AFSHIN PARVARESH IS A PREDATOR

1. Afshin Parvaresh has been accused of sexual assault and blackmail on numerous occasions.

Parvaresh has been accused of sexual assault or blackmail in at least three cases. In August 2020, Saghi Ghahraman, an advocate for the Iranian LGBT community-based in Toronto, revealed that Parvaresh had threatened to rape a lesbian refugee in Turkey in 2009. In response to Ghahraman’s allegations, an anonymous user on Twitter named @propeller_plane accused Parvaresh of blackmailing female artists who would not sleep with him by threatening to disparage them online. The same user also indicated that Parvaresh began accusing Iranian artist Aydin Aghdashloo of corruption after attempting to unsuccessfully blackmail Aghdashloo and his family.

In response to Ghahraman’s accusations, @propeller_plane added, “Afshin Parvaresh requested to have sexual intercourse with a female Iranian artist who went to New York to have an art exhibition in 2015. That woman did not accept Parvaresh’s request and he subsequently began making accusations against her artistic work…Parvaresh is assaulting Iranian female artists in another way.”

In April 2021, a woman by the name of Farimah Saghari came forward on a Club House session discussing Iran’s #MeToo movement and accused Afshin Parvaresh, who was present, of sexual assault. After telling him and the listeners her story, Parvaresh denied it and promptly left the group. On his Instagram page, he immediately posted that he was attacked and “asked to leave the chat,” even though the host invited him to stay and discuss the accusation. Given his habit of calling out alleged predators online and calling for them to be “canceled”, usually with no evidence and often with fabricated documents, many of Parvaresh’s followers were left wondering how he may react to such accusations. Again, he has yet to address them.

According to people participating in this Club House session, there have reportedly been around a dozen accounts of sexual harassment by Afshin Parvaresh. In this Club House session, many of these victims’ stories were addressed; the victims have mostly preferred to remain anonymous for the fear of online attacks and bullying by Afshin Parvaresh.

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2. Weeks before a New York Times article by Farnaz Fassihi came out about Aydin Aghdashloo, Parvaresh sent a threatening message about the artist to his former students.

When trying to solicit former students of Aydin Aghdashloo to share negative stories and accusations of the painter, Parvaresh is recorded saying, “After the story I have planned for him, [Aghdashloo] will be destroyed in a way that he can’t survive. Neither him nor his family. No one can follow this up or sue. It’s done. He’s history. Nothing but disgrace will remain of him in history.”

As mentioned in a federal complaint, in apparent attempts to make good on his threat, Parvaresh offered to provide fake medical records and compensation to women and has encouraged these women to fabricate stories about Aghdashloo, prior to introducing them to reporters including a reporter at the New York Times, with the intent of spreading false and defamatory statements about Aghdashloo.

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3. Afshin Parvaresh has reached out to and sexually harassed former students of leading Iranian artists.

In attempts to fuel smear campaigns against leading artists, Afshin Parvaresh contacts former students and colleagues of liberal artists. In one such call, he asked the woman who he was speaking with, a respected author, to remove her clothing whilst talking to him. The woman quickly ended the call but did not publicize her experience out of fear.

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AFSHIN PARVARESH HAS NEVER BEEN A CREDIBLE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST

4. Afshin Parvaresh has no documented history of employment but maintains two residences, totaling $5,000 a month.

Parvaresh’s sources of income or possible financiers have not been determined, based on initial Persian and English-language public records and online research.  Parvaresh identifies as an art researcher in social media. Records show he only holds a high school diploma.

However, given this apparent lack of income or known supporters, Parvaresh appears to have been able to maintain rent on an apartment in Bayridge, Brooklyn, as well as ties to a Pittsburgh apartment. This is approximately $5,000 a month in housing costs, with no discernable income stream or inheritance to support such expenditures.

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5. Afshin Parvaresh has never served as an investigative journalist but is a government puppet-writer and has admitted to accepting support from Iran’s government ministries, including the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and Ministry of Intelligence.

