![](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2011\/01\/hossein_vahid_khorasani.jpg\" "\\"hossein_vahid_khorasani\\"")
NCRI – Some religious \u201csources of emulation\u201d (known as marja\u2019e taqlid) in Qom have once again challenged opinions expressed by the mullahs\u2019 Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, about the regime\u2019s attempts to obtain forced confessions in prison.<\/p>\n
In the midst of widespread international outrage over the mullahs\u2019 gross human rights violations, Khamenei had sought to defend the regime\u2019s record of obtaining forced confessions and had personally made claims such as, \u201cWhatever the accused says about themselves in courts [as a confession] is permissible\u201d and \u201cthe argument that it would not be permissible to accept a confession in court is worthless.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khamenei\u2019s remarks, which were made last year, were immediately rebuffed as illegitimate and invalid by Qom\u2019s senior religious leaders, including Mr. Hossein-Ali Montazeri.<\/p>\n
More recently, Hossein Vahid Khorasani, another source of emulation in Qom, said at a religious sermon that, \u201cThe confession of someone who is behind bars is not credible. A judge who bases his judgment on such a confession is not deserving of the title. Even if there is a threat, that confession has no efficacy.\u201d
He relied on an Islamic narration (hadith) and added, \u201cAnyone who confesses after the fact and while in detention should not be punished.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is worth recalling that despite Khamenei\u2019s four trips to Qom this year, religious leaders in the city, including Vahid Khorasani, refused to meet him. Khamenei\u2019s rushed visits to the city could not repair the loss of hegemony and authority he has suffered especially after the 2009 mass protests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NCRI – Some religious “sources of emulation” (known as marja’e taqlid) in Qom have once again challenged opinions expressed by the mullahs’ Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, about the regime’s attempts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[175],"class_list":{"0":"post-9584","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-terrorism-a-fundamentalism","8":"tag-updated"},"yoast_head":"\n