Iran's Interior Minister orders "double prosecution" of the "rape of 41 girls" case in Iranshahr
After reports were published about the "rape of 41 girls" in Iranshahr, the Iranian Interior Minister ordered the governor of Sistan and Baluchestan to "double" follow up on the issue and prepare a "precise" report.
Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli also called for "maximum interaction with the people, especially the elders and influential people in the region," to prevent "abuse of the people's wounded feelings and emotions."
On Sunday, June 17, he ordered Daniyal Mohebi, the governor of Sistan and Baluchestan, to "conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation of the issue through the provincial security council, and prepare a detailed report on its dimensions and inform the public as soon as possible," in parallel with judicial proceedings.
On Friday, Mawlavi Tayyeb Mollazehi, the Sunni Friday prayer imam in Iranshahr city, announced in his Eid al-Fitr prayer sermons that "41 girls were raped" in the city and that one of the suspects was arrested.
However, Sistan and Baluchestan judicial authorities have rejected his statements about the details of these rapes and have only spoken of "the rape of three girls."
Meanwhile, Zahedan Prosecutor Ali Movahedirad said on Sunday that three people have so far "complained under the heading of kidnapping and rape," and that "one of them was raped in January of last year, another in May, and another in June."
According to Mr. Movahidi Rad, of these three people, "only one has agreed to undergo a medical examination at the forensic medicine department."
He said that there are four defendants and one of them has been arrested.
Ebrahim Hamidi, the Chief Justice of Sistan and Baluchestan, also said that the words of the Sunni Friday imam of Iranshahr regarding the details of this incident are "not acceptable."
He added: "It is possible that some of these people had previous relationships that later led to disagreements and resulted in complaints, and some cases may have involved rape, and these issues need to be investigated."
A number of people from Iranshahr gathered in front of the city's governor's office on Sunday and demanded that this case be investigated.
Nabi Bakhsh Davoudi, the governor of Iranshahr, spoke with the protesters and announced "special follow-up" on the issue.
On June 29, reports were published about the rape of a five-year-old Afghan girl named Bahareh, a resident of Khomeini Shahr, Isfahan, and a few days later, the head of the Forensic Medicine Organization announced that the rape had been confirmed.
However, Mohammad Javad Abtahi, a representative of the city, expressed doubts about the rape of the girl and said that her bleeding may have been due to the entry of a "Pepsi bottle."
Mr. Abtahi's remarks sparked widespread protests on social media.
Source: Radio Farda
