The Islamic Republic lost no time in denying that the diplomat had done anything wrong. It said the entire incident was just a case of a “cultural misunderstanding,” an odd comment that seemed to suggest it was perfectly proper for a man to fondle strange girls in Iran,
The Islamic Republic did not indicate it was in any way concerned that one of its official representatives had been swimming in a co-ed pool.
Brasilia city police were summoned to the pool by angry parents who pointed out the alleged molester. The police took the man into custody, but freed him as soon he established his diplomatic status, which makes him immune from arrest.
The police declined to name the man, but pool managers told local reporters he was Hekma-tollah Ghorbani. Ghobani is the counselor at the embassy, the third-ranking position. He has been in Brasilia for two years.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota called the incident “unacceptable” and “very disturbing.” He did not say if Brazil would declare the diplomat persona non grata and order him to leave.
However, the respected daily Folha de Sao Paulo reported Monday—nine days after the incident—that Brazilian diplomats told it the government would consider it “offensive” if Iran did not permanently remove the man. If Iran does not act, they said, Brazil will declare him persona non grata.
The daily said Ghorbani has been flown back to Iran along with his wife and children—but he remains officially accredited to Brazil.
In such a case with such extreme bad publicity, the country sending the diplomat normally withdraws the offending diplomat instantly, cancels his assignment and apologizes, trying to end the embarrassment as quickly as possible.
But the Islamic Republic has done the opposite—defend the diplomat and denounce the charges against him—which is likely a no-win situation for Iran.
Foreign Minister Patriota said, “These are allegations that we consider very disturbing, and I would personally consider it unacceptable if a Brazilian diplomat behaved this way in any country.” He seemed shocked that Tehran didn’t call the alleged conduct unacceptable. Instead, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast called the allegations “unfounded” and “untrue.”
But the remark that most shocked Brazilians was the comment issued by the Iranian embassy in Brasilia: “The accusation leveled against the Iranian diplomat is only a misunderstanding arising from differences in cultural attitudes.” The statement also complained that the Brazilian media are “generally biased on matters related to some countries, such as Iran.”
Police in Brasilia said the families at the pool reported that Ghorbani had touched as many as 10 girls who were aged from 9 to 15. But Folha de Sao Paulo reported Monday that the number of verified touching incidents was at four girls. The incident happened April 14. The newspaper said that witness accounts given to police said he touched the genitals of the girls after diving into the pool.
The Brazilian news website G1 quoted the father of one of the girls as saying the diplomat might have been lynched because many families at the pool were outraged. “People wanted to kill him. If the club had not deployed security personnel, today they would be looking for me to speak of homicide or lynching,” the father said.