February 2, 2024
Golriz Ghahraman, the only Iranian ever elected to New Zea-land’s parliament, has resigned amid shoplifting allegations.
Her Green Party, which is in the opposition, initially acknowledged the accusations and announced that Ghahraman had been suspended from all her portfolio duties until the matter was resolved. Days later, she resigned from parliament.
Initial reports said the first of three alleged shoplifting incidents took place at Scottie’s Boutique, an upscale clothing store in the capital city of Auckland. The store declined to provide specific details when contacted by local reporters, but confirmed the alleged incident was being handled by police.
On January 16, six days after the allegations first surfaced in the media, Ghahraman issued a brief statement, effectively acknowledging the allegations and announcing her resignation, attributing her destructive behavior to mental disorders she has been prone to because her prominence led to many threats against her person.
Here is the full text of her statement.
“It is a great honor to serve as a Member of Parliament. I am proud of my advocacy work on human rights and foreign affairs, and particularly proud of campaigns that resulted in practical improvements to the electoral laws governing donations and overseas voting.
“It is clear to me that my mental health is being badly affected by the stresses relating to my work. This has led me to act in ways that are completely out of character. I am not trying to excuse my actions, but I do want to explain them.
“People should, rightly, expect the highest standards of behavior from their elected representatives. I fell short. I’m sorry. It’s not a behavior I can explain because it’s not rational in any way, and after medical evaluation, I understand I’m not well. The mental health professional I see says my recent behavior is consistent with recent events giving rise to extreme stress response, and relating to previously unrecognized trauma.
“With that in mind, I don’t want to hide behind my mental health problems, and I take full responsibility for my actions which I deeply regret.
“I have let down a lot of people and I am very sorry.
“The best thing for my mental health is to resign as a Member of Parliament and to focus on my recovery and to find other ways to work for positive change in the world.
“I will therefore be resigning from Parliament immediately.
“I want to thank the many communities and people who have supported me over the years. I will continue to work with and to advocate for those communities however I can, as best I can.
“I also want to especially thank Scotties Boutique for the kindness and empathy they have shown me.
“I now ask for people to give me the space and privacy I need to get better. I won’t be commenting further at this time.”
Ghahraman, 43, made history as the first refugee and first Iranian sworn in as an MP in New Zealand. Born in Mashhad, she arrived as a nine-year-old child asylum seeker with her family. Initially elected as a Green Party candidate in January 2017, she secured the seventh position on the Green Party’s list in the 2023 election. It is the third largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives, with 15 of the 123 MPs.
Responding to her resignation, Green Party co-leader James Shaw said that Ghahraman had been subject to “pretty much continuous threats of sexual violence, physical violence, death threats since the day she was elected to Parliament. That has added a higher level of stress than is experienced by most members of parliament.
“There have been police investigations into those threats almost the entire time that she has been a member of parliament, and so, obviously, if you’re living with that level of threat in what is already quite a stressful situation, then there are going to be consequences for that.”
Ghahraman has spoken out in the past about the abuse she has received both online and in person based on her Iranian heritage, her gender and the public stances she has taken on various issues.
“Eventually some of the online threats I faced got to the point where I had to carry a security alarm and have security escorts back and forth from Parliament,” she said in 2021.
In 2017, Ghahraman was given an escort following threats by white supremacists.
More recently, she has been criticized for taking part in pro-Palestinian protests and for being critical of Israel’s military actions in its war against Hamas in Gaza in her role as the Green Party’s foreign affairs and human rights spokesperson.
Fellow Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said it was right that Ghahraman had resigned but that it was clear she was in distress and would continue to receive the party’s support.
“We have seen the conversation over the past years, especially over the particular treatment of women with public profiles, and, in addition, the particular treatment of women of color with public profiles,” said Davidson.
Ghahraman’s portfolios for the Greens included justice, foreign affairs, defense, ethnic communities and trade.
Ghahraman had a nationally known comedian as a live-in boyfriend when she was first elected, but they split up in 2020.
The police acknowledged they were investigating the allegations against her. As of her resignation, no charges had been filed.
Before entering politics, Ghahraman worked as a criminal defense and human rights lawyer, including for UN tribunals in Rwanda, Cambodia and The Hague.
In 2020, Ghahraman revealed that she had multiple sclerosis, having been diagnosed with the condition while an MP.
Ghahraman’s case recalled that of Sam Dastyari, now 40, the first Iranian to be seated in 2013 as a senator in Australia. In 2018, he resigned his seat after allegations that he had accepted contributions from Chinese donors and promoted the interests of China in response. He has since made a successful career for himself in broadcasting, especially as an acerbic critic of the political system. He was born in Sari and brought to Australia as a four-year-old by parents who had actively opposed the revolutionary regime and had to flee Iran.
