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Following the arrest of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani’s grandson and Faezeh Hashemi’s son, Hassan Lahooti, Iranian Judiciary authorities have asked him questions, which explicitly demonstrate that Iranian intelligence organizations are eavesdropping on phone calls made by Iranian citizens. This indicates that Iranian judicial authorities are taking people’s private conversations as admissible evidence for criminal conduct.

“Insulting regime leaders during telephone conversations” is a question/accusation Hassan Lahooti faced when he was arrested on Sunday night after his plane from London landed in Tehran. Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani’s grandson was arrested by Imam Khomeini International Airport officers, acting on orders from the Judiciary. A source close to Hashemi Rafsanjani told BBC Persian that Mr. Lahooti was interrogated about two issues: One, regarding “insulting regime leaders during telephone conversations,” and the other, “participating in June 15, 2009 protests in Tehran.”

Several articles of the Iranian Constitution prohibit investigation of people’s beliefs. Tapping telephones and using telephone conversations is clearly included in this prohibition. Article 23 of the Iranian Constitution holds that “the investigation of individuals’ beliefs is forbidden, and no one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief.” Article 25 is even more explicit about this: “The inspection of letters and the ... >>>