Sentencing of the Head of the Social Commission of Parliament on Charges of 'Illicit Relationship'

Following reports about the sentencing of Salman Khodadadi, Head of the Social Commission of Parliament, the Head of the Tehran Judiciary confirmed the sentencing of a member of parliament, and the Fars News Agency reported that Mr. Esmaeili's remarks pertain to Mr. Khodadadi. According to Iranian media reports, Mr. Khodadadi was ultimately sentenced to two years of exile, 99 lashes, and a two-year suspension from public service on charges of 'illicit relationship' based on a complaint by Zahra Navidpour regarding 'rape'. Gholamhossein Esmaeili, the Chief Justice of Tehran Province, stated in an interview with the Mizan News Agency on Friday, March 15, that the ruling for a member of parliament has been 'recently issued and is not final'. Mr. Esmaeili announced that due to the non-finality of this ruling, he could not provide further details about it. However, Fars News Agency wrote that based on their 'follow-ups', this ruling pertains to Mr. Khodadadi. Members of the Supervisory Board on the Conduct of Parliamentarians expressed their ignorance about the issuance of this ruling. Meanwhile, Mohammad Javad Jamali, the spokesperson for the Supervisory Board, stated: 'As of Tuesday this week, no information regarding this matter has been reported to us.' On Thursday, the Iran newspaper reported that according to the ruling of the Fifth Branch of the Criminal Court of Tehran Province, Salman Khodadadi, the Head of the Social Commission of Parliament, has been sentenced to 99 lashes, exile to remote areas, and a two-year suspension from service. According to this report, he was acquitted of the charge of rape and convicted of 'illicit relationship'. According to Iranian media reports, this case was formed based on Zahra Navidpour's complaint against Mr. Khodadadi. Zahra Navidpour's body was found on Sunday, January 6, in her mother's home in the city of Malekan, and the Malekan Prosecutor's Office announced that the cause of her death was 'apparently' suicide. This woman, residing in Malekan, claimed that she had written to Salman Khodadadi to seek employment, and this member of parliament had contacted her after a while, asking her to deliver her documents to his office in Tehran and outside of Parliament. She stated that Salman Khodadadi had 'raped' her in this office. Zahra Navidpour had previously stated that she was threatened multiple times by Masoud Hashem Pour, Salman Khodadadi's nephew and the Director General of Legal Affairs of Tabriz Municipality, as well as Kamal Khushpayman, an agent of the Ministry of Intelligence. She also reported that the IRGC, Ministry of Intelligence, and Guardian Council had received documents related to this matter but took no action and 'withdrew'. Ms. Navidpour claimed that Salman Khodadadi had admitted in court that 'the audio files related to the threats were his own voice, and the judge had released him on bail'. The Herana website, the news organ of human rights activists in Iran, reported in June that this year 'at least two allegations of rape and sexual harassment' had been made against Salman Khodadadi. Salman Khodadadi was arrested for 'moral corruption and illicit relationship' at the end of the seventh parliament, while he was also elected to the eighth parliament. Following that, several members of parliament, including Fatemeh Rahbar, protested Mr. Khodadadi's credentials, but ultimately the parliament voted in favor of his credentials. Reports indicated that Mr. Khodadadi was accused of 'raping' his office secretary 'outside of parliament' and sexually harassing a young woman who visited his office in parliament. Salman Khodadadi has previously denied the allegations against him and accused 'some officials and malicious rivals from previous periods' of fabricating the case. Salman Khodadadi has been a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and tenth terms. The Commander of the IRGC in Malekan, the Deputy Director of the Intelligence Department of East Azerbaijan Province, and the head of the Intelligence Department of Ardabil were among the positions held by Salman Khodadadi before his parliamentary representation. He currently heads the Social Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and is also the head of the rowing federation of Tehran Province.