Arrest of suspect in sexual assault of woman in Tehran
A man accused of raping a woman in Behesht Zahra was arrested and tried by the Tehran Provincial Criminal Court.
According to the HRANA news agency, citing Iran Watch, a man accused of sexually harassing a woman was arrested in Tehran.
According to the report, the investigation into this case began with a complaint from a 40-year-old woman named Shahla. She went to the police station and explained her complaint: “I have been separated from my husband for many years and live alone with my 9-year-old daughter. My mother passed away a few months ago, and that is why I used to visit my mother’s grave early every Thursday morning. The last time I visited my mother’s grave, I encountered three young men. It was early in the morning and the cemetery was deserted, when one of them suddenly attacked me and harassed me. His accomplices were also watching him.”
Based on the information Shahla gave to the police, 33-year-old Omid was arrested and tried by Branch 9 of the Criminal Court of a Tehran province.
At the beginning of the hearing, Shahla requested the harshest punishment, saying: "I had gone to my mother's grave early in the morning when Omid came to me and asked me about the cause of my mother's death. Because I was not feeling well and was crying heavily, he gave me a packet of juice that I believe contained alcohol. After drinking the juice, Omid suddenly attacked me and harassed me."
The defendant continued: “I knew Shahla for several years. We met several years ago when Shahla had recently separated from her husband. I intended to marry her, but she cheated on me. That’s why I ended my relationship with her. During this time, my mother died and I became depressed. I had been addicted for several months when, with the help of my family, I went to a drug addiction treatment camp and quit drugs. I recently met a young girl whom my family had introduced to me for marriage, and I wanted to put my life in order, when Shahla filed such a complaint against me.”
The defendant continued: “After my mother’s death, I went to the cemetery every day before sunrise and then went to work from there. Even the cemetery guards know me. That day, I had gone to my mother’s grave with my friend and brother when I encountered Shahla and talked to her. But the next morning, she filed such a complaint against me. I am innocent and Shahla filed such a complaint against me in order to ruin my life or force me to start a relationship with her.”
In the end, the judges entered the chamber to issue a verdict.
It should be noted that in the popular literature of licensed media, the word harassment is used to refer to rape and various forms of sexual harm.
Source: HRANA
