Accused of Murdering Mehrjui and Mohammadi Far: I Confessed Under Duress

The main accused in the murder case of Dariush Mehrjui, a renowned filmmaker, and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadi Far, stated on Wednesday, January 17, during a court session in Alborz province that he did not commit the murder and confessed under duress. Dariush Mehrjui, the famous Iranian filmmaker, and his wife were murdered on Sunday, October 14, 2023, in their private villa in Karaj by unknown assailants with knife wounds. According to Iranian media, the main accused, identified as 'Karim', told the judge that he was under pressure from a police officer during interrogation and was instructed on what to say. He added that he was in another garden on the day of the murder and requested the police to review the local cameras, but they did not do so. Karim, who mentioned that he is married and works as a laborer, denied the murder charge and claimed he is innocent. He stated that he had worked in Dariush Mehrjui's garden for two years and went to the location on the day of the murder for work, but the filmmaker asked him to leave because he had guests. Regarding his confession about stolen property and a discovered phone, he claimed he did not commit any theft and suggested that he believes the other three accused committed the murder and implicated him. Iranian judicial authorities have claimed that one of the four accused is the main suspect, with the other three being accomplices. It has previously been claimed that the accused in the murder case of Dariush Mehrjui and Vahideh Mohammadi Far are Afghan nationals and underage. According to the judiciary, two of the accused do not have identification papers and medical tests have shown that they have not yet reached legal age. At the beginning of the court session, the prosecutor read the indictment and introduced Karim as the main accused. Due to the absence of the heirs of the blood victims, their lawyer requested retribution for all four accused. He pointed out some flaws in the investigation and the indictment, stating that the indictment was based on speculation, focused solely on Karim's statements, and did not provide a strong motive for the murder. According to this lawyer, during interrogations, one of the accused named Mirowis confessed to stabbing Mrs. Mehrjui in the neck, and he should at least be charged with 'aiding and abetting murder'. He also noted that Dariush Mehrjui's attire indicated he was expecting guests, making the review of surrounding cameras very important, but the police did not conduct this investigation. The lawyer added that the contents of Mr. Mehrjui's phones and his social media accounts have also been deleted, and it is unclear how this occurred. Earlier, Mona Mehrjui's lawyer expressed surprise at the issuance of the indictment for the murder suspects and announced an objection to the 'forensic report'. Manouchehr Manoochehri, Mona's lawyer, spoke to the newspaper 'Etemad' on December 10 about 'ambiguities in the case' and added that they had requested 'investigations into certain matters' which made the issuance of the indictment seem 'impossible until the completion of investigations' and the review of objections to the forensic report. Manoochehr Manoochehri also mentioned that given the latest forensic report is also fraught with ambiguities, the indictment was issued based on possibilities and in an uncertain manner. According to Iranian media, the prosecutor's representative stated in the court session on Wednesday that the police had conducted a complete investigation and no trace of another individual was found in the case. He said that due to the confessions of the accused, the prosecution does not delve into other matters and their internal motives, and the indictment was not issued based on speculation. The head of the forensic department explained that first Dariush Mehrjui was killed, and then his wife. He added that investigations show that the injuries inflicted by a knife with a yellow handle caused the death, but it cannot be determined who the killer was. Subsequently, the father of Vahideh Mohammadi Far presented his complaint, and then the lawyer for Mrs. Mohammadi Far's heirs requested retribution for the accused. He also pointed out some flaws in the investigations and the issued indictment, questioning why the charge of 'direct involvement in murder' was not determined for the other accused. According to this lawyer, it is impossible for Karim to have committed both murders. The four accused in the case are Eskandar, Davood, Mirowis, and Karim, who, according to the prosecution, were involved in the murder of Dariush Mehrjui and his wife. Their motive for the murder has been described as 'hostility, financial demands, and theft'. It is reported that the accused have non-Iranian citizenship, and two of them are underage. In the indictment, Karim is identified as the killer, and the other three are his accomplices. Meanwhile, given the contradictory statements from officials regarding the investigations, the details of the murder, the manner of the accused's arrest, and their motives, there are many questions about the proper judicial process in this case. Many social media users liken it to 'serial killings' and claim it was carried out with political motives to silence artists protesting against the government. In this context, the Iranian Writers' Association on October 16 referred to the 'horrific murder' of Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadi Far, stating that 'the government is evading accountability for the ambiguities and explaining what happened to the two'.