All Government Officials Involved in the Journalists' Bus Accident Cleared; Driver Found Guilty

The lawyer for the families of Mahshad Karimi and Reyhaneh Yasini, the journalists killed in the bus accident in 2021, announced that all accused officials from the Environmental Protection Organization and the Urmia Lake Restoration Headquarters have been acquitted, while the driver has been found guilty. Subhan Najafgholian stated in an interview with ISNA that their objection to the dismissal of charges against the officials was rejected by the provincial manager of the Urmia Lake Restoration Headquarters. Additionally, the former director of environmental protection in West Azerbaijan Province and the head of the environmental protection department in Urmia were also not found guilty. He added that the driver of the journalists' bus has been sentenced to pay blood money for the deceased journalists Mahshad Karimi and Reyhaneh Yasini, pay compensation for the injured, and serve six months in prison. Najafgholian emphasized that they will definitely appeal this ruling within the 20-day objection period to ensure the West Azerbaijan provincial court reviews the case. On July 2, 2021, about twenty-five journalists from domestic media were heading to Piranshahr to visit projects of the Urmia Lake Restoration Headquarters when their bus had an accident 15 kilometers from the city. In this incident, Reyhaneh Yasini and Mahshad Karimi lost their lives, and several others were injured. The public prosecutor of Naqdeh County stated in December 2021 that initial investigations indicated that provincial officials, including the director of environmental protection in West Azerbaijan, the head of environmental protection in Urmia, and the head of the Urmia Lake Restoration Headquarters, had been negligent in this matter. Asghar Noei Qoshchi also emphasized that the officials were negligent in selecting a suitable bus for the journalists, and the case was sent to the provincial center for further investigation. The judiciary deemed the driver responsible for the fatal 'environmental journalists' bus accident.' Survivors of the bus accident reported that they are following the judicial process, and media personnel protested in front of the Iranian Environmental Protection Organization against the deadly bus overturning. The police chief stated that if the president had also visited, the same journalists' bus would have been used.