Afghan ambassador to Spain stripped of status after sexual assault claims
Afghanistan's ambassador in Spain has been stripped of his diplomatic status amid accusations of serious sexual assaults.
His accusers say Mohammad Rahim Peerzada abused his position of trust to approach them and, in one alleged case, commit rape after using a powerful drug.
But Madrid's provincial court ruled in September it could not investigate Mr Peerzada as he enjoyed diplomatic immunity. He took over as ambassador at the Afghan Embassy in Madrid when the Taliban came to power in Kabul in 2021.
After complaints from members of the Afghan community, Spain's government has reacted by stripping Mr Peerzada of his diplomatic status.
'This person does not represent any official delegation, is not accredited in Spain and does not enjoy diplomatic immunity in our country,' Spain's Foreign Ministry said in a statement it shared with The Telegraph.
One woman reported Mr Peerzada to the public prosecution office in Madrid last summer for alleged sexual assault.
According to the account by the woman, a refugee from the Taliban given the pseudonym Anis, Mr Peerzada met her at an embassy party to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8 2022, and promised to help her get a job in the mission.
They went to a shisha bar to discuss the proposal and there, Anis claimed, her Coca-Cola was spiked and the next thing she remembered was him raping her in a Madrid hotel before driving her to a railway station.
'I felt very weak, my vision was blurred and I urgently needed to sleep,' Anis told the German newspaper Die Welt, describing how she felt on finishing her drink after visiting the bar's toilet for a minute.
Mr Peerzada was appointed as Afghanistan's consul in Madrid in Feb 2021, months before then-president Ashraf Ghani's pro-Western government collapsed. When the ambassador left, he became the de facto head of the diplomatic mission.
The Telegraph has contacted the Afghan Embassy in Madrid to request a response to the allegations.
It is not clear whether Madrid's provincial court will now take up the case again or if more accusations have been presented against Mr Peerzada.
Die Welt spoke to the woman identified as Anis and several others who said they had been victims of abuse or attempted assaults by the ambassador. Germany's police force has reportedly opened an investigation into the claims.
Another Afghan woman residing in Spain told El País how she met Mr Peerzada in a restaurant to discuss how to improve the situation of the 4,000 Afghanis who live in Spain.
The woman said she had accompanied the ambassador to his apartment to smoke a shisha. There, she said he had pushed her onto the bed while supposedly showing her around a home she described as 'luxurious'.
'I thought he was going to rape me. I was terrified but tried not to show it. I pushed him away and said, 'I didn't come here to have sex with you',' the woman told the Spanish newspaper using the assumed name Simin.
Mr Peerzada has denied the allegations.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
14 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Travel ban: 10 exceptions that allow citizens from restricted countries to enter the U.S.
Some select groups of people from the 12 countries affected by President Trump's travel ban may still be allowed entry into the United States. President Trump's travel ban affects citizens from 12 countries, imposing restrictions due to national security concerns. Certain exceptions allow entry based on humanitarian grounds, national interest, or specific visa classifications. Critics argue the travel restrictions disproportionately affect vulnerable populations and strain international relations. Despite the travel ban in place, there are specific exceptions that allow citizens from the affected or restricted countries to enter the United States. These exceptions are typically based on humanitarian grounds, national interest, or specific visa classifications and are designed to accommodate urgent or essential travel needs that align with U.S. policy considerations. The travel ban which takes effect from today, bars nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen from entering the U.S. Additionally, nationals from seven other countries - Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, face partial travel restrictions. The U.S. government justifies these measures on national security grounds, citing concerns over terrorism, insufficient passport controls, and high visa overstay rates in the affected countries. However, exceptions exist that allow certain individuals from these nations to enter the U.S. These exemptions reflect the government's recognition of humanitarian, diplomatic, and strategic factors that require flexibility beyond the broad restrictions. Here are 10 exceptions to Trump's travel restrictions According to the BBC, the travel restrictions do not apply to specific categories of individuals, as detailed in the list below. "Lawful permanent" US residents Their immediate family members who hold immigrant visas US government employees with Special Immigrant Visas Adoptions Dual nationals when the individual is not travelling on a passport from one of the affected countries Afghan nationals holding Special Immigrant Visas Holders of "immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran" Foreign nationals travelling with certain non-immigrant visas Athletes, their teams (including coaches and supporting staff), and their immediate family when travelling for major sporting events, such as the men's football World Cup in 2026 and the Summer 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles In addition, the US Secretary of State may grant exemptions to individuals on a "case-by-case" basis, if "the individual would serve a United States national interest". Trump's travel restrictions criticized President Trump's travel restrictions have sparked widespread criticism both internationally and domestically. Numerous countries and organizations have voiced dissent, arguing that the ban unfairly targets certain nations and exacerbates existing geopolitical tensions. The African Union was among the first to publicly condemn the policy, urging the United States to engage in meaningful dialogue with the affected countries rather than impose broad restrictions. The group emphasized that cooperation and diplomatic engagement would better address security concerns without harming innocent civilians. In a notable response, the President of Mali took retaliatory measures by limiting visa issuance to U.S. citizens hoping to travel to Mali.
