Attorney General: Several Individuals Should be Prosecuted Regarding the Mahabad Incident

Ibrahim Raisi, the Attorney General of the country, described the incident related to the death of Farinaz Khosravi in Mahabad as 'ordinary' and stated that this incident has 'culprits' and 'several individuals must be prosecuted.' According to a report from Fars News Agency on Sunday, April 20, Mr. Raisi criticized that 'following this incident, enemies have turned an ordinary event into a crisis in the country through social media and satellite channels.' On the same day, IRNA reported, quoting Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the First Deputy of the Judiciary, that 'the case against the perpetrators of the Mahabad incident is being pursued rapidly.' Mr. Ejei added that the Judiciary is 'working to finalize this case as soon as possible.' The First Deputy of the Judiciary had stated a day earlier that 'the culpability of the accused in the Mahabad incident is somewhat clear, but the extent of the charges will be determined later.' Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, the Deputy of the Police Force, also mentioned that 'the main suspect in the Mahabad incident has made confessions after his arrest.' Contrary to initial reports about the incident, the Chief Justice of West Azerbaijan Province has not only denied that the suspect was an 'inspector or security agent,' but also stated that he 'has no prior collaboration with any government agency.' Meanwhile, Mr. Heydari mentioned that this individual was 'active in improving hotel standards.' According to the Chief Justice of West Azerbaijan, an examination of 25 text messages exchanged between the suspect and Farinaz Khosravi shows that 'the suspect invited the deceased to his room' and 'the suspect stated that a few minutes after the deceased arrived in the room and they conversed, the hotel manager, noticing the absence of the deceased, informed the deceased's mother by phone, and the mother called her daughter to inform her that the hotel manager was looking for her. After this call, the deceased contacted one of her colleagues to check on the situation and inform them.' Mr. Heydari added that based on the suspect's statements, the deceased's colleague informed her that the hotel manager was reviewing surveillance cameras. The deceased 'panicked' and decided to leave the room, doing so 'through the balconies.' Initial reports circulating on social media suggested that Ms. Khosravi, as a staff member of the Tara Hotel in Mahabad, jumped from the balcony to prevent 'the assault of a security officer' in one of the hotel's rooms, which led to her death. These reports indicated that the security officer had asked the manager of the Tara Hotel to create such a situation for him in exchange for assisting in upgrading the hotel to a five-star establishment. These reports and news led to unrest and protests in this Kurdish city and the burning of the Tara Hotel by protesters.