Protest Gathering and March of Victims of 'Razaayat Khodro Taravat Novin' in Qazvin

Dozens of victims of the 'Razaayat Khodro Taravat Novin Reyhan Tak' company staged a protest gathering and march for the umpteenth time on Thursday, February 15. According to reports, the protesters demanded accountability from judicial authorities regarding the fraud case of this company, chanting slogans such as 'We won't vote anymore, we haven't seen justice' and 'Shout, shout, demand your rights'. In one of the videos released from the protest in front of the Qazvin governor's office, an angry victim shouts his economic problems in front of riot police. Mohammad Mehdi Alaei, the governor of Qazvin, announced in December that the 'fraudulent' pre-sale of vehicles by 'Razaayat Khodro Taravat Novin' had attracted over 12 trillion tomans from thousands of citizens, yet less than two thousand cars had been delivered to customers. Hossein Rajabi, the prosecutor of Qazvin, indicated that there are 50,000 complainants in this 'major case' related to the activities of Mohammad Reza Ghafari, the arrested owner and manager of 'Razaayat Khodro Taravat Novin', from 2013 to 2019. This judicial official stated in a meeting at Qazvin International University on December 25 that the main focus of judicial authorities is on paying the principal claims of the victims, and he doubted that significant profits would be given to individuals. Meanwhile, investments in this vehicle pre-sale company began over a decade ago, and the value of cash has significantly decreased over time. While the protests of the numerous victims of this case continue, security and judicial officials in Qazvin have consistently threatened the protesters with legal action. The automotive companies task force in Qazvin, composed of the Intelligence Department, the IRGC Intelligence, and the judiciary, previously announced the formation of judicial cases against dozens of protesting victims, accusing them of 'disturbing public order' and 'spreading falsehoods'. This task force announced in October that 67 protesters in this case have been criminally prosecuted. The website 'Tejarat News' referred to this fraud case as 'one of the largest judicial cases in recent days'. Despite claims by Iranian officials about fighting financial corruption, news related to cases of embezzlement, especially in governmental and banking institutions, has been reported in recent years. Victims of the 'Razaayat Khodro' company in Qazvin are demanding their rights, and there have been reports of the use of tear gas against them during protests.