Cartoon by Fargol Ghadimi

One suspect in the rape case in South Korea returns to Iran

IranWire: Iran's Fars News Agency reported on Saturday that a member of the Iranian national track and field team, who was accused of sexual harassment during the Asian Championships in South Korea, will soon return home after completing the initial stages of the investigation and lifting the travel ban.

According to Fars, the athlete, known by the initials "A.Z.", was not in the room at the athletes' hotel when the police arrived and is not currently in custody. Informed sources say that he will return to Iran in the coming days.

Three other members of the Iranian track and field team have also been arrested in connection with the case. Details of the legal status and the process of investigating the charges against these individuals have not been officially released.

The incident has received widespread coverage in the Iranian media and sports circles. The Athletics Federation and the Ministry of Sports have announced that they will deal with the perpetrators. Meanwhile, a number of MPs, including Ahmad Donyamali, have been summoned to the parliament to provide explanations.

Several days after the incident, no official report has been submitted by the Iranian Athletics Federation on the legal status of the individuals involved in the case.

The rape of these athletes began in the early hours of June 30, when a 20-year-old South Korean girl returned to the hotel where the team was staying with one of the Iranian athletes. When two other team members entered the room, the girl protested and sent an emergency message to the police. The police arrived at the scene just minutes later and arrested four people.

South Korean police have detained three members of the national track and field team on charges of gang rape, rejecting the defendants’ claims of consensual relations.