Alireza Rahimi, Tehran MP reported that the speaker of the parliament has approved the review of Esmail Bakhshi’s torture case in the national security committee. He announced that the chairman of the committee has also agreed to review the case with the presence of the minister of intelligence.

MP Ali Motahari asked the ministry of intelligence to provide information regarding the torture of Bakhshi, and in case the allegations are true, the ministry should identify the culprits to be punished.

In his op-ed in Etemad newspaper on Sunday, Motahari underlined that if the minister’s response is not satisfactory, “the parliament has a responsibility to defend the victim and citizens’ rights.”

Motahari stated that if the tortures are true, “it shows that there are still forces within the ministry of intelligence who think they can maintain the regime by any means necessary. This is embarrassing for a government that came to power by promising freedom and defending citizens’ rights.”

On Saturday, 34 student associations demanded the minister of intelligence to respond to the torture allegations.

On Friday, Esmail Bakhshi posted an open letter on his Instagram to the minister of intelligence, mentioning the severe torture he received.

It is a known fact that the Islamic Republic uses torture in its prisons. But this is the first time that the regime has been forced to respond due to social media.