Prosecutor's Office of Sistan and Baluchestan Files Charges Against Rouhani's Deputy

The local website "Dadmardaan" has reported that the Prosecutor's Office of Sistan and Baluchestan province has filed charges against Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Iranian Vice President for Women and Family Affairs. On March 4, Ms. Molaverdi stated in an interview with Mehr News Agency that all the men in a village in Sistan and Baluchestan had been executed on charges of "drug trafficking" and warned about the consequences of this action. Her remarks prompted reactions from judicial officials and representatives from the province in parliament. Mohammad Ali Hamidian, Deputy Chief Justice of Sistan and Baluchestan, denied Molaverdi's statements, claiming she attributed the inability of executive bodies to address the province's issues to the judiciary. Hamidian assessed her remarks as a form of "spreading falsehoods and defamation against the judiciary," and the local site "Dadmardaan" reported that charges have been filed against Molaverdi. Hassan Rezvani Doost, Deputy Prosecutor of Zahedan, stated that Molaverdi's claims were "utterly false and untrue" and that this matter constituted spreading falsehoods that could lead to criminal prosecution. Rezvani Doost added that due to the false nature of this issue, the Vice President should be held criminally accountable and apologize to the people of the province. Mohammad Sargazi, the prosecutor of Hirmand, also stated that "unsubstantiated and false statements regarding Sistan and Baluchestan are a crime and a disservice to the people of this province." The "Dadmardaan" site also reported the formation of a campaign in Zahedan titled "Insulting Villagers is Forbidden" and published several images from this protest campaign. According to the local site "Asr Hamoon," several parliament representatives, including Zahra Tabibzadeh, Fatemeh Alia, Laleh Eftekhari, Fatemeh Rahbar, Hamid Rasai, and Nira Akhavan, have issued a warning to the President regarding this matter. Hossein Ali Shahriari, a representative from Zahedan, stated in an interview that "it must be clarified what documents Ms. Molaverdi used to conduct this interview." Shahriari added that the Vice President's remarks have tarnished the "dignity" of Sistan and Baluchestan, and representatives will pursue this matter not only in parliament but also through the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council. Baqer Hosseini, another parliament representative, mentioned that "there is no such village where all the men have been executed unless that village has fewer than five inhabitants, which is also unlikely." Halimeh Ali, a representative from Sistan and Baluchestan in parliament, stated that "instead of accusing the men of Sistan and Baluchestan, Molaverdi should explain what actions have been taken for women." Sistan and Baluchestan is one of the largest and poorest provinces in Iran. According to the 2006 census, out of a population of 2.35 million in Sistan and Baluchestan, over 640,000 are illiterate. The province shares a 1,300-kilometer land border with Pakistan and Afghanistan and is considered a major route for drug trafficking into Iran. Ali Osta Hashemi, the governor of Sistan and Baluchestan, stated on February 13 that "since the beginning of the year, 144 tons of drugs have been discovered and seized, most of which were opium, and during this time, in addition to dismantling 120 drug trafficking gangs, over 150 firearms have been confiscated from drug traffickers."