Afghan Ambassador to Spain loses diplomatic status over assault claims
Afghanistan’s ambassador to Spain has lost his diplomatic status after several women accused him of serious sexual assaults.
The ambassador, Mohammad Rahim Peerzada, was reported by women in Spain’s Afghan community. One woman said he raped her after drugging her drink while others accused him of trying to assault them.
Spain’s government decided to remove his diplomatic status after pressure from the Afghan community, local reports say.
The country’s foreign ministry told The Telegraph,
“This person does not represent any official delegation, is not accredited in Spain, and does not enjoy diplomatic immunity in our country.”
A court in Madrid had ruled in September that it could not investigate him because of diplomatic immunity. It is unclear if the case will now be reopened.
One of the women, using the name Anis, told German newspaper Die Welt that she met Peerzada at an embassy event for International Women’s Day in 2022.
He promised to help her find a job. She said they later went to a bar, where he spiked her Coca-Cola. The next thing she remembered was waking up in a hotel room, where she said he raped her.
Another woman told Spanish newspaper El País that Peerzada forced himself on her at his apartment. She said she managed to push him away and leave.
Peerzada was appointed Afghanistan’s consul in Madrid in early 2021. Later that year, when the Taliban took over Kabul, he became the head of the Afghan mission in Spain.
The Afghan embassy in Madrid has not responded to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, Peerzada has denied all the allegations.
