The Politics of the Judiciary and the Legal System in Contemporary Iran

Salema Idris Ahmed Announcement
Location
United Kingdom
Subject Fields
Government and Public Service, Islamic History / Studies, Law and Legal History, Political Science, Religious Studies and Theology

The Governance Programme at the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations is delighted to invite you to the workshop: The Politics of the Judiciary and the Legal System in Contemporary Iran.

Workshop Overview
The workshop aims to analyse the judicial and legal institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) in their social and political and historical contexts. Both the application of the Sharia and the rule of law have been major pillars of the ideology of the IRI since its inception. After the 1979 Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini denounced the secular legal system of the Pahlavis and pledged his commitment to a distinctly Islamic conception of legality. This declaration paved the way for the introduction, in 1982, of the first codification of the law of Hodud (punishments by divine right such as stoning for adultery) and Qesas (retaliation) derived from Shi’a jurisprudence (fiqh) replacing the secular penal code of 1926, to which new chapters on Diyat (blood-money) and Ta’azirat (discretionary punishments) were later added. Steps were also taken to Islamicise the judiciary and the court system. Since then, the judiciary and the legal system have been a central component in preserving the Islamic system as well as a vital instrument in defending the ‘deep state’ in Iran. This is reflected in the increasing judicialisation of politics under the Islamic Republic during the past two decades and the concomitant rise of ‘juristocracy’ (rule of judges) in Iran. In exploring these issues the workshop will address the historical, political and sociological dimensions of the judiciary, the courts, criminal law, property rights, lawyers, prisons and women and the judiciary.

 

Convened by
Hadi Enayat and Mirjam Künkler.

 

Time and Venue
Tuesday 4 December 2018, 9.00-18.30 
Atrium Conference Room,
Aga Khan Centre, 
10 Handyside Street,
 London N1C 4DN

 

Booking
This event is free but booking is essential:
To attend in person, please click here.
 

Contact Information

 

 

Layal Mohammad

 

Coordinator, Marketing, Communications and Professional Programmes

Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations

The Aga Khan University (International)

Aga Khan Centre, 10 Handyside Street, London N1C 4DN

Contact Email
layal.n.mohammad@aku.edu