Doctor in Abbas Kiarostami Case to be Tried on November 6

The doctor involved in the case of Abbas Kiarostami, the late renowned filmmaker, will be tried on November 6 at the Quds Judicial Complex in Tehran. The news was published by Tasnim News Agency on Tuesday, October 9, stating that the case has been sent to the Criminal Court 2 of the Quds Complex in Tehran for consideration. The first branch of the Tehran Medical Crimes Prosecutor's Office has issued an indictment regarding Kiarostami's death after completing investigations and interrogations. Abbas Kiarostami, a prominent Iranian filmmaker, passed away on July 14 last year while in France for further treatment after leaving Iran. His controversial death brought the issue of 'medical malpractice' to the forefront in Iranian society, and his family has demanded transparency regarding the four-month treatment process he underwent in the country. Following increased protests over Kiarostami's treatment in Iran, the primary court of the Medical System Organization announced in September of last year that the treating physician had committed 'two medical errors and one disciplinary error.' In October 2016, the Tehran Medical Disciplinary Court sentenced Kiarostami's treating physician to three months of work suspension at the site of the 'violation.' The issuance of this ruling did not close Kiarostami's medical file, and further investigations were initiated following objections to this ruling. Nevertheless, Iraj Fazel, head of the Medical System Organization, stated two days ago that 'a mountain has been made out of a molehill' regarding Kiarostami's death case. According to Fars News Agency, Mr. Fazel said that 'the first mistake in the case of the late Kiarostami was the formation of a special court.' He explicitly stated that 'in this case, a mountain has been made out of a molehill, and Kiarostami's cause of death was a brain hemorrhage caused by medications prescribed abroad.' Fazel deemed the establishment of a special court for each patient as an 'incorrect' action, stating that such a court 'discredits what we have and does not serve the people.' He also added that 'the brain hemorrhage caused by the medications prescribed for Kiarostami abroad led to his death, and the public should be aware of this issue.' According to Bahman Kiarostami, the authorities and medical officials in Iran are engaging in 'displacement' regarding the clarification and explanation of his father's death case, which has led to serious protests from the Kiarostami family. Abbas Kiarostami's son stated that the main goal of the 'legal pursuit' of his father's medical case is 'not the cause of death, but the examination of the treatment processes that led to this event.' Medical errors or negligence in Iran annually result in the death or bodily harm to a group of patients, and according to statistics from the Legal Medicine Organization, the rate of physician convictions has been increasing from 2012 to 2015. The Legal Medicine Organization reported that in 2012, out of a total of 4,714 medical complaints, 2,051 resulted in convictions. This number of complaints increased to 7,381 in 2015, with 3,023 of those resulting in convictions. On June 22 of this year, Bashir Khalighi, a member of the Health and Treatment Commission of the Parliament, described the '27% increase in medical negligence' in 2016 as 'concerning.' Khalighi stated that 'some negligence' by physicians has led to an increase in public complaints.