While described as an “investigative journalist” by reporter Farnaz Fassihi in a New York Times article negative to Aydin Aghdashloo, Parvaresh has never worked at any U.S. or Iranian publication as an investigative journalist. There are no employee records suggesting he was ever hired on any editorial staff.  Additionally, Parvaresh has repeatedly requested to be interviewed by reputable Persian-language news platforms, such as the BBC Persian, but has been refused given his lack of credentials. 

In a 2018 interview with the Official Government of Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Parvaresh admitted to receiving support from the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. He has repeatedly fabricated claims and engaged in defamatory social media campaigns, often for the sum of $5,000 for each defamatory campaign. There are also multiple verified documents and evidence that show he is supplied and supported by the infamous Iranian Ministry of Intelligence.

Additionally, evidence shows that even currently Parvaresh is being paid large sums of money by disreputable individuals in Iran engaged in fraudulent activities, such as art forgery,  corruption, and art market manipulation, to fabricate evidence against their enemies. So known are Parvaresh’s attacks-for-hire that Parvaresh receives large and recurring payments from Tehran-based art galleries as part of an extortionate scheme in which galleries seek to be protected from his false accusations on social media and in state-owned media outlets.

Further evidence of Parvaresh’s tactics and attacks can be seen in his treatment of Lili Zarghani. Lili Zarghani, an artist, conservationist, and researcher in Iran, was a target of Afshin Parvaresh five years ago based on a review she wrote about the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMoCA). In April 2021, she came forward in a video describing how Pavaresh ruined her reputation with slanderous posts. Among other things, Parvaresh accused her of having “illicit relations with men,” and in a tearful video, she described that her life became “a living hell” for two years and that she was unable to take him to court since he is abroad.

 “Afshin Parvaresh is not a journalist… he is anti-women,” she says in her video. She added that is aware of Parvaresh getting money to take down and defame specific individuals in Iran’s art scene. 

In addition to Zarghani, Afshin Parvaresh also targeted Iranian actress Golab Adineh. Parvaresh accused her of providing protection to her daughter’s ex-husband for an alleged sexual assault, going as far as threatening to fire young actresses from their jobs if they didn’t keep quiet. This was an accusation for which no evidence was shared, and as a result, it was met with disbelief and backlash.

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AFSHIN PARVARESH IS A PAID PUPPET WRITER AND TOOL OF HARDLINE FACTIONS IN THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT

7. Afshin Parvaresh is a paid writer by the factions of the Iranian regime used to destroy the reputation of the liberal arts community.

Despite his apparent lack of income, there are indications that support that Parvaresh has been utilized by conservative elements in the Iranian government to advance their campaigns against liberal artists. 

Parvaresh and his reporting have appeared in several established Iranian media outlets, including IRNA, Iran’s official news agency, on a number of occasions, and almost all articles are critical of liberal artists and reformist individuals, which indicates likely support by the Iranian regime.

Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) 

Parvaresh has been interviewed on several occasions by IRNA, Iran’s official news agency. In the interviews, Parvaresh discussed his work unveiling the purported plagiarism of other artists. Interestingly,  it is notable that IRNA, a state-run outlet, would interview Parvaresh, who left Iran as a refugee. 

Mehr News Agency 

In July 2017, Parvaresh criticized the Tehran Auction for selling a counterfeit painting, which had been purportedly painted by a deceased Iranian poet and painter. Parvaresh claimed that the auction of the allegedly faked painting demonstrated the corruption in Iran’s art world. A day after Parvaresh made his allegation, Mehr News Agency, which is reportedly owned by the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization, published an article apparently amplifying his claim, under the title “Auction or Money Laundering?”

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8. Afshin Parvaresh has been outed for fabricating stories in Iranian media.

A June 2017 article published by Tasnim News Agency stated that “Sometimes among his concerns, he’ll sprinkle some gut-wrenching lies to make us all cry… Afshin Parvaresh’s words brainwash people. Afshin is a liar who calls all his critics “puppets” [of the regime]. He employs the same strategy against all his opponents. He has many unrevealed hidden secrets and does not like anyone to find out about such matters.” 

The article claimed that Parvaresh was tied to employees of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. Between 2016 and 2017, Parvaresh criticized the decision by the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art to loan pieces to exhibits in Berlin and Rome. 