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mike Johnson Offers Bizarre Justification For ICE Masks. Backlash Follows.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) faced criticism after he defended the wearing of masks by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during immigration raids. Johnson was asked by Fox News to respond to concerns from Democrats who say ICE agents shouldn't conceal their identities while conducting arrests as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. 'From the people who mandated mask-wearing for years in America, it's absurd,' Johnson fired back, referencing the face-covering measures that Democrats implemented during the coronavirus pandemic in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19. 'They need to back off of ICE and respect our agents and stop protesting against them,' he added, arguing that agents would be doxed if they were able to be identified. Critics pointed out the irony of Johnson's acceptance of agents wearing masks, given his history of opposing mask mandates for medical reasons, and suggested he had conjured up an extreme example of false equivalence. Agents should be able to be held accountable, they argued. Johnson was also criticized over the weekend for dismissing concerns about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's talk of active-duty Marines tackling protests against immigration enforcement in Los Angeles. 'I don't think that's heavy-handed,' Johnson said. Karoline Leavitt Squirms Over Maria Bartiromo's Blunt Question About Elon Musk Trump Accused Of Inciting Violence With Chilling New Rhyme German Leader Politely Shuts Down Trump's Hot Take On D-Day
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Iran says to submit own nuclear proposal to US soon
Iran said Monday it will soon present a counter-proposal on a nuclear deal with the United States, after it had described Washington's offer as containing "ambiguities". Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new nuclear accord to replace the deal with major powers that US President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018. The longtime foes have been locked in a diplomatic standoff over Iran's uranium enrichment, with Tehran defending it as a "non-negotiable" right and Washington describing it as a "red line". On May 31, after the fifth round talks, Iran said it had received "elements" of a US proposal, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying later the text contained "ambiguities". Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei criticised the US proposal as "lacking elements" reflective of the previous rounds of negotiations, without providing further details. "We will soon submit our own proposed plan to the other side through (mediator) Oman once it is finalised," Baqaei told a weekly press briefing. "It is a proposal that is reasonable, logical, and balanced, and we strongly recommend that the American side value this opportunity." Iran's parliament speaker has said the US proposal failed to include the lifting of sanctions -- a key demand for Tehran, which has been reeling under their weight for years. - 'Strategic mistake' - Trump, who has revived his "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions on Iran since taking office in January, has repeatedly said it will not be allowed any uranium enrichment under a potential deal. On Wednesday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US offer was "100 percent against" notions of independence and self-reliance. He insisted that uranium enrichment was "key" to Iran's nuclear programme and that the US "cannot have a say" on the issue. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close though still short of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead. Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes The United Nations nuclear watchdog will convene a Board of Governors meeting from June 9-13 in Vienna to discuss Iran's nuclear activities. The meeting comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report criticising "less than satisfactory" cooperation from Tehran, particularly in explaining past cases of nuclear material found at undeclared sites. Iran has criticised the IAEA report as unbalanced, saying it relied on "forged documents" provided by its arch foe Israel. Britain, France and Germany, the three European countries who were party to the 2015 deal, are currently weighing whether to trigger the sanctions "snapback" mechanism in the accord. The mechanism would reinstate UN sanctions in response to Iranian non-compliance -- an option that expires in October. On Friday, Araghchi warned European powers against backing a draft resolution at the IAEA accusing Tehran of non-compliance, calling it a "strategic mistake". On Monday, Baqaei said Iran has "prepared and formulated a series of steps and measures" if the resolution passed. "Without a doubt, the response to confrontation will not be more cooperation," he added. rkh-mz/ysm
