Iranian Judicial Officials Criticize Media Coverage of Iranshahr Rape Case

A week after the Sunni Imam of Iranshahr spoke about the rape of 41 girls in the city, judicial officials of the Islamic Republic have strongly criticized how this issue has been reported in the media. According to the latest developments regarding the rape case in Iranshahr, the Attorney General of the country stated, "We are religiously obligated not to publicize certain news," while the head of the judiciary in Sistan and Baluchestan threatened that if "malicious intent" on the part of the Imam is proven, "he will be dealt with." The prosecutor of Zahedan also reported that in addition to the arrest of two suspects in the rape case, two others were arrested "on the sidelines of this case" due to the media coverage of the news. Molavi Tayeb Malazahi, the Sunni Imam of Iranshahr, reported during the Eid al-Fitr sermon last Friday about the "rape of 41 girls" in the city and the arrest of one of the suspects. Judicial officials have described the issue as "exaggerated" from the outset, with Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General, calling the news "baseless," "absolute lies," and "fake," and threatening legal action against Molavi Malazahi. Montazeri reiterated on Thursday evening, June 31, on Iran's state television channel two, that "the assault on 41 individuals has not been proven." This judicial official criticized "some members of parliament and newspapers" that "are fueling this news" and described the publication of this news as "pouring water on the enemy's mill." Several news websites have reported unconfirmed threats against the Imam and mentioned that his meeting with the Imam of the Sunni community in Azadshahr was also prevented. On the other hand, Ali Mohammadi Rad, the prosecutor of Zahedan, announced on Thursday in an interview with the IRNA news agency that the second suspect in the rape case has also turned himself in to the Funoj court, and reported the arrest of "two individuals on the sidelines of this case" in Zahedan and Iranshahr. This judicial official mentioned that one of the arrested individuals is accused of "delivering weapons to the suspects" and another of "inciting youth during a gathering of some people in Iranshahr." Ebrahim Hamidi, the head of the judiciary in Sistan and Baluchestan, stated about one of the two individuals arrested "on the sidelines of the case" that "the brother of this suspect is active in foreign media." Habibollah Sarbazi, a critic of the Iranian government managing the "Baloch Campaign" website in Europe, tweeted that the arrested individual is his brother, Abdullah Sarbazi. The news of the arrest of two individuals on the sidelines of the case was announced on Thursday by Ebrahim Hamidi during a press conference. This judicial official provided more details about the case, stating, "I do not deny the main issue of the abduction of a girl." According to Ebrahim Hamidi, the vehicle used in this incident has been seized, and "criminal tools" such as "blindfolds and masks" have been discovered. So far, three women have filed complaints of rape, one of whom has "visited the forensic medicine and forensic medicine has confirmed the rape." The head of the judiciary in Sistan and Baluchestan also threatened the Imam of Iranshahr, saying, "If Molavi Tayeb Malazahi's malicious intent for disturbing public opinion is established, we will definitely deal with him, but if we find that he had no malicious intent and his goal was to express the people's problems, we will warn him with a notice. The publication of the rape news in Iranshahr has sparked protests across Sistan and Baluchestan province and also in Tehran, including a gathering of some residents of Iranshahr last Sunday in front of the city hall, demanding punishment for the perpetrators of the rape.