Whistleblower of Taqati Scandal to VOA: He Had Multiple Sexual Partners Who Have Been Arrested

The editor of the Telegram channel Radio Gilan, which published documents related to the sexual scandal of Reza Taqati, the dismissed director general of culture and Islamic guidance in Gilan, provided new details about the documents and information regarding this issue to the Persian section of VOA. Following reports about the sexual relationship of the director general of the Gilan Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance with a man in recent days, Reza Taqati was dismissed from his position. The editor of the Telegram channel that first published the mentioned video emphasized in an exclusive interview with VOA that Reza Taqati had multiple sexual partners who have been arrested, and one of them provided him with the video. Payman Behboudi, the editor of the Radio Gilan Telegram channel, also announced that the videos had reached this media 'three weeks ago' before publication, and a portion of '13 videos' has been released by group decision. He emphasized that the disclosure of the video related to the sexual scandal of the former director general of the Gilan Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance was aimed at 'enlightening the people' and was published under conditions where the Islamic Republic 'determines the fate' of citizens' 'most private matters,' and the goal of its publication was to familiarize people with officials who 'wash the prayer rug this way' and 'consider themselves above the law.' The editor of the Radio Gilan Telegram channel, referring to Telegram's restrictions, said that this media outlet edited the published images to the extent that they did not violate Telegram's regulations while ensuring their authenticity. He emphasized that 'it was less than an hour after the video was broadcast that Taqati's associates contacted us and said they were ready to negotiate with us and would fulfill any requests you have' and 'we will send you as much Bitcoin as you want' on the condition that 'you delete the video.' Payman Behboudi stated that 'Taqati claimed that this video was created for me using artificial intelligence,' adding: 'Some said Taqati's dismissal the day after the video was broadcast was unwise. In fact, our sources said that the video reached the Minister of Culture that same night, and the prosecutor of Gilan sent the film to the police intelligence, Vaja (Ministry of Intelligence), and the intelligence of the IRGC for technical examination. However, the security system unanimously confirmed within the first hour that the video was authentic.' According to Behboudi, after the authenticity of the video was confirmed, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance 'ordered his dismissal,' and the next night, 'the intelligence office, in coordination with the IRGC intelligence organization,' arrested him, and his case was 'filed in the third branch of the Rasht prosecutor's office,' and 'he has not been released even with bail.' The editor of the Radio Gilan Telegram channel, which operates in Germany, pointed out Taqati's background in the 'Ashura Battalion' and 'Basij' in Gilan, stating that images of seven other men who had sexual relations with him have been published, and all of them have been arrested and 'confessed,' with 'one of them attempting to commit suicide in the bathroom of his trial' but was stopped in time. Behboudi identified the individual as a 'mourner' and said that their relationship dates back 'years' and 'before Taqati became director general.' He also told VOA that the location where the published videos were recorded 'was not the guesthouse of the Ministry of Culture' but rather Taqati's new house, and at the time of recording the video, which was 'ten days after the burial of Hossein Abtahaj,' he was 'in the process of moving to that house.' The editor of Radio Gilan emphasized that he obtained the film from 'one of the individuals who was assaulted by Taqati' and who, according to him, 'performs in this film' and is currently in custody at the intelligence office. According to him, this individual who provided the video to Payman Behboudi told him, 'I had an illicit relationship with Taqati for years and I am tired of it now,' and 'because I was a Basij member, he promised me that he would help me serve in one of these resistance bases and that I would not have to go far away.' Behboudi also referred to the statements of Mojtaba Zolnoor, the deputy speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and Kazem Delkhush Abatari, the representative of Soume'eh Sara, stating that 'at the beginning of this parliament, they wanted to expel Delkhush from the regime's parliament for the crime of swamp-eating, and there, Qalibaf came to his aid and made a promise that he would not run in the next elections.' He also claimed that 'Delkhush's outcry' was to exploit Taqati's connections with the officials of the Guardian Council's oversight and qualification verification office in Gilan and 'he is fishing in muddy waters to ensure his qualification for the upcoming elections.' The editor of Radio Gilan announced that this media outlet in Germany, where 'human rights and freedom of expression are respected,' does not need a permit for 'publishing the truth,' stating that previously they had also broadcast 'a video of a member of the Bandar Pahlavi (Anzali) city council engaging in masturbation and opium smoking,' 'disgusting chats of the commander of the Bandar Pahlavi (Anzali) police,' and 'the beating of a woman by a cleric,' asserting that 'these are truths and not fabricated.' He also pointed out the case of Saeed Toosi and the 'concealment' of the truth about it due to the lack of a 'video,' stating that officials regarding Reza Taqati 'are confused and do not know what to do' because 'they have come to believe that it is his doing.' Behboudi also reacted to criticisms of 'Radio Gilan' and the issue of 'disgrace,' stating that 'I did not ruin his reputation. This person ruined his own and his family's reputation,' and addressing the officials of the Islamic Republic emphasized: 'Officials can be assured that any documents and evidence of your violations, theft, and corruption that come into our hands will be published.'