October 08, 2021
The public prosecutor of Ahar in East Azerbaijan province has threatened journalists with legal action over their coverage of local students’ recent allegations of sexual abuse by a teacher.
In an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) September 26, Rahim Abdollahi confirmed that a teacher from a village outside Ahar was being investigated for possible child molestation by the Ahar Revolutionary Court.
But he also castigated members of the media for revealing the case, indirectly accusing them of “spreading lies” and “disturbing public opinion,” a criminal offense in the Islamic Republic. He warned that journalists who reported inaccurately would be prosecuted.
Abdollahi did not state what parts of local media reports were inaccurate. He also did not comment on why the teacher in question had been released while under investigation just hours after his arrest, without posting bail.
The alleged sexual abuse first came to light September 22, after several of the 15 pupils at a rural village school near Ahar refused to go back to class. Both male and female pupils then told their families that they had endured sexual abuse from their teacher for the past two years. Parents then apprehended the teacher themselves and handed him over to local police. But on being transferred to Ahar city, he was released hours later.
According to IranWire, two families have filed a formal complaint against the teacher, who is understood to be about 50 years old and a member of the Basij, IranWire said.