An undated article from Rooykarde Emrooz News discussed Parvaresh’s allegations of plagiarism against several Iranian artists. The article insinuated that Parvaresh was targeting the artists because of their affiliation with reformist elements in Iran. “The problem is the artists that Parvaresh talks about are known to be affiliated to Iranian Reformists and have the support of reformists’ media in Iran, so not everyone believes the truth is said by Parvaresh.”

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9. Afshin Parvaresh’s attacks on Tehran Auction and Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts are politically motivated.

Alireza Sami-Azar, the current Director of Tehran Auction, the only and highly influential auction house dedicated to contemporary and modern Iranian art, is also the former Director of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMoCA). Mr. Sami-Azar was appointed by the administration of the former reformist Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. While Afshin Parvaresh continuously attacks Mr. Sami-Azar, he never criticizes the TMoCA policies and events – including an extensively reported theft of multiple artworks – during the ultra-conservative Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s reign. 

Parvaresh however, started to once again criticize the TMoCA officials when the reformist President Hassan Rouhani was sworn in and his administration appointed Mr. Majid Mollanowrouzi as the Director of TMoCA.

Although Ahmadinejad’s eight-year Islamist presidency was infamous for corruption, Parvaresh did not pen a single post criticizing his administration and his spite is only reserved for liberal, reformist individuals in the Iranian culture and arts sector.

In February 2021, Mr. Kamran Diba, the founder of TMoCA during the Pahlavi Era confirmed his support for Sami-Azar and dismissed the outlandish accusations by Parvaresh against him.

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10. Afshin Parvaresh attacks the Tehran Auction because it empowers liberal artists.

The Tehran Auction is a private sector institution that acts as a bridge to the outside world and has given international access to Iran’s artists, as it is the only auction house in Iran dedicated to contemporary and modern Iranian art. At the behest of conservative forces in the Iranian regime, Afshin Parvaresh has consistently attacked the Tehran Auction and its participating artists. Following the successful sale of a sculpture at the Tehran Auction, Afshin Parvaresh published a series of social media posts maligning the artist, Parviz Tanavoli, who at the time held the record for highest sales price at the auction. Most recently, Parvaresh, in coordination with the Kayhan Newspaper, IRGC, IRIB, Basij, and other ultra-conservative elements in the regime, has attacked Aydin Aghdashloo, who recently sold a painting at the Tehran Auction for a new record price, accusing him of forgery, fraud, and money laundering.

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11. Afshin Parvaresh charges $5,000 or more for slanderous articles.

It has been confirmed by several sources approached by Afshin Parvaresh (who requested anonymity in fear of repercussions by Parvaresh), that Parvaresh charges at least $5,000 to produce and publish an article defaming a specific target or individual. 

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12. Afshin Parvaresh has used his social media platform to defend known criminals. 

Despite Parvaresh’s attacks on other artists, he has expressed his support in particular for Mohammad Imami, a producer of a television series “Shahrzad.” Imami is a defendant in a corruption trial revolving around embezzlement from Bank Sarmayeh, which is owned by the Teachers’ Investment Fund. According to an article from Farhikhtegan Newspaper, Parvaresh’s fame is derived primarily from his support for Imami.

Parvaresh’s posts on social media suggest that there is a possibility of a connection between him and the group supporting Mohammad Imami, as he recently shared several posts about Imami.

Parvaresh has supported Mohammad Imami in his posts on social media while Imami has a serious ongoing legal case for embezzlement. One of the people who was attacked by Parveresh was Nader Fatourechi, an Iranian journalist (@nfatourehchi). Fatouchi was sentenced to one year in jail following litigation by Imami in June 2020.

Twitter user @LaVita_M92 on September 10, 2018, tweeted: “Media bribery or how Afshin Parvaresh, a person who is unsuccessful in every aspect, tries to hide 1,200 billion Tomon embezzlement by Mohammad Imami and his arrest by highlighting artistic forgery by Tahmineh Milani.”  These claims were repeated in another tweet on February 12, 2019.

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13. Leaked text messages by Afshin Parvaresh illustrate his attempts to fabricate and manufacture defaming stories.

