Mohammad Movahedi-Azad | |
|---|---|
محمد موحدی آزاد | |
.jpg) Movahedi-Azad in September 2023 | |
| Prosecutor-General of Iran | |
| Assumed office 6 August 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i |
| Preceded by | Mohammad Jafar Montazeri |
| Chief of the Supreme Council of Justice | |
| In office 29 November 2022 – 21 August 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i |
| Preceded by | Nabiullah Davoudi Mazandarani |
| Succeeded by | Hossein Ali Nayiri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1960-09-06)6 September 1960 (age 65) |
Mohammad Movahedi-Azad (Persian:محمد موحدی آزاد; born 6 September 1960) is an Iraniancleric and judge, currently serving as theProsecutor-General.[1][2] During the2025–2026 Iranian protests, he played a prominent role, labeling protesters "enemies of God" and saying that "the provocateurs will be tried and punished in accordance with all legal procedures."[3] In January 2026, theEuropean Union proposed sanctions against Azad for threatening protesters with death sentences.[4]
Mohavedi-Azad was born inQom and began his career in law shortly after theIranian Revolution, working for the Tehran Province Prosecutor's office. He ascended gradually as a prosecutor and reached the highest position within the Tehran Court of Appeals and the TehranIslamic Revolutionary Court.[5] Before becoming Prosecutor-General, Mohavedi-Azad served as the chief of the High Disciplinary Court of Judges, a judicial body which investigates legal conduct among judges and the courts.[5]
In 2009, he led theprosecution of protesters of thatyear's presidential election, which resulted in harsh sentences against many of them.[2] In March 2011, an appeals court reduced the sentences of sevenBahá'í leaders (theBaháʼí 7 case) from 20 to 10 years in prison; Mohavedi-Azad, however, reversed the decision and reimposed the previous punishment.[2][6][7] He has been accused of persecuting minorities,including Baháʼís, and of upholding sentences for dress code violations by women arrested bymorality police.[8]
Movahedi-Azad assumed office as Prosecutor-General on 6 August 2023, succeedingMohammad Jafar Montazeri.[9] He took a prominent role during the2025–2026 Iranian protests, calling protesters "enemies of God" and promising to seek the death penalty against those arrested under the charge ofmoharebeh (waging war against God).[10][11][12][13][14][15]