Governor of Khuzestan: Main Suspect in the 'Shushtar Boys' Case Has Psychological Issues

On Wednesday, November 30, the governor of Khuzestan announced that there are "two" suspects in the case of the sexual assault of several Shushtar teenagers, stating that the main suspect suffers from a "psychological disorder." Previously, the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the Iranian judiciary, reported the arrest of a "previously convicted criminal" who had "published images of several boys on social media after assaulting them." Mizan had also noted that this individual was arrested along with "two accomplices." Although officials in Khuzestan initially only reported the arrest of those responsible for "the dissemination of an obscene video," after news and images of the assailant circulated on social media, Hossein Panbadanpour, the mayor of Shushtar, specifically mentioned the arrest of the "suspect in the assault of several boys." Gholamreza Shariati, the governor of Khuzestan, confirmed in an interview with ISNA that there are "two" suspects in the 'Shushtar Boys' case and that both have been arrested. According to Shariati, "the main suspect in the case of the assault on the Shushtar boys has psychological issues and is regularly taken to therapy centers." Mohammad Sadegh Karimi Kiya, the director general of social affairs in the Khuzestan governorate, stated that this individual "has had violations in the past, but until the completion of the judicial process, no comments can be made on this matter." Mr. Karimi Kiya also described the main suspect's "past" as having "ambiguities" that are "under investigation." He did not provide details about these "ambiguities," but added that "until the charges are confirmed, no comments can be made regarding this individual's character." The director general of social affairs in the Khuzestan governorate, without mentioning the number of detainees in this case, added that "all individuals who played a role in assisting or were present at the crime scene have been arrested," and stated that the number of plaintiffs in this case is "two." Initially, the official IRNA news agency reported, citing "a source in the Shushtar police," that the perpetrators of the "widespread dissemination of an obscene video" were identified and arrested by the cyber police "within six hours." However, shortly thereafter, social activist Masih Alinejad, residing in the United States, posted images on her Instagram, stating that a "previously convicted criminal and thug from Shushtar who has been imprisoned multiple times... along with two of his friends" was filming the scenes of the assault on teenage boys and forcing them into silence. This activist also reported that some relatives of these children claimed that the police had threatened the victims' families not to speak to the media about the matter. The police initially confirmed the arrest of "the perpetrators of the assault on a 12-year-old boy from Shushtar" and later issued a warning regarding "the dissemination of images of a previously convicted criminal who had harassed several teenagers." According to ILNA, the cyber police warned that legal action would be taken against those who publish images related to these assaults on social media. The dissemination of these images online has sparked a wave of anger and has once again raised the issue of the necessity of educating children to prevent assaults.