In a series of leaked texts with a reporter from Tasnim News Agency about the Mohammad Emami case, Afshin Parvaresh wrote “the bigger we put the amount, the more it will make noise,” regarding an accusation of embezzlement that he intended to write. The  reporter then asked, “where should we write they’ve embezzled the money from?” To which Parvaresh responded,: “you don’t need to write. Don’t give too many details, or like the Shahrzad story [his own previous accusations against a film production] it’ll get out of hand.” He then continues: “if we need to, we’ll find something. No one will ask about these details. We could even say Golroei was their accomplice. For now, this is enough.”

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14. Parvaresh has attacked a world-famous Iranian sculptor at the behest of a government-linked business partner of Maryam Goudarzi, a gallery owner in Tehran

A business partner of gallery owner Maryam Goudarzi with significant government ties hired Afshin Parvaresh to publicly support Goudarzi’s case against a liberal Iranian artist.

Goudarzi and Iranian sculptor, Parviz Tanavoli, are in a legal dispute in which Goudarzi has demanded the return of six sculptures worth $6 million to her, according to press reports. Parviz Tanavoli is the former Tehran Auction record holder. To support Goudarzi’s claims, the business partner has leaked information and provided funding to Parvaresh, who has published many posts on social media regarding the dispute, providing documents regarding the case, and attacking Tanavoli while supporting Goudarzi.

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15. Afsin Parvaresh will be tried in absentia in a defamation case for his accusations against Aydin Aghdashloo.

Over the last six years, Afshin Parvaresh has attacked Aydin Aghdashloo given his prominent status as a globally-recognized Iranian artist who previously served as Cultural Advisor for Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran. Given Aghdashloo’s ties to the former Shah, Parvaresh has accused Aghdashloo of many crimes through social media posts including forgery, theft, illegal trafficking of antiques, child sexual abuse, attempted murder and raping his own daughter. No evidence has been presented by Parvaresh to support these claims. 

As recently as 2021, Parvaresh made defaming social media posts about Aghdashloo’s family history, style of painting, and the prices his work has garnered. He has also accused the family of money laundering and released public information including the home addresses and phone numbers of Aghdashloo’s children.

Aghdashloo has attempted to serve Parvaresh with a defamation lawsuit but has been unable to locate him. In late 2020,  the Iranian Cyber Police validated all the Parvaresh posts and the Aghdasshloo family filed a defamation lawsuit in Tehran. Parvaresh will be tried in absentia.

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16. Parvaresh is an extortionist who uses a web of accomplices — including his mother — to threaten, blackmail, and defame Iranian artists.

On multiple occasions, Parvaresh has made claims against renowned and respected artists and professionals alleging that they have faked or plagiarized their work or taken part in criminal or immoral activities. Some of the individuals attacked by Parvaresh include but are not limited to:

• Golab Adineh
• Mahnaz Afshar
• Aydin Aghdashloo
• Kiarang Alaei
• Fakhreddin Anvar
• Mohammad Beheshti
• Bahram Bayzaei
• Lili Golestan
• Yaghma Golrouei
• Ebrahim Hamedi
• Sadegh Kharrazi
• Masoud Kimiaei
• Tahmineh Milani
• Majid Mollanorouzi
• Mohsen Namjoo
• Reza Nami
• Nazila Nobashari
• Alireza Sami-Azar 
• Hamid Shans
• Rosita Sharafjahan
• Ali Shirazi
• Shirin Partovi
• Parviz Tanavoli
• Omid Tehrani
• Lili Zarghani

These allegations, shared in social media and through state-news publications, were then used in attempts to extort money for these artistic leaders. Most recently, Parvaresh and his mother, Ghodsieh Safari, were convicted of defamation for an unsuccessful extortion attempt.

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17. Parvaresh was recently found guilty of defamation and lying under oath in a case in which he used his mother to commit fraud.

Recently after Parvaresh’s allegations regarding the authenticity of calligraphy artist Mr. Ali Shirazi’s artworks, Mr. Shirazi filed a lawsuit against him. The court found Parvaresh guilty and he lost this case.As a result of the official court investigation in the matter, a separate lawsuit has been filed against Parvaresh’s mother, Ghodsieh Safari, for her role. Based on court findings, Parvaresh used his own mother as a false witness, who was found guilty of lying under oath. This shows the extent to which Parvaresh manipulates and uses people to further his corrupt goals.