ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A top Iranian cleric, once considered a possible successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died in Tehran Monday night.
Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, 70, was chairman of the Expediency Council. He died in hospital in Tehran after a long illness, Iranian media reported.
Shahroudi was born in Najaf, Iraq in 1948. He headed the judiciary for ten years, during which time he banned death penalty by stoning. But critics say he failed to stem arrests of political opponents and mistreatment of prisoners.
Khamenei appointed him head of the Expediency Council – an assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader to resolve disputes between the parliament and the powerful Guardian Council. It also acts as an advisor to Khamenei.
Iranian media had reported his death earlier in the day, but then retracted the story, saying he was in critical condition in a coma. His doctor told Fars News that Shahroudi was medically deceased, but his family should be the ones to announce his death.
Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, 70, was chairman of the Expediency Council. He died in hospital in Tehran after a long illness, Iranian media reported.
Shahroudi was born in Najaf, Iraq in 1948. He headed the judiciary for ten years, during which time he banned death penalty by stoning. But critics say he failed to stem arrests of political opponents and mistreatment of prisoners.
Khamenei appointed him head of the Expediency Council – an assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader to resolve disputes between the parliament and the powerful Guardian Council. It also acts as an advisor to Khamenei.
Iranian media had reported his death earlier in the day, but then retracted the story, saying he was in critical condition in a coma. His doctor told Fars News that Shahroudi was medically deceased, but his family should be the ones to announce his death.
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