us," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Karma works just often enough to make us hopeful."
An investigation into their death is ongoing.
