Issuance of Indictment for Two Defendants in the Case of Abuse of Disabled Individuals in Alborz Province

Despite the second branch of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office in Pardis issuing a decision to dismiss the case regarding the complaint of the parents of three disabled individuals against the Afarinesh care center, the spokesperson for the judiciary announced that the two defendants in this case "are in custody and an indictment has been issued against them by the prosecutor." According to Mehr News Agency, Mahmoud Razavian, head of the office and advisor to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, said on Wednesday, October 29, that these defendants "must be held accountable for two charges of mistreatment and non-compliance with regulations," but the accusation of "chaining" the disabled individuals has not been proven. Mehr News Agency reported on September 7 that a care center for "mentally disabled individuals" in the city of Ferdows, Karaj, was shut down months ago due to "proven torture and abuse" of the disabled, as well as inspectors' reports about issues such as "assault," "dog therapy," and "chain therapy." Meanwhile, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the first deputy and spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary, also announced on September 29 the arrest of two individuals who, according to him, had "committed violations" in this case, adding that several others are also under investigation. However, according to an image of a ruling published on Sunday, October 26, on the website of the Welfare Organization, the second branch of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office in Pardis issued a decision to dismiss the case regarding the complaint of the parents of three disabled individuals against this center. This prosecutor's office also deemed the existing film in the case regarding the chaining of disabled individuals in this center as "unrealistic," "staged," "devoid of truth," and "fabricated." At the same time, Ahmad Fazlian, the head of the Alborz Province Judiciary, said on Wednesday that an "indictment and prosecution order" has been issued regarding part of this case and sent to court, while a decision to dismiss the case has been issued for another part. According to Mr. Fazlian, there was "insufficient evidence" in the judicial investigations regarding the abuse, torture, and use of chains for the care of disabled individuals. He announced that in another part of the case regarding "unintentional harm" to the disabled individuals "due to the negligence of the officials" of this center, an "indictment and prosecution order" has been issued and sent to court. Mr. Fazlian stated that the Supreme Commission of the Welfare Organization of the country has voted to reopen this center due to "insufficient evidence of torture and abuse of the disabled." Meanwhile, Ramin Rezaei, the director of the Rehabilitation Office of the Welfare Organization, in an interview with the Wednesday edition of Etemad newspaper, said that there was "no intention to abuse the clients in this center, but negligence" occurred. This comes as Reza Shakeri, the public prosecutor and revolutionary prosecutor of Alborz Province, confirmed on September 23 the "assault of 20 disabled individuals" and the care of disabled individuals using "ropes and chains" in this center. Mr. Shakeri added that this center, in order to "reduce costs," used "ropes and chains" and its own cook instead of hiring nurses for the care of disabled individuals. However, the director of the Rehabilitation Office of the Welfare Organization stated, "The number of caregivers has international standards. The care situation for mentally disabled clients at home differs from that in centers. We cannot have one caregiver for each client." He emphasized that according to these standards, there is one caregiver for every 8 to 12 disabled individuals, which "varies depending on the severity of the clients' disabilities." The publication of reports about the Afarinesh care center for "mentally disabled individuals" has had widespread repercussions, and Hossein Nahvij Nejad, the deputy of the Welfare Organization, said on September 26 that not all care centers for disabled individuals are "paradises" and that "numerous violations" occur daily in these centers.