32 Questions
To His Excellency Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Muslims Worldwide,
After greetings and respect,
I respectfully request that, if you wish, you respond to these thirty-two questions:
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Are you truly the Supreme Leader of all Muslims worldwide?
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Given that there are no available written or spoken jurisprudential works by you, how can we be sure that you are an ijtihad or a marja’ of imitation?
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Do you wish to be the leader for life, or do you have other plans regarding this matter?
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Did you say “Ya Ali” at birth?
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Why do you never hold interviews with any reporters or answer their questions?
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Wouldn’t it be better if you avoided using language in your speeches that doesn’t befit political and religious leaders?
Such as the words “man,” “to hell,” “they lie like a dog”? Do dogs lie? Dogs only bark, and we don’t understand the translation of that.
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How much does it cost monthly to protect and maintain you and your family?
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What role does Mojtaba Khamenei play in the country’s decision-making?
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Have you recently surveyed the level of your popularity in the country?
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If you were informed that in surveys ninety percent of Iranians don’t want you to be their leader, what would your reaction be?
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Is a referendum a red line for the regime?
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If someone writes “Death to the dictator” on city walls, should the security forces seek him to introduce him to judicial authorities? Whom do you think the author is offering death to in this slogan?
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Is incarcerating in solitary confinement for extended periods and depriving contact and visits with family, sunlight, proper nutrition, as well as insults, humiliation, threats, violations of privacy during interrogations considered torture?
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Is there a mechanism within the judiciary where citizens can file complaints against the leader?
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Is it better to address people’s protest gatherings with tolerance or violence?
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If, in the future, people’s protests against you expand, would you be willing to accept the killing of people to stay in power?
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Are there undisclosed facts about the chain murders, the death of Mr. Hashemi, and the bomb explosion at Imam Reza’s shrine that we shouldn’t know?
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How much has been spent on building a grand mausoleum for Imam Khomeini so far? Wouldn’t it have been better to spend this money on people’s real needs? Isn’t this considered waste and extravagance? Should you not seek permission from the people, especially the poor, when spending their money?
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If, because of sanctions and economic problems, the pay of the guards is reduced, do you think their devotion to their leader will decrease?
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How much money have you spent on wars in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Yemen?
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If your forces are expelled from Iraq and Syria, given banking sanctions, how will you send the remaining money there?
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On the day you decide to erase the country of Israel from the map, what measures have you planned for Israeli women and children?
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Do you know that the country’s population has grown 1.2 times since the revolution, but the prisoner population has increased 26 times?
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Are only government officials responsible for the spread of various social disorders in Iranian society, or do you also bear some responsibility?
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Why do you not involve Kurds, Baluchis, Sunnis, and religious minorities in the administration of the country?
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Why do many Iranians and even the honorable president refer to the state media as the “narrow-minded media”?
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Why does the media repeatedly report when a Palestinian is injured, but abstains from reporting when our own youth are killed in protests?
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Why has criticizing Imam Khomeini been a red line for the regime since the beginning of the revolution?
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In the incident of the massacre of political prisoners in the summer of ’67 by Imam Khomeini’s order, exactly how many were executed? Was due process observed regarding them? As the then-president, what role did you play in these executions?
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Did Imam Khomeini’s stances, especially his famous speech six months before the war’s onset inviting Iraqi people and forces to revolt against Saddam with Iran’s help, incite Saddam and trigger the war?
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Why, instead of accepting the resolution after the final defeats, did we not accept peace after the liberation of Khorramshahr to have fewer casualties and receive war reparations?
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Wouldn’t it be better to allow me, who is in your prison, to use a lawyer and to rely on the law for my case?
Mohammad Mahdavifar
Deminer and Diver in the Iran-Iraq War
15th of Khordad 1397 [June 5, 2018]
Isfahan Central Prison