The imprisonment of Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani has been like no other corruption case in recent memory in Iran. The media coverage and the social media commentary were a testament to the polarizing position the Rafsanjani family holds in Iranian politics today.
The short video of his saying goodbye to his father, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, before leaving for Evin prison went viral on Facebook. The grainy video of the elder statesman in simple white clerical garb praying for his son seemed clearly aimed at garnering sympathy for a family at the receiving end of endless accusations of financial corruption.