The Controversy Surrounding the Altercation Between Two Representatives in the Open Session of Parliament

The newspaper Shahrvand reported on the "controversy surrounding the altercation between two representatives in the open session of Parliament," stating: "The case of a girl who was beaten by a police officer from the Guidance Patrol has recently turned into a legal and even political challenge, in addition to being reflected in the media and social networks. Following this incident, some supported the police while others defended the beaten girl, arguing that an officer cannot act as a judge during the performance of their duty." The newspaper noted that "on Wednesday, a video of an officer's abusive behavior and physical assault on a girl was brought to the Parliament session," mentioning that "two days prior, Bahram Parsai, the spokesperson for the Hope faction, had remarked that the Quran places human dignity above the sanctity of the Kaaba and that under the pretext of hijab and enjoining good, one should not promote evil and undermine human dignity. If we do not say that we should die from the ugly behavior of the police officer towards a Muslim individual, we should at least wear black." However, "Nasrollah Pezeshkian, a member of the Stability Front, responded to this remark by stating that enjoining good and forbidding evil is obligatory, and if someone does not consider it obligatory, it constitutes a denial of a necessary aspect of religion, and the general ruling is apostasy." According to Shahrvand, during the Wednesday session, Bahram Parsai stated that "Pezeshkian has condemned him to apostasy and has put him on trial in Parliament" and "requested this member of the Stability Front to respect the dignity of Parliament and not to threaten his colleagues without reason" and "reminded that such threats are applicable in the electoral district, not in Parliament." The newspaper reported that Bahram Parsai also referred to his past experience in the war fronts and addressed Nasrollah Pezeshkian, the representative of Mashhad, saying: "Although your claims are more terrifying than the enemy's bullets, they are painful from the podium of Parliament," and asked "Ali Motahari, who presided over the session, to intervene as a free individual and the son of martyr Motahari to prevent such fatwas from being issued from the podium of Parliament, as such rhetoric is a disgrace to Parliament." The Iran newspaper, close to the government, also reported with the headline "Verbal Clash Between Two Representatives Over the Performance of the Guidance Patrol," stating: "The hashtag 'Guidance Patrol' has cooled down in the political space since last week, but real disagreements over it continue. These disagreements escalated on Wednesday in Parliament to the point of implicit excommunication of the Shiraz representative by the Mashhad representative. Although Ali Motahari claimed there was no such intention, neither Nasrollah Pezeshkian, the Mashhad representative, nor Bahram Parsai, the Shiraz representative who was addressed by Pezeshkian, accepted that the intention was directed at anyone other than themselves." The newspaper noted that "it seems unlikely that the larger confrontation over the entirety of this issue in the political and social space will end so easily." The Sharq newspaper also featured on its front page with the title "Guidance Patrol in Political Debates," stating: "The discussion about hijab never ends. Political factions have addressed the recent video of the Guidance Patrol's encounter with women from their own perspectives. Ayatollah Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, said: 'We should not succumb to the onslaught; we must support the police in confronting evils,' and "the debate in Parliament is also heated, leading to exchanges between members of Parliament." The newspaper emphasized that "the reactions of the representatives are not limited to the open session of Parliament," quoting Parvaneh Salahshouri, the head of the Women’s faction in the tenth Parliament, stating: "We should not impose hijab on people through the coercion of the Guidance Patrol; rather, we should explain it to them with logic. How is it that in a situation where hijab is compulsory in Turkey, there is more acceptance of it, but in our country, this issue is dealt with stubbornly? Why do we impose hijab on people through the coercion of the Guidance Patrol instead of logic?" Abdulkarim Hosseinzadeh, a representative of Parliament, stated that "the recent video (of a young girl being beaten by Guidance Patrol officers) has made people very angry and has numerous repercussions for our national interests," and the Sharq newspaper reported him saying: "The offending officer must be dealt with and tried. How can an officer allow themselves to behave this way with individuals before a ruling is issued?" and "we do not have the right to hit a wrongdoer, let alone a woman to whom we intend to give advice on enjoining good through the Guidance Patrol." The Khorasan newspaper reported on its front page about "the special order of the head of the judiciary to protect public rights," including addressing "cases such as contaminated meat and blood and road incidents," but alongside it emphasized Sadegh Larijani's insistence on enforcing severe penalties for "moharebeh" (waging war against God) and defending the amputation of the hands of theft