The head of Iranian Parliament, Ali Larijani, has rescinded the appointment of Saeed Mortazavi as the Supervisor of the Social Security Fund, also announcing that the Minister of Labour will appear in Parliament on February 3 for questioning about the controversial appointment.
The Mehr News Agency reports that Ali Larijani said on Wednesday January 30 that the executive government legislation delegating the responsibilities of the Labour Minister to the vice-president is now rescinded and, accordingly, the vice-president’s appointment of Mortazavi to the Social Security Fund is null and void.
Mortazavi is the former Tehran prosecutor who was removed from that position after news broke about the death of three detainees in Kahrizak Prison, and reports of torture and abuse there were directly linked to him.
Mortazavi and two other judges are considered prime suspects in the Kahrizak case, which is why Parliament has challenged Mortazavi’s appointment to the Social Security Fund.
That appointment to a top government position appears to be the outcome of his staunch support for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has resisted Parliament’s orders to remove him from the position.
