TEHRAN- Head of the Constitutional Council's Research Institute Abbasali Kadkhodaei shed more light on the activities of the Institute in an interview with the Tehran Times.

Kadkhodaei spoke in detail about the activities of the research center of the Constitutional Council, saying it aims to attract young minds specializing in public law. 

Following is the full text of the interview:

Q: Please explain the Constitutional Council research institute's products and its activities. 

A: The Constitutional Council research institute was established under the name "Research Center" upon the suggestion of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the late 1990s (the 1370s in the Iranian calendar) and was chaired by the late Ayatollah Shahroudi and some other people later. I was also in charge of the institute on one or two occasions in the past.

So, we aimed to attract young individuals to gain experience and help us.

Since 2012 we have requested the Ministry of Science and Research to upgrade the research center which was agreed on at the end of the Rouhani administration. 

Therefore, we could have a more formal structure since we had attracted a large number of specialized and pious young minds in the field of public law. 

Fortunately, after receiving the final approval, our young minds started working. 

Currently, over 40 young researchers, often pursuing master's or doctoral degrees in public law or other fields, are collaborating with us.

Parliamentary resolutions are examined here then our young experts provide reports regularly and the reports will be evaluated by the so-called experts.     

There are reports in other parts of the center regarding inquiries made to the Court of Administrative Justice. If someone claims that a resolution is against Sharia, the Court of Administrative Justice will ask the jurists of the Constitutional Council to provide their opinion. This will allow our experts to comment on the resolution.

We also have a research assistant section that carries out fundamental work in the areas essential for the Constitutional Council and society.  

The research assistant has been active in the field of public law. It has prepared many books and various articles in the field of the constitution, constitutional law, and public law. 

Even some reference books in public law have been painstakingly prepared by our researchers. Recently, we held an exhibition, and some of the products of the center were introduced to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution as well.      

We also have a magazine dealing with public law and publishes the opinions of experts in this field as well as fundamental rights.

The crucial point is that we are responsible for promoting and developing the concepts of public law and fundamental rights.   
   
In the promotion and development domain, moot court sessions are also held, where young researchers come up with hypothetical cases. These cases are reviewed and evaluated by young minds along with judges. So, students get involved in the Constitutional Council’s topics, discussions, and procedures.

Also, young students will express their opinions on monitoring the qualifications of election candidates and the election process in the upcoming moot court.

The center has also been active in the field of children and teenagers.

Given that the concepts of the law field are difficult to understand for teenagers, it is essential to produce and adjust suitable literature for children and adolescents.

Over the past year, we have collaborated with the Center for Intellectual Development of Children and Adolescents under a memorandum of understanding. As part of this collaboration, we have provided the center with content that it can use to produce works in the field of children and adolescents, leveraging their expertise.

The issue of succession is also being carried out automatically. The young minds working with us will enter the job market later. 25 to 26 young minds have now become faculty members. 
 
Well, this is a step forward because these people have become familiar with our work and our activities, and the entry of such people into the job market can help the development of the concepts we are considering. For example, the researchers who have been trained here are now working in different branches such as the judiciary or the parliament.

Q: How can the collaboration between the young researchers of the Council's Research Institute and the media, especially the print media, inform the people about the capabilities of this center?

A: Legal terms are difficult to understand. In the first step, we must produce and adjust suitable literature for people so they can understand the terms easily. In the next step, we can focus on different age groups, including children and teenagers, making terms understandable for them.      

To make legal terminology more accessible, there should be a focus on incorporating it into popular media such as movies, TV shows, animation, and video games.

Q: Please explain the legal case of Martyr Soleimani. 

A: The legal case of martyr Soleimani has different sections that the relevant bodies are working on it. And every apparatus is dealing with this case according to its field.  

The Judiciary, with legal and judicial proceedings, has committees, whose activities are concentrated in the human rights headquarters.
 
The process of the case of martyr Soleimani is proceeding within the Tehran Prosecutor's Office and various courts. 

Fortunately, both the legal case and petitions have been concluded and submitted to the court.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs established a committee some time ago to oversee the case of Martyr Soleimani. Regular meetings are held with the cooperation of relevant bodies and legal experts from the Ministry to pursue the case.

We have also consulted with foreign lawyers so that we can advance the case in the international domain. 

Of course, as you know, the arrogant system in the international domain tries to halt the advance of the legal case of Martyr Soleimani because the case will be detrimental to them. So, we should try to have a voice in this matter in our international forums. 

Fortunately, necessary correspondence has taken place and the American government should be held accountable anyway. And if it doesn't have a clear answer, which it definitely won’t have, we can raise this issue in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) based on the 1973 Convention.

The preparatory works for the case are being carried out and the process moves on step by step.