Following the 1953 coup, the Iranian judicial system underwent profound institutional transformation. The government rapidly expanded the administrative structure of the judiciary, yet this quantitative development was accompanied by a decline in judicial independence. Instead of functioning as an autonomous branch capable of reviewing executive actions, the judiciary increasingly became integrated into the executive apparatus. The separation of powers envisioned by the constitution gradually weakened as political considerations began to influence judicial appointments, promotions, and disciplinary procedures.
One of the most important developments during this period was the establishment and expansion of SAVAK, Iran’s intelligence and security organization. Created in 1957, SAVAK gradually became one of the most powerful institutions within the Iranian state. Although officially responsible for protecting national security, the organization exercised broad authority over political surveillance, arrests, interrogations, detention, and intelligence operations. Numerous reports by former political prisoners, lawyers, international organizations, and historians have alleged that SAVAK frequently employed arbitrary detention, torture, and prolonged imprisonment against political opponents.