suspects. According to this newspaper, Sadegh Larijani said on Wednesday in a meeting with the heads of the judiciary and prosecutors across the country: "If you see someone attacking people with tools and weapons, it is a case of moharebeh, and you must apply the same punishments applicable to moharebeh so that they understand that the judiciary and the Islamic Republic do not joke with those who attack people with weapons." The head of the judiciary also commented on what he termed "recent media campaigns regarding the execution of a sentence," stating: "In one case, someone stole with a weapon, and a ruling was issued (for Bahman Varmaziyar); then, they made a fuss that the Supreme Leader and the head of the judiciary pardoned him; whereas neither the Supreme Leader pardoned him, nor did I have such authority." The Khorasan newspaper also referenced Sadegh Larijani's defense and emphasis on "enforcing the punishment for theft in Mashhad" and quoted him saying: "They came and said a man stole several sheep, and they will cut off his hand; but the one who steals billions is not punished; while both sides are lying. The one who stole the sheep was not just guilty of that; he was a criminal in the area who had made people insecure and had committed multiple thefts." The Shahrvand newspaper reported on the "details of the torture of three children in Mahshahr," stating: "No one realized that these defenseless children were beaten and tortured day and night until after several years of suffering and agony, Fatemeh, Ali Akbar, and Benin were rescued from the torture chamber of their father and stepmother and are now living with their uncle. A man who still does not understand why his brother has become so cruel and has committed such horrific acts." The uncle of these children, referring to the fact that his brother has been married three times, said, "Fatemeh is the daughter of my brother's first wife. Ali Akbar and Benin are from my brother's second wife," who died of illness, stating: "I had not had any contact with my brother for a year, but when we found out about this on Friday, we went and filed a complaint, and Fatemeh's mother also filed a complaint. My brother has brought shame upon us. What he did is something even ISIS would not do." The Shahrvand newspaper quoted the uncle of the abused children, stating: "When I first went to my brother's house, the condition of the children was 'very bad; each one was weak and lifeless in a corner of the house. When I saw the children, the marks of whips, burns, and scorching were evident on their bodies. Fatemeh's condition was the worst. She had no life left. She had been tortured a lot. It seemed that she was tortured more than anyone else." This man emphasized that his brother and his third wife had "very bad behaviors" with these three abused children from Mahshahr, stating: "They did not allow Fatemeh to go to school and instead sent her to people's houses to work, forcing her to wash carpets and do housework. When she could not keep up with the work, she was tortured. Seeing Fatemeh really upset us." Meanwhile, the Qanoon newspaper headlined its Friday issue with: "Children are beaten and the bill is buried." This newspaper reported: "Once again, there is news of child abuse and a reminder of a bill that has been unresolved for years despite the promises of representatives, and remains stuck in the corridors of Baharestan without any resolution. A bill that, if passed as soon as possible, might significantly reduce the occurrence of such heartbreaking incidents." According to the Qanoon newspaper, "the recent incident in Mahshahr has become very newsworthy. Children who are tortured in the worst possible way by their guardian to remind us again of the concept of bad guardianship and child abuse. It is said that the guardianship of these children has been taken over by their uncle. A ruling that has raised objections regarding the speed of the assessment of the new guardian's qualifications." The uncle of these children also interviewed with the Qanoon newspaper, stating: "Our entire family does not even smoke. My brother is a religious and God-fearing man. We are really surprised at what made him do such things to his own children." The newspapers Vatan-e-Emruz, Javan, and Kayhan dedicated their main headlines to the JCPOA and the possibility of the U.S. exiting it. The Javan newspaper, close to the Revolutionary Guards, printed a worried photo of Hassan Rouhani on its front page, describing him as: "The last worried defender of the JCPOA." This newspaper stated: "The first defender of the JCPOA who did not take U.S. distrust seriously is now more worried than anyone about the fate of the JCPOA and tells the West: either accept the JCPOA as it is or say goodbye to everything, and Europe should pay out of its own pocket to appease Trump." The Vatan-e-Emruz newspaper also wrote with the headline "Europe Has Surrendered," stating: "Emmanuel Macron's visit to the U.S., which was seen as the last glimmer of hope for the JCPOA's supporters in Iran to prevent the U.S. from exiting the JCPOA, has now become a significant sign of considering the JCPOA as finished." This newspaper emphasized that "Macron, who last year at the UN General Assembly announced his alignment with the new U.S. administration's policy towards Iran, has now officially and publicly declared his alignment with Trump regarding the JCPOA."