University official fired over sexual harassment row
Published: Thursday, August 14, 2008
02:21GMT—10:21PM/EST
IRAN – ZANJAN UNIVERSITY
Washington, 13 August (IranVNC)—Hasan Madadi, the former cultural deputy for student affairs at Zanjan University, was formally fired from his position today by a special university prosecutor.
Madadi had been suspended from his post after students protested his attempt to sleep with a female student.
According to a report by Amir Kabir University of Tehran’s student newsletter [AutNews], Ali Fiuji, the director of public relations of Zanjan University, said the university prosecutor had determined that Madadi’s act “did not violate Sharia law”, but did “violate the dignity and status of a professor and cultural deputy for student affairs”, which led to the decision to fire him.
The publishing of a clip on Madadi’s attempt to sleep with a female student led to sit-in protests by students in June of this year.
Madadi had told the female student that in order to prevent being expelled from the university she must sleep with him. She reported the matter to the Islamic Student Council, and some members of thie council later entered Madadi’s office at the time of his rendezvous with the female student, filmed the two, and posted the film on YouTube.
After the film was published, several judges ordered the detention of Madadi and the female student. It was later claimed that the two had performed a temporary marriage contract [siqeh].
Several of the students who were responsible for making the film and who had participated in the sit-in protests were also detained.
Source: Amir Kabir University of Tehran’s student newsletter [AutNews]
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(Original article written in Persian)