In Iran, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani has been appointed the new head of the country’s judiciary. He succeeds Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, whose ten-year term in office has now ended.

Sadegh Larijani is the brother of parliamentary chairman Ali Larijani, and was nominated for the position by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ayatollah Khamenei has said he wants "quick and easy" justice to flourish under Sadegh Larijani.

Sadegh Larijani, who was born in 1960 in the holy city of Najaf, is a member of the 12-strong Council of Guardians, a body that wields considerable power in Iran.

The Council is currently considering what to do with the more than 200 people who are still in prison following the protests that flared up after the country’s elections on 12 June.

Following the presidential elections, which were officially won by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, opposition supporters took to the streets, mainly in the capital Tehran, to protest against what they regarded as electoral fraud. During the protests, many people died and hundreds were arrested.

The 200 people still in prison include moderate politicians, lawyers, journalists and two employees of the French and British embassies.

Photo of Ayatollah Ali Khameini from Wikimedia Commons

Photo of Iranian opposition protester by SIR (flickr)